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Location: Bee Research Project Number: 0500-00044-024-00 Start Date: Oct 01, 2007 End Date: Sep 30, 2012 The Program will focus on bringing together recent ARS research including: 1) two ARS bee stock improvements, Russian bees and the Varroa Sensitive Hygiene (VSH) trait (Baton Rouge); 2) improvements in nutrition, Mega Bee® (Tucson), HFCS research results (Weslaco); 3) parasitic mite management techniques including new chemical controls 2-heptanone (Tucson), Hivastan® (Weslaco) and non-chemical controls plastic drone comb (Beltsville) and screen bottom boards (Beltsville); 4) management practices including the use of antibiotics, Tylosin® (Beltsville) and Nosema controls (Weslaco and Beltsville). A year-round management scheme will be tested in large migratory and smaller non-migratory beekeeping operations with an emphasis on the larger migratory beekeepers that supply bees to almonds (almost half of all managed bees in the U.S.) The country will be divided into geographic regions as follows; East, Mid-West & West. It is imperative to tests in many geographic regions as bees and bee pests and diseases grow at different rates in different parts of the country.

- Breaking News - Print Editions - Mobile Edition - September 2014 - August 2014 - July 2014 - June 2014 - May 2014 - April 2014 - March 2014 - February 2014 - January 2014 - Submit Article Archive for June, 2011 The Land of Enchantment ranks seventh in the nation in clean energy leadership, according to the research firm Clean Edge’s annual U.S. Clean Energy Leadership Index, the industry’s most comprehensive and objective analysis. 70 different indicators from both municipal and private data sources were considered, including total electricity produced by clean-energy sources, hybrid and electric vehicles on the road, clean energy venture and patent activity, policy regulations, workforce development and financial incentives. New Mexico scored 57 out of a possible 100 on the index. The No. 1 state is California, which scored a 95.3. California’s clean-energy industry attracts more venture capital More > Congressman Ben Ray Luján has introduced legislation to help community colleges provide clean energy workforce training. The Community College Energy Training Act of 2011 would provide grants to support the training of technicians to work in the wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass energy sectors. The bill also covers other energy-related occupations, including energy-efficient building construction and retrofitting, recycling and waste reduction, water and energy conservation, and sustainable agriculture. The legislation has 24 cosponsors. “If the U.S. is going to be a leader in renewable energy, we have to have a skilled workforce that is trained and ready to get to work,” More > State Environment Dept. Now More Effective – For Industry Newly appointed Environment Secretary David Martin has shifted four regulatory civil servants in the state Environment Department out of their areas of expertise. The shake-up includes Mary Uhl, Air Quality Bureau chief, who is being transferred to Occupation Health and Safety; James Bearzi, who, after 12 years of leading the Hazardous Waste Bureau, is headed for the Surface Water Bureau; Steve Zappe, who has been monitoring the Waste Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP) near Carlsbad for 17 years, is now in the food inspection office; and Marcy Leavitt, a 20-year veteran, mostly in More > The Institute for Agricultural Trade Policy has announced its 2011-2013 Food and Community Fellows. Out of 560 applicants, Don Bustos was selected as one of the 14 new fellows. Bustos, a certified organic vegan farmer, is also the Program Director for the American Friends Service Committee-NM, where he provides training to farmers and works on land and water rights issues. The fellowship provides a stipend, communications support, trainings, and travel opportunities as part of a program intended to increase the strength of local food systems and community health. The fellowship is funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Woodcock Foundation. Bustos More > A careful new study from Switzerland by Daniel Favre, published online in April, seems to demonstrate the effects of cell phones on honeybees. More than 80 sound recordings were taken from five different hives during February through June 2009. A cell phone was place in the hives near the bees. When the phone was off or on standby mode, the bees were not disturbed. When the phone was turned on, the effect was dramatic: within 25 to 40 minutes the sounds made by the bees increased in intensity and frequency, producing the “worker piping signal,” which is usually produced by bees More > WGO – JUNE 2011 GFT – Final Through Sept. 17 Beekeeping Workshop Series Open Space Visitor Center, 6500 Coors Blvd NW Certification classes with Les & Heather Crowder held on the Saturdays. Cost: $675 or $100 per class. 505.897.8831, www.fortheloveofbees.com, www.cabq.gov/openspace/visitorcenter.html June 1, 11:30 am – 1 pm Tapping Into Ground Source Energy MCM Elegante, 2020 Menaul NE USGBC luncheon speaker Matthew Higgins, Energy Engineer. $25 members, $30 non-members, $18 Emerging Professionals. Open to the public. www.usgbcnm.org. June 8, 14, 11:30 am-1 pm Energy & Atmosphere Webinar USGBC-NM series. LEED EB O&M. Earn 1.5. CE hrs. $10 members, $15 non-members. More info: [email protected]. Register at www.usgbcnm.org June 9, 6-7:30 pm Natl. Hispanic More > Santa Fe Civic Housing Authority (SFCHA) is about to welcome residents to Villa Alegre, Santa Fe’s first LEED Platinum affordable multifamily housing development. Villa Alegre is the second LEED Platinum housing project in New Mexico and the first to be developed by a civic housing authority. The U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an internationally recognized green building certification system. LEED provides third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed to maximize energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, stewardship of resources and sensitivity More > An avid bee steward’s guide to learning, acquiring and keeping bees healthy in these changing times Melanie Margarita Kirby There are more beekeepers among us these days! A very good thing. However, there are several things to consider for those interested in learning how to become beekeepers (or better put: bee stewards) and integrate their interest into their surrounding communities in a healthy and respectful manner. Bee stewards can promote honeybees and native bees, which include bumbles, sweat bees, leaf-cutters, Blue Orchard bees and the many hundreds more. Bee stewards do not necessarily have to have their own bees – they can More > The subject of food and growing food is very political, and has social and cultural impacts. In New Mexico, although there are a number of organizations working on issues related to food systems, few have had the awareness to include social justice in their mission or to fully take into account the impact of their work on ranchers, farmers, distributors and consumers. Over the next few months in a series of articles in Green Fire Times, I will explore this volatile subject: our traditional food systems vs. the predominant food system, within the context of sustainable agriculture. There are several More > Money holds power. To the dismay of many social investors, this is still a true statement. To their delight however, there is a key component of Socially Responsible Investing or Sustainable Investing as it is now often referred to, that brings light to that power. That is the power of the proxy vote. By leveraging the economic influence of the more than $3 trillion invested by regular people like you and me, we can be a major catalyst for change. Back in the ’80s we saw the force behind the deconstruction of apartheid in South Africa when millions of investors More > Sustainability Education: Self Reliance through Interdependence There is new life springing forth from two essential but beleaguered systems: education and agriculture. Farm-to-school, edible classroom, service learning, place-based curriculum and ecological education are among the concepts brought to life in a quiet renaissance within some of our nation’s more progressive educational institutions. Ultimately, these radical reforms are nothing new. They are simply a reaffirmation of what humans have engaged in over the eons. And on one mountainside in northern New Mexico, children at the Sangre de Cristo Youth Ranch (SCYR) are learning their place in nature’s community. At its core, education is More > “Human beings are not different from Nature, we are part of Nature. Our very existence on Earth depends on nature. In truth, it is not we who protect Nature, but Nature who protects us.” – Sri Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma) How often does the question arise: “What can I do to help our planet, to help humanity through these arduous times?” In reflecting on the recent earthquakes and tsunamis, and the massive flooding around the globe from Australia to the southern and midwestern U.S., unprecedented for most of us, I can’t help but feel that the Earth is reacting and giving us More > Each year the GreenBuilt Tour provides opportunities to learn the latest in green techniques and savings. People can visit newly built and remodeled homes. Each property will have a flyer highlighting its green features. Signs will be placed to draw attention to particularly noteworthy elements. Guidebooks are available electronically at www.usgbcnm.org, in print at La Montañita Co-op and Whole Foods, and at each home on the days of the tour. Organized by the nonprofit US Green Building Council – New Mexico Chapter, the 12th annual tour will take place on Saturday, June 11th, and Sunday, June 12th from 10 am to More > Faren Dancer’s GREEN TALK Unicopia, a nonprofit organization, was founded in 1987 to raise public awareness of our interconnectedness with the natural world. The name was derived from: UNI (Unity): as in oneness, emphasizes the fact that all of Earth’s citizens are unified in a common experience. This awareness, coupled with applied scientific knowledge, helps support the movement toward true sustainability and planetary stewardship. Unicopia’s goal is to empower others to become active participants in our sustainable future. COPIA (Abundance): Each citizen of the planet shares the common desire to experience fulfillment, joy and prosperity. This pertains to material realms and to our More > On May 10th, as part of its commemoration of the 257th Anniversary of the Abiquiú Land Grant, the Abiquiú Library and Cultural Center hosted a public event: “The Genízaro Experience: A Living Legacy and Celebration of History.” A panel of both academic and traditional elder scholars had a spirited discussion about this little known part of New Mexico history. It is a history of Native American women and children, between 1693 and 1880, who were stolen from various tribes through war and raiding to be ransomed to the Spanish and Pueblos. These captives were renamed by the Spanish as Genizaro More > Fresh AIRE: Agricultural Implementation, Research & Education I remember coming into agriculture through my participation with the organizations of the Atrisco Land Rights Council and Tonantzín Land Institute in efforts to preserve the sacred sites associated with the petroglyphs on the west side of Albuquerque. We were trying to prevent the Paseo del Norte extension through the petroglyphs, a struggle that was eventually lost. But in the process of trying to preserve those sacred sites I was able to work with many teachers of ceremonies and talking circles. I became aware of the concept of belonging to the land, subsisting More > What if Earth lovers, organic food growers, gardeners, social activists, community gardeners, Greenpeacers, Farm-to-Table advocates, sustainability educators, eco-villagers, environmentalists, Permaculturists, traditional and native agriculturists, recyclers, land trust managers, composters, local farmers, local energy proponents, timebankers, land stewards, zero-waste practitioners, progressives, celebrities and ecological “do-gooders” would reach out to somebody NOT like us? I am suggesting doing this in the name of diversity and the power that comes from polarity to engage in a meaningful conversation with another so that it empowers them to tread more lightly on Earth. Imagine a tea partier, an arms dealer, a sheik, a petrochemical CEO, More > Gerald B. Ansell, Ph.D. About five years ago, a farsighted, much needed, economic development and energy resource concept, to be entitled EnergyPlex, was conceived for the U.S. Southwest regions of New Mexico and Texas. Its proposed Energy Corridor was to center around NM’s Hobbs, Eddy and Lea counties and nearby Texas communities. It was well supported by the vast majority of both states’ political representatives, surrounding industry, agricultural interests and the public in general. During the ensuing years, the EnergyPlex concept has directly improved economic and housing conditions in the region. It has also, at least short-term economically and environmentally, successfully More > The time has come to secure a future for New Mexico without coal. Important national trends and unprecedented local actions all indicate that this crucial transformation is within reach for our energy sector, our economy and our environment. After years of hard work, organizing and advocacy, we have reached a fundamental tipping point. The economic, health and environmental costs of using coal to generate electricity irrefutably outweigh the benefits. While coal’s pending demise represents a great triumph, we must maintain pressure on polluters and regulators to ensure that this transformation proceeds expeditiously. We must also work to ensure that the More > The economy is improving, right? Maybe. It might be getting better but it’s likely not improving equitably. New Mexico, it seems, is still struggling with high unemployment and under-employment. As major corporations continue to garner most of their growth overseas, conventional indicators such as the stock market are not reflecting local prosperity, and actually hide local economic decline. If you have a gut level feeling that the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer and the middle class is disappearing, the discrepancy between information from the media and reality may seem more like a chasm than a gap. Sustainable More >

Iraqi Farmers Union Focuses on Revitalization By Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky, USA Special to American Forces Press Service FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq, March 3, 2008 Sixteen prominent landowners gathered with members of the Baghdad-7 embedded provincial reconstruction team at Patrol Base Whitehouse in Sayifiyah on Feb. 28 for a farmers union meeting. Mike Stevens, Baghdad-7 embedded provincial reconstruction team agricultural advisor, shakes hands with Sayifiyah, Iraq, landowners as he distributes seeds after their third farmers union meeting Feb. 28, 2008, at Patrol Base Whitehouse. The seeds will help farmers increase their production, allowing them to make profit that can be reinvested by the union, boosting the local economy and community. Photo by Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky, USA (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. As security returns to the region, coalition forces are focusing on restoring the agriculturally based economy in Sayifiyah. Efforts include reviving the poultry and beekeeping industries, increasing productivity of vegetable farms and creating new industries, such as fish farming and chicken processing plants. All of these efforts were discussed at the meeting, the farmers union’s third gathering. "We're here to restore the area to the farming community it once was," said Mike Stevens, from Alexandria, Minn., embedded PRT agricultural advisor. Enough seeds for 350 farmers were distributed to eight of the landowners whose primary business is vegetable farming. Tomato, cucumber, green pepper and eggplant seeds imported from Turkey and Spain will be given to the numerous farmers who work the fields, Stevens said. He called it a self-starting, self-sustainable package that will help farmers gain bigger returns on their produce, since the PRT absorbs the initial cost of jumpstarting production. Stevens said future investments will target the top five areas of need in the region: vegetables, poultry, irrigation, veterinarian services, and herds of cattle and sheep. A key point underlying the initiatives is increased profits for farmers. Under Saddam Hussein’s regime, Stevens said, farmers received supplies from the government to run their farms. In return, they owed the government up to 50 percent of their crops. Now, under a democratic system of government, farmers will have the power to keep all their produce and set their own prices and areas of market. This eventually will strengthen the economy by allowing farmers to bring in more money, PRT officials said. Stevens said he hopes to build a strong union, so farmers can pool profits to buy goods and services such as more seeds, animals and machinery. Toward this end, part of the meeting focused on teaching the landowners democratic and capitalistic concepts. They also were encouraged to discuss their own issues to help work out solutions among themselves and the PRT. Some issues raised were repairing and procuring more tractors and distributing pesticides to kill insects that damage citrus trees. Stevens reiterated the need for the farmers to work together and take advantage of the zero start-up cost being offered by coalition programs to increase their collective profits. Signs of progress already are materializing. Fadil Fawaz Hamed and other landowners have begun work to strengthen productivity. Hamed has 124 farmers working his vegetable farms. "It is about strength in numbers," Stevens said. Working as a group, the farmers can reduce the cost burden of fixing problems and collectively enjoy the benefits of solutions. In the meantime, the group is focused on existing structures and restoring them to their pre-war production levels before leaning into new ventures. "We're off to a good start," Stevens said. "We can't provide everything, but if people can work together, we can promise to work hard to help them achieve their goals." (Army Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky serves with the 3rd Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office.)

The varroa mite, Varroa jacobsoni, is considered to be the most serious honey bee pest which now occurs almost worldwide. Many beekeeping operations in South Carolina have lost colonies to this parasite. Normally, unprotected honey bee colonies will die from the effects of varroa within one to two years. So, it is imperative that beekeepers become familiar with and apply the latest varroa mite control recommendations. The varroa mite’s natural host is the Asian honey bee, Apis cerana, and it seldom reaches a destructive level in this species. Varroa mites were found on specimens of Asian bees collected in 1942 and are stored in Museum Moscow. Varroa mites were first discovered in the same USSR region on European honey bees, Apis mellifera, in 1964. A rapid and multidirectional spread of the mite occurred within the USSR. Varroa was first detected in West Germany in 1977. The mite continued to spread and is now found throughout the world within the natural limits of honey bee distribution. In September 1987, varroa mites were first discovered in North America in honey bee colonies located in Saukville, Wisconsin. Shortly after this initial find, varroa was discovered in Florida. By the end of October 1987, varroa had been found in 19 of Florida's 67 counties. By spring of 1988, the mite had been detected in 12 US states. Varroa mites were first discovered in resident South Carolina honey bee colonies in Saluda county in November 1990 and have now spread throughout the state. Varroa mites can be found on adult honey bees, on the brood and in the hive debris. The adult mite has eight legs and is reddish brown, oval and flattened in shape. Their flattened body confirmation allows them to hide between the bees abdominal segments and go unnoticed by the beekeeper. The adult female is about 1.1 mm long and 1.5 mm wide; it can be seen easily with the unaided eye (about the size of the head of a common pin). Male varroa are considerably smaller and are pale to light tan in color. When brood are present in the hive, an adult female mite will enter an uncapped larval cell (5-5.5 days old). After the cell is sealed, the mite will lay approximately five eggs. Egg to adult stage requires 5-6 days for male mites, and 6-7 days for females. The nymphal stages feed on the developing brood, often causing deformities in the developing bee. The old female and the newly mated female mites exit the cell as the young honey bee emerges from the cell. Adult honey bees serve as an intermediate host and a form of transportation for the newly emerged mites. Male mites and any immature female mites are left behind in the cell to die. Life span of varroa females is reported to be 2-3 months in summer and 6-8 months in winter. Mite populations increase rapidly during the heavy brood rearing season. Drone brood are parasitized more than worker brood. In South Carolina, bee colonies usually die from varroa parasitism in mid-summer to fall. This late-season die-off period (including unmanaged wild colonies) may lead to infestation of nearby colonies through robbing or drifting bees that abscond from the collapsing colonies. Varroa infested colonies may die with full supers of honey left behind that are subject to destruction by wax moths. Beekeepers can safely extract uncontaminated honey from dead colonies prior to ant or wax moth infestation. Varroa mites have piercing and sucking mouthparts and feed on blood of honey bee adults, larvae and pupae. In heavy infestations, pupae may not develop into normal adult bees and several mites per cell (five mites or more per pupa) may result in death. Adult bees that emerge may have misshapen wings, deformed legs, shortened abdomens, and may weigh less than mite-free raised honey bees. These heavily infested bees may be found in front of the hive, unable to fly. Other symptoms of heavy mite infestation include spotty brood pattern and the appearance of a weak colony with low morale. Low mite infestations are difficult to detect without a thorough survey. Varroa mites can live only a few days without a blood meal from an immature or adult bee. Equipment that has been stored free of brood and adult bees for two weeks or more may be reused without fear of mite survivability. Varroa mites are spread from colony to colony by drifting bees, especially drones. Other means of mite spread are bee colony movement for pollination or honey production. Mites can also be spread with package bees, queens, and swarms. Thousands of managed honey bee colonies in South Carolina have been affected or lost as a result of varroa since 1990. The value of the feral and managed honey bee colonies lost to this pest, and the resulting damage caused by decreased honey production and the loss of marginal beekeepers, is only a fraction of the losses caused by inadequate pollination of vegetable, fruit crops, and wildlife food plants. Fruit and vegetable growers (apple, cucumber, melon, etc.) have experienced increased honey bee colony rental costs to insure adequate pollination. South Carolina beekeepers have experienced increased management costs due to colony replacement and mite control. Unless special measures are taken to survey for varroa mite levels, the beekeeper may treat colonies unnecessarily or may delay treatment too long. Infested colonies may appear to be apparently healthy up to a certain mite level, but will suffer a population crash at a certain mite threshold, depending on local conditions and other factors. A beekeeper should choose an effective method of mite detection and periodically survey for pest level. When sampling for varroa, remember that the number and location of mites in a colony vary according to time of year. The number of mites is lowest in spring, increase during the summer, and is highest in the fall. During spring and summer, most varroa are found on the brood. In late fall and winter, most mites are attached to adult worker honey bees. To get a reliable estimate of the varroa density in an apiary, beekeepers should survey at least 50 percent of the colonies. There are several varroa mite survey methods available to the beekeeper. Brood Examination - Varroa mites spend most of their life cycle inside sealed bee brood cells. Uncapping and checking brood (pupae) for mites is a reliable detection method. The adult mites can be easily seen against the white surface of worker or drone pupae after they are removed from the cells. It is suggested that at least 100 pupae per colony be examined for an adequate survey. An individual pupa can be removed from its cell with forceps or groups of pupae removed from their cells by inserting a capping scratcher at an angle through the cappings and lifting the brood and cappings upward. Ether Roll - This technique gives a reliable estimate of the varroa population at moderate to high levels, but is less sensitive when surveying for low level mite infestations. The best time to use this method of mite detection is in late summer or fall. At least 300 adult bees from the brood nest should be collected in a quart jar and anesthetized with ether delivered from an aerosol can (this product is sold in auto-parts stores as an aid to start engines). A 1-2 second burst of ether spray is adequate; cap the jar, roll and shake it for 30 seconds. Most of the mites will dislodge from the bees and will adhere to the inside sticky surface of the jar. The mites will appear as brown oval objects and can be easily counted. WARNING: the aerosol ether product is highly flammable and should be used with extreme caution around bee smokers or other forms of heat. Bee Washes - Collect about 300 adult bees from the brood nest into a jar filled with detergent-water or alcohol. Place a lid on the jar and shake vigorously for about a minute; then pour the bees and solution through a double screen or sieve. The upper screen should filter out the bees while the lower screen will catch the mites. A white drip coffee pot filter used on the second screen to catch varroa mites works fine. Repeat the solution wash for a thorough survey. The beekeeper may then count the bees and mites and estimate a mite to bee ratio for the colony. Mite Fall Examination - This technique requires a piece of sticky white construction paper be placed on the hive floor. The paper surface may be made sticky by applying petroleum jelly, cooking oil spray or Tangle Foot. The mites will naturally fall from the bees in the hive and be trapped in the adhesive material. A screen of 1/8 inch hardware cloth must be placed 1/4 inch above the sticky paper to prevent bees from becoming en-tangled on the trap or allowing bees to remove mites from the trap. Commercially produced frames to exclude bees, the Varroa Trap and the Beltsville Screen Insert, are available through bee supply stores or a beekeeper may con-struct a similar frame. The sticky paper is removed after 2-3 days and can be easily examined for trapped mites. A magnifying glass or dissecting microscope may be helpful in counting mites if heavy debris is present on the trap. This is a very sensitive method of mite survey when the colony is broodless. Mite fall counts can be increased using an approved acaricide treatment during the survey. Laboratory Confirmation - Beekeepers may mail bee samples (100 adult bees) to the USDA Bioenvironmental Bee Lab, Building 476, BARC-E, Beltsville, Maryland, 20705 to test for the presence of mites. The mite level will not be estimated. The bees should be placed in a small sealed container with enough alcohol to cover the bees. The container should be mailed in a cardboard box with adequate packing to prevent breakage or accidental leakage. Any sample of brood in comb should be wrapped with paper and shipped dry in a cardboard box. When shipping samples always indicate the owners name, address, county, apiary location and collection date. Beekeepers must accept the fact that varroa mite eradication is not possible. We must aim at avoiding pest damage levels using highly effective means of control. Beekeepers are urged to attend local, state and regional beekeeper meetings to stay abreast of the latest varroa mite control recommendations. Beekeeping journals are another good source of current information on how to control varroa. There are many varroa mite control methods available to the beekeeper. Some have been shown to be only moderately effective. An integrated approach to varroa mite control that includes cultural, chemical, and use of resistant lines of bees is best. Cultural Control - The removal and destruction of infested bee brood, especially drone brood, having mites has proven to reduce varroa problems, but this method is labor intensive and reduces colony strength. Confining the queen to a cage inside the hive and creating a broodless period may break the varroa life cycle, but this method will also stress the colony. The use of the Beltsville Screen Insert which is a bottom board modification with screen slows the growth rate of varroa, but it does not control the mites without the use of other control measures. Chemical Control - Beekeepers should use only pesticides which are registered for use in South Carolina by EPA for varroa mite control. A pyrethroid, fluvalinate, is fully registered under the name Apistan™ in the US and an organic phosphate, coumaphos, under the name of Bayer Bee Strip or Check Mite+ ™ is registered in SC under an emergency use label only. Both products are available only in plastic strips impregnated with chemical that kills varroa by contact. The strips are hung vertically between hive frames so that the bees and mites come in contact with the chemical. The strips have enough active ingredient to kill the small mites, but do not affect the larger sized bees. Beekeepers should follow label instructions exactly on these products and remove strips in a timely manner to avoid mite resistance to the product and honey contamination. These products should not be used during a nectar flow and never use both products in a hive at the same time. Treatment effects of these products used simultaneously may be detrimental to the colony. A formic acid gel product should be available for varroa mite control in Fall 1999. Varroa mites have shown resistance to fluvalinate in some European countries and a few US commercial and sideline beekeeping operations. There has been no reports of mite resistance to fluvalinate in SC. Possible reasons for the resistance problem are the long term use of a single product to kill varroa mites, beekeeper failure to remove pesticide strips in a timely manner, and misuse of pesticide products not labeled for varroa control. Resistant Bee Lines - The use of selected lines of bees that show mite resistance is a preferred method of control. Only a moderate level of varroa resistance has been reported. Varroa resistance may come in the form of bees that show a grooming behavior, hygienic behavior, or shortened brood period that disrupts the life cycle of mites. Organic Oils - The use of botanical or essential oils such as thymol, neem, and canola may reduce varroa mite numbers. Most require an integrated approach along with other control measures to maintain healthy bee colonies. Some applications of these naturally occurring oils may be detrimental to the colony, causing queen failure or significant loss of worker bees. Additional research is needed to develop application methods of botanical oils for mite control to prevent negative effects on bee colonies. Chemical acaricides have been used in most successful varroa mite control programs. In an integrated approach to varroa mite control, the goal should be to not treat at low tolerable levels, but to treat only when high pest levels are reached. The crucial problem in a successful mite management program is the proper timing of acaricide treatments. A more judicious system of properly timed treatments may have prolonged the useful life of fluvalinate in areas where resistance to the acaricide has been reported. The resistance problem has led to a vicious cycle where all the spinoffs are negative such as: The magnitude of these spinoffs is difficult to estimate and the additional costs to the beekeepers as a result of acaricide resistance are unknown. Optimal use of acaricides is highly recommended to protect the effectiveness of products over a long period of time. On the other hand, beekeepers must avoid delaying treatment to the "colony collapse level" which can be defined as the lowest varroa mite density which causes colony mortality regardless of treatment. This mite level can vary from region to region depending on climate and other factors that affect bee colony health. The mite damage to the colony below this level is tolerable, but beekeepers should treat well below the colony collapse level to maintain productive colonies. The key to this pest management dilemma is the development of suitable guidelines for treatment recommendations commonly referred to as treatment thresholds. Treatment threshold here is defined as "the varroa mite density at which control measures should be applied to prevent an increasing pest population from reaching the colony collapse level." The treatment threshold always represents a varroa mite level lower than the colony collapse level. This allows the beekeeper to take action before the varroa density reaches the colony collapse level. By delaying treatment beyond the treatment threshold, the beekeeper risks increased bee mortality, brood pathology and colony mortality. On the other hand, if a beekeeper treats far below the treatment threshold as an "insurance treatment," he/she has increased management costs unnecessarily along with other possible negative side effects as mentioned earlier. The goal is to identify the level of varroa mites that should be treated to maintain productive colonies and thus to minimize treatments based on adequate and reliable sampling data. Treatment thresholds should be re-validated periodically in a given region to prevent treatment at lower mite densities than necessary. The primary objective of a treatment threshold system is to reduce the number of acaricide applications and still maintain strong, productive colonies. This may result in an immediate cost savings to the beekeeper. A timely application of a highly efficient varroa mite control product is recommended to lengthen the interval between applications. On the other hand, non-chemical methods of varroa control may be used in rotation with acaricides to maintain low mite levels. A treatment threshold system should identify, for a given region, the mite level and time of year at which acaricide treatments give satisfactory results relative to some future date. This permits a beekeeper to 1) anticipate at what time of year treatment may be necessary and 2) make an informed treatment decision if sampled mite levels at that time meet or exceed an established threshold. A research based varroa treatment threshold was developed for newly installed (in April) package bees for the piedmont region of Georgia and South Carolina (Delaplane & Hood 1997). A late-season acaricide treatment in the first year colonies was justified at about 15 varroa mites collected with a 300-bee ether roll and overnight adhesive bottom board insert mite level of about 117 mites in mid-August. Using this information, a beekeeper in the piedmont region of South Carolina should take the following actions: Other treatment threshold research (Delaplane & Hood 1999) conducted in the piedmont region of Georgia and South Carolina with overwintered colonies yielded very similar thresholds. An ether roll of 15-38 mites and overnight bottom board insert of 59-187 were the varroa treatment threshold levels developed for August. Treatment Threshold Limitations - Treatment thresholds should not be generally accepted outside of the region from which they were developed. Differences in brood rearing levels and possibly unknown genetic differences in bee and mite populations may alter conditions for adoption of treatment threshold guidelines. Treatment thresholds are not valid when used outside the parameters which they were developed, such as time of year (month). Extreme colony conditions, such as swarming or a period following a pesticide kill, may result in erroneous conclusions. A research based treatment threshold system is not a long term prescription for good bee health without adequate disease and pests management practices by the beekeeper. Periodic re-validation of thresholds is necessary to maintain the reliability of recommendations. Conclusions - Several factors have contributed to the argument for use of a treatment threshold systems These include the news of varroa mites developing resistance to a pesticide in some parts of the world, the increased cost to beekeepers in managing mites, the increased cost of discovering and developing new pesticides, and the continued fear of honey and comb contamination have all. The varroa mite treatment threshold system is based on the principal that pesticides should be used only when the mite population reaches a certain level to prevent colony collapse. The rotation of different chemical class pesticides is recommended to prolong the useful life of acaricides. Nonchemical methods of varroa control that have been proven to be effective are also recommended. Widespread adoption and use of treatment thresholds in a region will further enhance the effectiveness and prolong the useful life of an acaricide. In order to protect people and the environment, pesticides should be used safely. This is the responsibility of everyone, especially the user. Read and follow label directions carefully before you buy, mix, apply, store, or dispose of a pesticide. It is a violation of State and Federal Laws to use pesticides in a manner inconsistent with its label. Pesticides recommended in this publication were registered for the prescribed uses when printed. Pesticide registrations are continuously being reviewed and may be revoked for proper justification. Should registration of a recommended pesticide be canceled it would no longer be recommended by Clemson University. Use of trade names in this publication is for clarity and information; it does not imply approval of the product to the exclusion of others which may be of similar, suitable composition, nor does it guarantee or warrant the standard of the product. Delaplane, K. & W. Hood. 1997. Effects of delayed acaricide treatment in honey bee colonies parasitized by Varroa jacobsoni and a late-season treatment threshold for the southeastern USA, J. Apic. 36, 125-132. Delaplane, K. & W. Hood. 1999. Economic threshold for Varroa jacobsoni in the southeastern USA. In press, Apidologie. Hood, W. 1992. The varroa mite. Insect Update Series, Vol. 3-92. No.2. Clemson University, SC. 4 p. Hood, W. & K. Delaplane. 1999. Treatment Thresholds. In Mites of the Honey Bee, eds T. Webster & K. Delaplane. In Press, Dadant & Sons Publishers, Hamilton, Ill Mobus, B. & L. Connor. 1988. The varroa handbook - biology and control. Wicwas Press, Chesire, Conn. 52 p. Pettis, J. and W. Wilson. 1990. Life cycle comparisons between Varroa jacobsoni and Acarapis woodi. American Bee Journal, pp. 597-599. Shimanuki, H. and D. Knox. 1991. Diagnosis of honey bee diseases. USDA, Agric. Handbook No. AH-690, 53 p. This information is supplied with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service is implied. Brand names of pesticides are given as a convenience and are neither an endorsement nor guarantee of the product nor a suggestion that similar products are not effective. Use pesticides only according to the directions on the label. Follow all directions, precautions and restrictions that are listed. EIIS/AP-5 (New 12/2000).

No Joke, Anna Wintour Willingly Ruined Her Hair! Watch Vogue's Ice Queen Do The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge HERE! EXCLUSIVE! Heidi Klum Rocks Out In Leather & Leopard On The Cover Of Marie Claire Mexico! Hottest Stories Right Now! Beauty On A Budget! How To Get Ariana Grande's Youthful Seventeen Magazine Glow Sofia Vergara Intentionally Fooled EVERYONE With That 'Engagement Ring' -- And Here's Why! Disney Magic Takes New Form! This Makeup Artist Is Literally Making Smiles With Famous Characters! Oh Wow... Back To School Commercial Goes Viral And Once You Watch It, You'll See Why! Kate Upton's Wet T-Shirt Is The Hottest Thing She's Worn In A While!! Watch Her Embrace The Ice Bucket Challenge With BF Justin Verlander HERE! Taylor Swift's Brand New 'Sneaky Cat' Sneakers Line Is EVERYTHING And More! Purrrfection! The Hottest Stories Right Now! EXCLUSIVE! The New Cycle Of America's Next Top Model Has Begun & Things Are FEISTY! Learn More About The Drama From Miss J HERE! 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Kourtney Kardashian OWNS Her Fearless Pregnancy Style By Wearing Horizontal Stripes! Khloe Approves! Ariana Grande Vs. English Model/Actress Jean Shrimpton: Who Wore It Better??? Braless Rihanna Strikes AGAIN! Are You Loving Or Hating Her Naughty New Nightie Style? Worst Dressed Celebs Of The Week! Sofia Vergara Could Slay ANY Man In This Dress! And It's Surprisingly Cheap Too! EXCLUSIVE! Jennifer Lawrence & Jennifer Lopez Get Their Official Style Judgment From THE Judge -- America's Next Top Model's Miss J! EXCLUSIVE! Win A FREE Makeover By RuPaul's Drag Race Winner Bianca Del Rio! Get All The Deets HERE! This Is How Kim Kardashian Goes Nude In The Hamptons! Taylor Swift Can Do Nerdy Fashion, But These Two Sexy Dresses Are SO Much Better! North West Is Following In Kim Kardashian's Fashion Footsteps! Her Modeling Debut Is HERE & It's Adorable! Look For Le$$! Get Jennifer Lopez's Sexy Lace Mini & Make 'Em Green With Envy! EXCLUSIVE! Think You Could Be America's Next Top Model? Miss J Reveals Tips For Success & The Supermodel You Should Be Looking Up To! Blake Lively Scores Marie Claire's 20th Anniversary Issue! Pics & Bonus Video HERE! Kim & Kourtney Kardashian Take Their Curves To The Hamptons! Another All-White Look For Kourt's Baby Bump! Ohhh we can only imagine Anna Wintour’s reaction to this!! We know Kanye West and Kim Kardashian were considering the magazine route for distributing t… Read more… Who would want to see a whore baby….it's like flies on shit Re: lacroix – What a disgusting comment about an innocent little baby (and that's not your first comment like this either). You make me sick. They probably need some major photoshopping on that baby's face too. Kanye is clearly delusional. Fuck these attention whores. Seriously. What? Vogue? N they are really crazy. Only if Anna Wintour has lost her mind. Stick to your guns Anna. Putting any of that K Clan in Vogue would ruin the classy reputation that Vogue has. Anyone with any sense of class doesn't care about these pictures. That poor baby. Re: NinfaTurtle – Are you a karTRASHian? If Vogue puts any of them on cover I will never pick up an issue again. Any time a magazine has any of those whore mongers on the cover, I refuse to ever read such filth and trash again. Thank you Obama for your comments. These people are the worst examples of life and all their money will never buy them class or prestige or taste. YUCK YUCK YUCK. God these people are delusional idiots, they are not the damn royal family, they add nothing to this planet, they are the symbol of everything wrong with this country. Lets pray Anna Wintour stays classy and says no to this. Let them be on the cover of the Enquirer next to Batboy and the worlds largest hamburger! Delusional; I've said it all along. Surprised they don't want the Queen to have her baptized in the music room at Buckingham Palace, because THAT will happen, too! Maybe they could do it at the same time as Prince George. how about Rolling Stone, they love that shit! To be honest, I reckon Anna would rather resign than let this happen. Keep dreaming Kanye! This man and his trashy wife have lost all sense of reality, and the only reason they 'sell' is because people laugh at them. I will without a doubt be canceling my subscription is that was to ever happen. When will these people go away??? First he doesn't care when she loses the weight, a second later he hired personal trainers to prep her for the shot - which is it? Fuck no she won't. She wouldn't even allow them at her fashion week show. K needs to quit acting like she births fucking magic. Please don't give these fame whores any more attention. I get nauseous every time I see the names let alone press and television. As someone said in an earlier comment, fuck them! This disgusting duo keeps getting more disgusting every day. Hopefully the people in charge at Vogue have some dignity and just quietly ignore this. they want they want there is no way in hell that will happen Anna wouldn't destroy the brand… I normally cannot afford Vogue and just read it when getting my nails or hair done, but I do not see this happening. I sure would not buy the magazine. Re: NinfaTurtle – lacroix is speaking the truth, and so are you. Yes Kim's kid is an innocent baby, but she is nevertheless, a whore's child. It's a fact, sorry, but it is, so try not to get your panties in a wad. Truth hurts. Re: lacroix – Jeez you are not human. You must de one empty person to speak about a child in such a way. It's people like you that makes this world useless now. Shame on you! Re: pradagirl7 – Was your face photoshopped when you were born? If no, keep your lousy comments to yourself! Re: Kimye – Never the less a whore child… ? Who gave you that power to declare a child a whore child? What on earth is wrong with you people in the world today? I'm no kardashian fan, but you don't go bully a child who has nothing to do with all the hell frame. That baby did not ask to be born into a family of fame whores and divas, so go back to being a human being once again and leave the child out of it ffs! seriously i think not just me but a lot of people will lose respect of anna wintour if she actually agrees to that. vogue cover represents great fashion icons and talented celebrities who have made their way to the top, not a newborn kid . Seriously there is no place in Vogue for celebrities babies in fact Vogue is not a place for babies in general. Unless there is a Baby Vogue that I don't know about it. Vogue is about high cut fashion and not a playground for rich people who are famous for doing nothing. Re: chillax62 – My thoughts exactly. Re: chillax62 – Thats funny, thats how I feel about Kim and the karTRASHian clan, it's hard for me to think that anything kim sh*t's out is innocent. Wow. I can't believe you people are so stupid. There is no baby. Kim was never pregnant to begin with. Either Wintour doesn't want Kim in or on her magazine or she knows that it's an it and is in on it, too, meaning she's "acting" like she doesn't want Kim on the cover. Either way Kanye and Kim and all the other Jenner Kardashians know that either Wintour's in on it or really won't have Kim and it on or in the magazine. If Wintour’s in on it then maybe she’ll decide to take a picture of "it" because that's what it is, is an it; it's a newborn doll, just like Beyonce's and now Beyonce uses someone else's boy that's older than what Blue Ivy is suppose to be. You really are some stupid people. You act like you know everything and you know nothing Re: chillax62 – I don't need any special power to speak the FACTS: when a person uses sex to obtain money, this person is considered a prostitute (aka a WHORE), right? And didn't Kim's fame and fortune came about after she SOLD her sex tape, right??? So, if Kim (aka a whore) gives birth to a baby, this baby will be known as Kim's child (aka, yeah, you guessed it, a Whore's child). Nothing against the kid you see, she is completely innocent in this, she just had the misfortune of being born to a whore, and therefore, being a whore's child. Sad but true. And unfortunately for her, Kim giving birth doesn't erase the fact that she is a slut, so giving birth doesn't automatically turn Kim into Saint Kim, now, does it? Every kiss begins with Kay HEY! Remember when Sofia Vergara was spotted with a HUGE diamond sparkler on her wedding ring finger this week, prompting everyone to believe Joe Manganiello popped the question after only two months of dating?? Well, we were all wrong! The Modern Family actress totally punk'd us while creatively promoting her new so Sofia line with Kay Jewelers -- by sporting one of her luxury baubles on THAT finger! We have to respect the business woman in her, because this paparazzi trickery was some evil genius shizz! The ultimate giveaway was probably pairing the huge ring with a matching necklace from the same collection --- but she still had us fooled! Bravo, Miss Thang... Way to turn nothing into bankable press! [Image via Kay Jewelers/Pacific Coast News.] The trickle down effect has finally reached Vogue in an attempt to strike out ALS... And holy... The Body's got EDGE!! Heidi Klum displayed her glam rocker side for September's Marie Claire ... 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Just got home, 4 hours later than expected due to another OOC plane and also backed up weather - walked in at 11:05, estimated was 7:30pm tops. Good flights all the way back, just lots of layovers. I believed I wrote a post last night on Bud's PC (the P stands for Prehistoric - heehee) and not sure if got uploaded. But I'm off until Sunday when all my hard work and being the best man for the job (I humbly state) I get to finally enjoy my first "Cold Iron Summer" in theory,you are on a one-man shift, still rotating, but no Summer Maintenance until I rotate 4 days a month into maintenance days - that's how it works. But the best part is on 4-12 and 12-8 it's piece and quiet for my first time in 25+ years there. So, get the most bucks, do the least work - I almost sound like management - lol. But as likely can tell, I'm not getting into Bud6 until after I wake tomorrow. I'm creating right now in Coffee HOUSE called ""BUD6 THOUGHTS, VIDEOS and PICS - So eventually we'll sticky it there, but let it float for a while we everyone will better see it - I doubt few people look at the stickied posts everyday to see if a new one is there - so we'll let it float. But PLEASE EVERYONE - let's get EVERYTHING from Bud6 in that topic, so FBers, Youtubers, Forumites (didn't know we had mites - all have a one place to find it all. Ken has been gathering stuff,I uploaded a bunch to Youtube and I'll get the post started - KEN, just got home, we'll work together on getting it everywhere - I hope if all the links are good, no particular social network will fight us. To everyone, my videos for not are raw and maybe a beekeeper getting stung the tenth time in the face won't be yelling "happy birth" so expect it to sound like groups of beekeepers beekeeping. Last thought - Several people went out of their way to make the gathering extra special for me - a very kind gesture which I again thank them so much for doing. To those who cooked and brought food, I drool at the cakes, muffins, and other great homemade baked goods. Then the cooker on site Schawee's alligator picante' I believe was outstanding - full flavored gator meat slow cooked in a delicious full-favored broth that made a round 2 on a following meal just for sopping bread!!! And one last thank you for someone who likely won't see this - Chef Bernie -it's Bud's fishing Buddy and he is a we'll ventured chef in many restaurants, every where. He cooked several times and was an incredible one-man-cooking-show: Liz (JP's wife) and I asked to soo chef for him, prep up what he'd need. We were politely banned from the kitchen - lol. and 30 minutes later Chef Bernie had 12 pounds of chicken marinating and a wicked pasta salad, Liz and I would still be chopping onions. Many more names to say thanks for coming and I really can't see how anyone had anything else but! Each night had good food and even entertainment, and every day had enough beekeeping with hands on by everyone interested. I thing what several members and newbees learned was the pace that is kept in a beeyard when tearing it all down to make all viable colonies, inspections, swarm capturing ( I heard 28 swarms caught and colonized) work, learning, jump in the deep end of the pool and relax in the evenings - some very late evenings. More coming - PLEASE POST about what all happened in the ALL BUD6 THOUGHTS, VIDEOS and PICS

My name is Lindsey, and I am very new to beekeeping. I just bought a garden hive and will be setting it up this year. I have a small farm with many acres of clover that I hope my bees will enjoy. We raise wool, beef, turkey, chicken and a few pet ducks. I am also a science teacher near Grand Rapids at a school that specializes in the environment. I became turned onto beekeeping when I attended a presentation on Oakland University's Apiary Science in Schools. I thought this was inspiring and wanted to jump right in. I look forward to your wisdom!

SCIENTIFIC AG CO. P.O. Box 2144 Bakersfield, CA 93303 Office Located at 1734 D Street, Suite #2 24 Hr. Phone (661) 327-2631 Toll-free: (877) 356-5846, 896-5846 Your 1099 form for 2003 is enclosed. Please advise us of any change or error, esp. for your Tax ID# and address. 2004 Almond Pollination The number of colonies we will need from you as of October 25 is given above. For those that can bring more colonies, we hope to increase this number as we sign up additional growers in the coming weeks. The 2003 almond crop will fall short of 2002′s record crop by about 15%. Almond prices have risen by about 15% in recent months so most almond growers are happy. Almond acreage remains stable at 530,000 bearing acres. There are 136,000 acre that are 23 years or older (the age at which many orchards are removed). 208,660 acres were planted from 1994 through 1999 (avg. 35,000 acres/year) but only 44,500 from 2000 through 2002 (avg. 15,000 acres/yr.). Because we are charging top-dollar for your bees and because you are receiving top-dollar (check the ABJ for comparative prices) almond growers expect full-measure for their dollar. Please don’t throw in sub-standard colonies on the loads you take to almond orchards. If, in the coming months you feel you need to cut back on your almond numbers, let us know so that we will have ample time to get replacement colonies. Our Almond Team During bee movement into almond orchards and throughout almond bloom we have a crew of 3 people, Bill Mathewson, Geurt Lanphen and Neil Trent that do nothing but inspect the colonies that you deliver (and occasionally straighten hives that have been knocked over by tractors, etc.). Two other beekeepers, Steve Wernett and Anne Woodard, help out part-time with inspections. We try to inspect all loads within 1 or 2 days of delivery; should there be any sub-par colonies you will hear from us right away so that you can meet with one of us at your bees to resolve any differences you might have (to date, we have never had a beekeeper disagree with our assessment). Our crew also offers to look at your bees with growers. We have found that this is our best sales tool. Please don’t embarrass us (and yourself) by delivering sub-standard colonies. Micro-chips to Track Bees Enclosed in a small zip-loc bag, you will find a small chip(s), about 1 chip for every 400 hives you bring to us. We will be placarding your colonies at almond locations with the enclosed sign: NOTICE – Bee Hives on This Property are Permanently Identified with AVID Microchips. (Feel free to run copies of this sign to placard your stockpile sites. We have a supply of signs on heavy-duty stock (or you can put a protective cover over paper signs). The chips cost $2.70 each which I thought would be cheap insurance against theft. Each chip has its own ID# that shows up when a scanner is run across it (stop by our office for a free demonstration). Insert your chip(s) in the middle of the top bar of a frame that goes right under the lid (keep it away from any metal). Either drill a small hole in the middle of the top bar or gouge out a small piece to accommodate the chip; fill in the empty space with wood filler. Chips are identified best when they are flat or at a low angle to the top bar (avoid perpendicular placement). These chips are used to tag pets (in case of loss or theft) and to tag fish (for migration studies). For bee theft purposes they’ll be obsolete next year if a planned paper-thin chip comes on the market for pennies a chip. This new “super chip” will be manufactured by the billions (or trillions) and used mainly by stores and manufacturers to track movement of goods. Look for those that sell frames and hive bodies to include embedded chips. (Montana’s Jerry Bromenshenk is on the front lines of this new chip). If you want more of the enclosed chip call AVID at (800) 336-2843. Chips come in lots of 25. Avid’s offices are in Norco (near Riverside, CA). CA $ Woes Curtail RIFA Budget To save money, California plans to slash funds used by the Dept. of Agriculture to monitor Red Imported Fire Ants. Getting into California (and esp. Arizona) with a load of bees probably won’t be any easier, but on-site inspections in almond orchards will be cut back significantly. California Beekeeper Convention Nov. 11-13, Caesars at So. Lake Tahoe. Call (209) 667-4590 or check the CSBA website: www.californiastatebeekeepers.com. Where’s The Protein? “Bees on low protein diets may not live much past their flying age and therefore will contribute very little to the colony or the quality of the pollination service.” The Speedy Bee, August 1993, p.16 Norm Cary’s pollen patties are popular with many beekeepers as a fall and winter feed. Pat Heitkam’s feed mix has also been well received (Pat also sells rain-proof outdoor feeders). Contact Norm at (559)562-1110 and Pat at (530)865-9562; David Bradshaw, Visalia, sells Pat’s products (559)280-7925. Mann Lake’s BeePro is another popular feed. You can purchase patties from Norm and we will deduct the cost from your first almond check (should be able to do the same with Pat). If you’re going to the Tahoe meeting you should be able to pick up your order there. Care & Feeding Service Beekeeper Rick Riggs (661)204-2031 can care for your bees that are overwintered in this area. Formic Acid Pads A “new, improved” formic acid pad is widely used in Canada. The pads, called “Miteaway II” give excellent control of tracheal mites and some control of varroa. For more information see www.miteaway.com or call toll-free 86MITE-AWAY (866-483-2929). Bill Ruzicka sells MiteGone disposable formic acid dispensers (see www.miteaway.com). Bill will give a seminar on formic acid Monday, Dec. 1, 5 PM at the Tulare county ag building. Call Jane Eggman (559)535-5267 for details. To schedule a seminar call Bill at (250)762-8156. Dr. Medhat Nasr is the expert on formic acid and says “Beekeepers have to test these delivery systems of formic acid under their management system and environment. Formic acid efficacy is affected by time of application, colony size, method of application and the ambient temperature.” You can contact Dr. Nasr at (780)415-2314 or at: [email protected]. Formic acid is not (yet) registered for use here. Fumadil (& Fumagillin) Increasing numbers of beekeepers are finding that treating with fumadil gives their colonies a boost (this boost can occur even if nosema spore counts are low). Mite and Nosema Testing Service Locally, Alan Butterfield (661)792-2051 or 978-8280 will again test your bees for tracheal mite and nosema at a nominal cost. Alan was trained by Eric Mussen and does a good job. Jan Dormaier (trained by Frank Eischen) in Washington continues to do a good job of tracheal and nosema testing (509)639-2577. Around 100 bees covered with rubbing alcohol in a screw-top plastic bottle are needed for the tests. Q & A Time “Some queen suppliers have very good [tracheal mite] resistant stock and others have very poor resistant bees. Customers should start asking their suppliers what they do or don’t do about breeding for tracheal resistance.” Medhat Nasr, Bee Culture, July 2003, p.31 Almond growers are assessed about 2% of the price of almonds for research, promotion, etc. Shouldn’t assessments on honey be on a % of the honey price at a given calendar date (or on the lowest price of 2 calendar dates)? At 50¢/lb, the current 1¢/lb assessment represents 2%; at current honey prices, a 2% assessment would be 3¢/lb and would generate a lot of $ for promotion and research. Under proposed rules for the Packer Importer Board, assessments cannot be raised by more than 1/4¢ per pound annually (8 years to go from 1¢ to 3¢/lb). Putting such a straight jacket on assessments is, in a word, dumb. Rules such as these are what cause those in other industries to look at honey producers as a backward species. To his credit, Lyle Johnston, president of the American Honey Producers Assn. opposed the 1/4¢ restriction on raising assessments, although Lyle, like most U.S. beekeepers, would like to see money going to promote U.S. honey rather than generic promotions. Under current rules, generic promotions are compulsory. An argument can be made that a rising tide (greatly increased honey sales via generic promotions) raises all ships and that packers should be emphasizing U.S. honey since many U.S. honey consumers would pick U.S. honey over foreign honey if they were aware which was which. Why the Fuss? “What is ludicrous about these challenges [to commodity boards] is that the assessments are so small that they are almost insignificant.” Harry Cline, Western Farm Press, June 7, 2003, p.4 Now is the Time “Now is the time to pursue a Health Claim with the Food and Drug Administration that can be used to promote our products.” Editorial in The Calif. Tomato Grower, Dec. 2002, p.3 The Book on Boswell The J. G. Boswell company on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley is the largest farming operation in the world at over 200,000 acres. Their main crops are cotton, grain, safflower and alfalfa seed. As the largest seed alfalfa farmer in the world, the Boswell name is familiar to California beekeepers since 2 to 3 bee colonies per acre are needed to pollinate the flowers that produce the seed (I cut my pollination teeth at the Boswell ranch in the 1960s). A new book, The King of California, tells the story of Jim Boswell and the Boswell ranch. Its a great book for California beekeepers and for anyone else that’s interested in a good story. The Honey Book – 10,000 and Counting When I finished the book, Honey – The Gourmet Medicine, the publisher, BookMasters, offered me a significant price break if they printed 20,000 copies. The books are stored at Book-Masters warehouse in Ohio and after a few months storage-rental bills started piling up I decided I better start selling them. An advertising blitz over the past year wound up costing over twice as much as the printing costs, but the warehouse now holds slightly less than 10,000 books. Some beekeepers have purchased multiple copies of the book to use in Gift-Paks and/or along with yard rent (Steve Park bought 400 books – Thanks Steve!). The quantity discount price is $5.00 each (+ $10 max. shipping) for 10 or more copies to one address. Order from BookMasters (800)247-6553. The books come 88 in a box. If you can use 88 (or multiples of 88) contact me for an even better deal. Who knows, its possible I might eventually come close to breaking even on this venture! The Crew from Weslaco In what has become an annual rite of spring, Frank Eischen and various memebers of the USDA bee lab in Weslaco, Texas migrate to California in February to do a variety of studies. Because bee colonies from all over the U.S. are concentrated in the San Joaquin Valley during almond bloom, its an excellent opportunity to compare mite (and AFB) resistantance to chemicals and to study almond-bee relationships. Frank’s posse consists variously of Bob Cox, Patty Elzen, Henry Grahm, Chuy Maldanado and Raul Rivera. Two or more of this group are here from pink-bud to petal fall in almonds and, should you want to catch up with them to pick their brains, they breakfast 6 AM each morning at the local IHOP at the Hwy 178 (east) exit off Hwy 99 (they stay at a motel next door). The Weslaco group has put out a lot of solid information for beekeepers based on their work here (including helping to register Coumaphos). I’ve been impressed with their work ethic – they work weekends, and often spend evenings in their motel rooms doing microscope work and going over the day’s data (and no, unlike some government workers, they don’t get paid overtime). Beekeepers are surely getting their money’s worth from this group. Don’t Curse the Dark – Make a Candle I recently read a blurb that surprised me: there’s a “1.6 billion dollar market for scented candles” (Business Week 10/6/03, p.162). If true, candle sales dwarf honey sales (which speaks well for the vitality of the candle industry and/or the lack of same for the honey industry). Maybe you should attend one of those candle-making workshops offered at many bee meetings. Excellent candle-making articles are published sporadically in Bee Culture and in the ABJ (there’s a great one in the current, Oct., ABJ; see also p.828 of this issue for books on the subject). Lip balm moisturizers made from beeswax are also big sellers. Maybe turning that wax into a saleable product is another way to keep your crew busy during the winter. (Caution: make sure any wax you use is chemical-free). Bee Community Loses Two More The recent deaths of 2 beekeeping stalwarts represent a significant loss for the bee industry. Beekeeper and queen breeder Don Strachan was a real presence in California beekeeping and his Carnolian queens enjoy a world-wide reputation. Dr. Harry Laidlaw was known as “the father of honey bee genetics and his milestone development of artificial insemination has left a permanent mark on beekeeping throughout the world. Those that took Economics in school (or that buy groceries) know that when the price of a commodity goes up, sales go down. Recent honey sales defy this basic logic – significantly higher honey prices have coincided with a significant increase in honey sales. Both packer and beekeepers are doing better than they ever have. Go figure! Drastically reduced imports from China are the main cause of the price increase yet some packer-importers would like to see Chinese honey flow freely again. Don’t they know when they’re well off? Remember the song from Oklahoma! – Farmers and the Cowboys Must be Friends – how about Packers & Producers? Guilty Conscience Time If you have benefitted from high honey prices but haven’t contributed to the Anti-Dumping Fund you’re riding on the backs of those that have. Send your check to AHPA, Box 158, Power, MT 59468. Suggested donation: $1/colony annually. Follow the Bloom In late January, the Calif. Almond Exchange puts cameras in almond orchards around the state to monitor bloom progression and bee weather. You can follow the bloom at www.bluediamondgrowers.com. Keep In Touch Call us anytime at our toll-free numbers to let us know how things are going or to find out how things are going with us. Replace those Combs Increasing numbers of beekeepers are finding that replacing old brood chamber combs (likely contaminated with mite chemicals) gives their colonies a significant boost. Joe Traynor, Mgr.

Activities that ABA members are involved in. This page is devoted to activities that ABA members are involved in relative to beekeeping. This can be a new gadget, YouTube video, or any other activity that the member would like to share with other ABA members (as well as with the world). If you have an item that you would like listed here, please click here. Due to wide scope of possible projects, listing may involve interchange between the person wishing to list and the webmaster. All listings are subject to approval by the ABA officers and/or Board of Directors. All projects will be removed after one year unless the listing member emails a request to the Webmaster to extend the listing. Likewise, removals can also be made at the request of the person or association listing. |Project description||Member's Name||List date||Removal Date| |Beekeeping The Natural Way Part 1 (YouTube Video)||OJ Blount||3/24/11||3/24/12| |Beekeeping The Natural Way Part 2 (YouTube video)||OJ Blount||3/24/11||3/24/12| |Beekeeping The Natural Way Part 3 (YouTube video)||OJ Blount||3/24/11||3/24/12| Click here for a map to the class location Click anywhere in the box to the left. Click here for detail schedule by the month Last updated 3/5/12 brf

Lacey N. Dunham, Editor Lacey has written for The Washington Spark, The Feminist Review, Buzzard Picnic, Altar Magazine, and Cargoes, among others. She studied writing at Hollins University and currently lives in Washington, DC. John Coleman, Fiction Editor and Contributing Writer John is a new media journalist and graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University with an Honours Degree in English and a Minor in Journalism. He frequently writes about contemporary Canadian writers for our blog. He also writes for Tangible Sounds Music Magazine. For his latest updates, follow John on Twitter. Check out his blog for all of his published work. John Densky, Contributing Photographer John is a documentary photographer and writer living in Southwestern Ontario. John’s primary focus is the effect rapid globalization has had on people throughout North America and West Africa. He continues to spend time working with communities who struggle to protect their land and culture in the face of profiteering. John’s work can be found at http://www.galler7.com Mark Ge, Poetry Editor Mark is a writer, poet, editor, and translator living in Northampton, MA. He received his B.A. in Comparative Literature from UMass Amherst. His poetry and prose has appeared in magazines such as Jabberwocky and Out of Nothing. He has also written music reviews for Groovemine as well as Brainwashed, both alternative music sites, and has translated film transcripts for local directors. He is also a ghost writer who works on hundreds of articles for other people each month. He has recently participated in a Write-A-Thon for Dzanc books helping to fund raise money for the publishing press and is currently a writer for Asian Boston magazine. Ursula K. Raphael, Contributing Writer Ursula is a graduate of the University of South Dakota with a B.A. in English & Sociology, and lives in Grand Rapids, MI, with her husband and son. She is currently writing short stories for horror anthologies, and mostly reviews science fiction, fantasy and horror books. You can contact her at Twitter or Facebook. JP Reese, Poetry Editor JP Reese earned three college degrees that will never earn her enough money to live comfortably. While an MFA candidate at The University of Memphis, Reese won the 2002 Creative Writing Award and was an editor for River City. A multi-genre writer, Reese has placed creative nonfiction as a feature in Connotation Press, fiction with The Smoking Poet, and has recently placed poetry with Silkworms Ink and Connotation Press. A flash fiction piece, “New Friends,” is in the current edition of Eclectic Flash and “The Five Minute Conversation,” a personal essay, was featured at Smith Magazine. Her poetry was also featured at the IBPC and published in The Pinch as well as in other literary magazines. Reese lives in Plano, Texas with her husband, Gary Hardaway, a poet and architect. An Associate Professor of English, Reese won an award for Associate Professor of the Year in 2009. Elizabeth F. Sweetman, Contributing Writer Sweetman is a writer on the North Shore of Massachusetts. She has written numerous short stories, essays, book reviews and is currently working on a novel. She lives with her family and when not writing, she enjoys beekeeping, bicycling, reading and pondering the odd behaviors of her two terriers. She writes under the name Sweetman. You can follow some of her writing on her WordPress blog. TwitCrit is finally getting around to reading all the books on her nightstand. She’s hoping some of these books convince her to keep her nightlight on, but she’s not afraid to call out the hacks and copycats. She reviews books on Twitter for this. Nicholas YB Wong, Poetry Editor Nicholas YB Wong lectures film studies and contemporary literature in English at the Hong Kong Institute of Education. He is the winner of the Oblongata Writing Contest (The Medulla Review) and a nominee of Best of the Net 2010 (Asia Writes). He is also currently an MFA Candidate at the City University of Hong Kong.

1 Friday, 23 July 2004 2 [Open session] 3 [The accused entered court] 4 [The witness entered court] 5 --- Upon commencing at 9.02 a.m. 6 JUDGE LIU: Call the case, please, Mr. Court Deputy. 7 THE REGISTRAR: Good morning, Your Honours. This is case number 8 IT-02-60-T, the Prosecutor versus Vidoje Blagojevic, Dragan Jokic. 9 JUDGE LIU: Thank you. Good morning, Witness. Can you hear me? 10 THE WITNESS: [Interpretation] Yes, I can. 11 JUDGE LIU: Could you please make the solemn declaration in 12 accordance with the paper Madam Usher is showing to you. 13 THE WITNESS: [Interpretation] I solemnly declare that I will 14 speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. 15 JUDGE LIU: Thank you very much. You may sit down, please. 16 WITNESS: BRANKO MIHIC 17 [Witness answered through interpreter] 18 JUDGE LIU: Mr. Stojanovic, are you ready? 19 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] Your Honour, last night we 20 proofed this witness, and we can begin our examination-in-chief today, 21 Your Honour. 22 JUDGE LIU: Yes. Please proceed. 23 Examined by Mr. Stojanovic: 24 Q. [Interpretation] Sir, would you introduce yourself to us. 25 A. My name is Branko Mihic. I come from the village of Drinjaca in 1 the municipality of Zvornik. 2 Q. Branko, could you please tell us your first and last name and 3 spell it for the record. 4 A. Yes. M-i-h-i-c diacritic. B-r-a-n-k-o. 5 Q. Would you tell us when and where you were born. 6 A. On the 29th of May, 1968, in Gornji Vuksic, the municipality of 7 Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina, then Yugoslavia. 8 Q. Would you tell us briefly what the course of your career was. 9 A. I was born in Gornji Vuksic. My father was a teacher there. I 10 lived there for a year and then we moved to Drinjaca where I still live 11 today. On completion of elementary school, I enrolled in the military 12 secondary school in Belgrade. I went to that school for two years and 13 then I was expelled. After that I continued my schooling in Zvornik. I 14 completed the secondary commercial school. After that I worked in Zagreb 15 for a time. Then I came home, and in 1991 I got married. Now I'm a 16 professional beekeeper. 17 Q. At one point you said that you had been expelled from the 18 military secondary school. Was the reason something you did or was there 19 any other reason why you left that school? 20 A. I liked this school. That's why I enrolled in it. However, the 21 circumstances were such that the -- the official reason given for my 22 expulsion was one thing, and I think the real reason was something else. 23 In that school we wore civilian clothes, although it was a military 24 secondary school, and we could do whatever we wanted with our civilian 25 clothes, and I sold mine at the market. This was quite usual. The 1 reason I was expelled was that in 1985 at Drinjaca there was an 2 organisation, a kind of Chetnik organisation. It later transpired that 3 this was actually not the troika Chetnik organisation. My father was 4 called as a witness, and there was pressure on him to give false 5 testimony, and he refused, and I think that's why I was expelled from 6 school. And there were a lot of sanctions against me in that system. 7 I wanted to go and enroll in the medical secondary school, but I 8 wasn't allowed to. I wasn't accepted. So I had to go to the commercial 9 school, which I didn't like at all. 10 Q. Thank you. If we can only slow down a little bit for the sake of 11 the interpreters. 12 A. Yes, I understand. 13 Q. Before 1991, were you duty-bound to serve in the army? 14 A. I did not do my military service. In the laws of the former 15 Yugoslavia, people who enrolled in military schools or academies and 16 stayed there for more than two years didn't have to do their military 17 service. I found this information in the newspaper, and I showed it to 18 the people in the military department, and then they took this into 19 account and didn't send me to do military service. 20 However, a comrade of mine who was also expelled from the school 21 like me did have to do his military service. So I was lucky. 22 Q. You said at one point that since 1991, you have been employed in 23 a private business and that you are a professional beekeeper. Can you 24 explain this, Mr. Mihic? 25 A. Beekeeping as a profession is not covered by taxes and is not 1 something that you register. So I do not have a registered business. I 2 am a farmer, I can say that, and I have 200 beehives and that's how I 3 earn my living. That's how I support my family. Only that way. 4 Q. Thank you. When the war broke out in Zvornik, did you become 5 active in the military? 6 A. Before the wartime conflicts broke out in Zvornik, I went to the 7 Mali Zvornik barracks, to Dragan Obrenovic's unit, only for the sake of 8 the salary. The salaries were good. There was nothing to do there. The 9 work wasn't hard. I was married. I had a child. I was unemployed. I 10 did keep bees at the time, but only as a hobby. So the only reason I 11 joined that unit was for the salary. When the Yugoslav army withdrew 12 from Bosnia and Herzegovina, that unit left Mali Zvornik and I returned 14 Q. Is that when you got to know Dragan Obrenovic? 15 A. Yes. 16 Q. Can you tell us. That year, how long did you stay in Mali 18 A. Very briefly. Perhaps two months at the most. Very briefly. 19 Q. Thank you. On your return to Zvornik, what did you do next with 20 regard to joining the army of Republika Srpska? 21 A. When I arrived in Drinjaca, I joined the ordinary village patrol. 22 It wasn't really a unit. When the battalion was established, I joined 23 the signals department in the battalion. 24 Q. Were you trained for communications? 25 A. No. 1 Q. And during those wartime years did you manage to learn the work 2 of a signalsman? 3 A. I think I did. 4 Q. Would you be kind enough to tell us how you advanced in this 5 Signals Unit and what duties you performed in the Signals Unit? 6 A. Well, when the signals squad was set up, I worked at the 7 switchboard, the radio switchboard. My komandir was the late Borko. He 8 was a sergeant. Borko Vukajlovic, who, when he went to Bratunac to 9 attend a meeting about communications, was killed in Kravica in 1991. 10 After he was killed, I took over the duty of komandir. We had 11 communications with all the units, all the companies, mostly telephone 12 communications, radio communications, but not so much. 13 Q. Let me interrupt you for a moment. Who was the commander of the 14 battalion to which you belonged? 15 A. Dragon Gotovac. 16 Q. Thank you. After this how did you advance in this job? 17 A. When the wartime operations in Drinjaca were over, my battalion 18 went on toward Bratunac above Konjevic Polje. I was transferred to 19 Malisic from there. This is a place which is about 40 kilometres away 20 from Drinjaca, below Zvornik. And I was also the komandir, the commander 21 of the signals unit in the battalion. 22 Q. From when to when were you the komandir of the signals department 23 in Malisic? 24 A. I think it was in 1993. I don't think it went on into 1994, but 25 I can't be precise. 1 Q. Who was the battalion commander at that time if you can recall? 2 A. I think it was Nenad Simic. After he left it was Radenko 4 Q. After performing this duty in 1993, where were you transferred 5 after that? 6 A. Well, I was far away from my home and my native village, and I 7 kept insisting that I be transferred back. Dragan Obrenovic then decided 8 to help me, and I was transferred to the Zvornik Brigade, to Standard. 9 And there are I became the komandir of a unit. It was the so-called 10 Mlada Vojska, Young Troops, and there were 14 of us. And all we did 11 actually was clean the corridors and the toilets. That's all we did. We 12 didn't do anything else. 13 Q. At one point you said that you got this better position thanks to 14 Dragan Obrenovic, where there was practically no work to do. 15 A. Yes. I explained to him it was difficult for me to travel 40 or 16 50 kilometres through snow and rain without any vehicle, and he decided 17 to grant my request. The new chief of communications -- 18 THE INTERPRETER: The interpreter did not catch the name. 19 A. -- who arrived in those days. 20 JUDGE LIU: Yes, Mr. Waespi. 21 MR. WAESPI: Mr. Stojanovic, the interpreters didn't catch the 22 name of the new chief of communications. 23 JUDGE LIU: Yes. From the transcript I did not see the names. 24 Yes, Mr. Stojanovic. 25 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] Thank you for your intervention, 1 Mr. Waespi. 2 Q. Mr. Mihic, could you please tell us who, then, became the chief 3 of communications? 4 A. Slobodan Gaborovic. 5 Q. Thank you. What was Dragan Obrenovic's duty at the time? 6 A. He was then the chief of staff of the brigade. 7 Q. Who was the brigade commander? 8 A. The commander was Vinko Pandurevic. 9 Q. Did Dragan Obrenovic as the chief of staff have the right to 10 transfer you from one post to another? 11 A. I think he did, but it wasn't a personal order from him. 12 Q. What are you trying to say by this, "it wasn't a personal order 13 from him"? It was his authority, but someone else issued the order? 14 A. Yes, precisely so. 15 Q. Could you please clarify this. I don't want to put a leading 16 question. What did you mean by that? 17 A. I asked him about this but it wasn't him who wrote out the order. 18 Probably there were no written traces at all. He said, "Mihic, from 19 tomorrow you're going to Standard, and you'll be working there." That's 20 how it happened. 21 Q. Did Obrenovic have that kind of authority at the time? Could he 22 just say to the chief of communications, "Well, transfer this man"? 23 A. Yes. 24 Q. And according to the system, who was supposed to issue the order 25 about your transfer from one duty to another? 1 A. I don't know exactly. I think it was my chief of communications, 2 because if I had come from Drinjaca it was logical for them to send me 3 back, but he was the one who assigned people to various posts. 4 Q. And did he do that pursuant to an order from Dragan Obrenovic? 5 A. Yes, I think he did. 6 Q. Thank you. Now, after that you moved to where? 7 A. When I got there, I stayed there for about two months or maybe a 8 month. But I didn't do anything there, absolutely nothing. And then I 9 asked -- I said, "Well, I'm not just a broom you can send to sweep 10 wherever you want." And then I was transferred to the radio relay 12 Q. And since when did you work at the radio relay centre as a 13 signalsman? From what date? 14 A. Well, I can't remember the date, but it was in 1994, 1995. 15 That's when I was there. 16 Q. Were you the komandir of that signals department? 17 A. Yes, I was. Radio communication, in actual fact. 18 Q. Now, as the commander of the squad, of this communications squad, 19 did you do that job in July 1995 as well? 20 A. Yes, that's right. 21 Q. And how long did you stay at that post doing that work? 22 A. I might have stayed -- well, I can't say exactly, but it might 23 have been August of that year, 1995. 24 Q. Thank you. Perhaps this is a good opportunity to ask you the 25 following question: The signals squad, how many people were there to 1 that unit? 2 A. Well, the number of people changed, but there were always between 3 four and eight. 4 Q. Where were you in July 1995, physically? 5 A. The command post of the brigade was in the Standard factory. 6 That was common knowledge. So we were one kilometre up the hill from 7 that command post, one kilometre away in a metal container. 8 Q. And what communication devices and signals devices did you have 9 in that metal container up on the hill? 10 A. They were the devices that belonged to my squad, the RUP 12, and 11 a radio station. I think it was all the RRU 100, but we referred to it 12 as the 100. But it belonged to the other squad that was next to ours, 13 and they had the RRU 800 device. And of course a telephone line with the 14 brigade command, an inductor telephone. A wire connection. 15 Q. And how did you organise the work at this radio relay centre? 16 A. Well, it changed, catering to the needs whether there was two, 17 two or three, three, or if we needed 100 per cent men on the job we'd all 18 be there. If there was any combat operations, all of us were there 19 100 per cent. If not, we would take shifts and relieve each other. 20 Q. Establishment-wise, who did you belong to? 21 A. We belonged to the signals company. 22 Q. And who was the commander of the signals company in July? 23 A. The commander was Radic Dragisa or Dragisa Radic. 24 Q. At one point you said that you had a telephone line or a wire 25 communication, as you put it, I think, with the brigade command. Is that 2 A. Yes. 3 Q. Could you tell us, please, and explain what kind of telephone 4 line that was for us laymen who are not professional soldiers and 5 signalsmen. What does an inductor telephone that you mentioned actually 6 mean? What was it? 7 A. The brigade command was put up at the Standard on the first 8 floor, I think. Upstairs on the second floor there was the telephone 9 switchboard, the exchange, and the exchange operator were both men and 10 women. And then from that switchboard there was a wire stretched to me 11 and the wire was about 1.000 metres, and it was attached to the 12 telephone. So from my radio relay centre, using an inductor I could call 13 up the switchboard and exchange and they could then connect me to 14 anywhere, any battalion, any town, any country. They could put me 15 through anywhere I wanted to speak to. 16 Q. Does that mean you didn't have a direct telephone line with the 17 duty officer? 18 A. No, we didn't. 19 Q. Did you have a wire connection, telephone inductor connection, 20 with the battalions? 21 A. Only through the switchboard. Exclusively through the 22 switchboard. The radio centre, the switchboard, and then out to anyplace 23 I wanted. 24 Q. And finally, did you have any telephone wire inductor connection 25 with the superior commands, the Drina Corps and the Main Staff directly? 1 Did you have a direct line to them? 2 A. Through the switchboard, yes. 3 Q. Does that mean that you had this inductor telephone line directly 4 only to the switchboard which was located at the command of the Zvornik 5 Brigade? Is that right? 6 A. Yes. So when I used the inductor telephone, it would be the 7 switchboard that answers me. Nobody else could answer me, just the 8 switchboard. It went through straight to the exchange, to the 10 Q. Thank you. Let's move on to radio communications now. You said 11 that you had the RUP 12 device; is that right? 12 A. Yes, that's right. 13 Q. Now, for us laymen who don't know what this is about, what kind 14 of device it is, could you explain what the RUP 12 is, what its range is. 15 A. It was a piece of equipment -- how could I explain this to you? 16 Ten or 12 kilogrammes with two types of antennae, a long one and a short 17 one with different ranges. And it depended an optic sight [as 18 interpreted]. The larger the optic site, the further the frequency, 19 which does not mean that you couldn't get a connection within a space of 20 three kilometres. There were depression and elevations and so on. 21 Q. Now, you yourself, on the -- with this radio device, did you have 22 a connection to the battalion? 23 A. The location I was at the with the radio devices wasn't selected 24 at random. It was the sole case where I could have a connection with all 25 the battalions. If I were to move ten metres to the left or ten metres 1 to the right I wouldn't have this connection. So this was this spot, 2 this particular location that allowed me to have radio communication with 3 all the battalions, and I could hear and communicate with them at all 5 Q. If we had a commander, for example, or an operative unit working 6 in the field at any given time carrying another RUP 12 device with them, 7 if they had a RUP 12, then with these mobile radio devices could you 8 achieve a communication as well? 9 A. Yes, but not in all cases. Not in all circumstances. If 10 somebody was standing in a depression with a RUP, then I couldn't reach 11 him, which doesn't mean that he couldn't reach me by another battalion, 12 going via another battalion and reaching me in that way, a roundabout 14 Q. Did you have radio communication with the superior units, that is 15 to say with the command of the Drina Corps, for example? 16 A. Radio communications with the command of the Drina Corps never 17 functioned. It was never operational, never. The RRU 100 device was 18 used. You could hear very badly through it, and it never worked, hardly 19 ever worked. So not really. 20 Q. Now I'm going to ask you about those radio devices and means of 21 communications in the Zvornik Brigade. You said, I believe, that at the 22 command of the brigade, on the upper storey was where the switchboard was 23 located; is that the? 24 A. Yes. 25 Q. So what was this? What kind of communication did they have, the 1 people operating the switchboard? 2 A. The switchboard was linked to all the battalions by a wire 3 connection. So at all times you could use the inductor telephone from 4 the battalions and reach the switchboard, anybody at all. There was a 5 relay device too. I don't know much about that and I don't know its name 6 either, whether it was called the VZ something and a number after it. 7 But that was a relay device, and that was used, but I really don't know 8 how because I'm not well-versed in that particular device. 9 Q. Was the process and procedure the same when you went externally 10 or somebody rang up the Zvornik Brigade from outside? Would it have to 11 go through that switchboard and then be connected to the person that they 12 wanted to speak to? 13 A. I think there were two numbers. One number was the one we 14 referred to as the civilian number at the switchboard which you would 15 phone up, and then you would be connected anywhere, the command of the 16 brigade, the command of the battalion. And then there was a direct 17 telephone line at the command itself. I can't remember the telephone 18 number. I did know it by heart, but I just can't remember it now. 19 Q. So my question to you is this: Could you help us out, please. 20 Somebody is calling from the Drina Corps, for example, and he wants to 21 speak to the duty operations man in the brigade. How can he reach the 22 duty operations officer? 23 A. If he's calling from the Drina Corps, he could call up the 24 switchboard and say, "I want to speak to the duty officer," and then he 25 switches two switches and connects him to the duty operations officer. 1 Or he can phone him on that fixed telephone number directly. 2 Q. This fixed telephone number, could it be intercepted? 3 A. I think so. I think this could be tapped into, yes. 4 Q. And what about the other number, the one going through the 5 switchboard? Could that be tapped into? 6 A. Well, it's the same. It would be the same case. 7 Q. Now, your radio communications through the RUP 12, could that be 9 A. Yes, absolutely. You could intercept anything. 10 Q. Now, you as the komandir of that radio centre, radio signals or 11 communications centre, did you know whether the conversations you had 12 through RUP 12 could be intercepted? 13 A. Yes. I knew that because I intercepted conversations from the 14 opposite side. I did the same thing. 15 Q. And what was the procedure when regular and interim combat 16 reports were sent out through the superior units? Which devices would be 17 used? How could you do that? How would the combat reports, regular or 18 interim, be sent out and distributed? 19 A. In the communications centre there were four squads and you had 20 the encoding department, you had the telephonists, you had the radio 21 operators and the radio relay operators. We ourselves did not send out 22 reports of that kind. Those were sent out by the encoders, encrypters. 23 Q. Could you tell us where the encrypters or encoders were located, 24 that is to state people who would send out regular combat reports, for 1 A. They were located, I think, on the same floor where the 2 switchboard was in another separate office. In the brigade command in 3 the Standard buildings, on the Standard premises. 4 Q. Why were they in a separate room? Why weren't they by the 6 A. It was a special department for encryption, encoding. Nobody was 7 allowed to enter except them and the commander. It was highly secretive, 8 highly confidential. Let me just say that from the colleagues that 9 worked there -- it had nothing to do with my department, but I asked them 10 and tried what -- to see what they were doing, but I wasn't allowed to go 11 in and have a look. They didn't give me permission. 12 Q. Just so we understand each other, who was the sole person able to 13 enter the encryption department? 14 A. As far as I gathered from them, the sole person was the 15 commander. Only the commander could enter. 16 Q. Thank you. I'd now like to -- you to explain using a practical 17 example of how this functioned, and I'd like to ask the usher's help for 18 an exhibit that we've already used here. It was Prosecution Exhibit 19 P519, and it was a regular combat report of the Zvornik Brigade dated the 20 14th of July, 1995. 21 Mr. Mihic, you have before you a document. It is titled Regular 22 Combat Report from the Zvornik Brigade on the 14th of July, 1995, sent 23 out to the command of the Drina Corps. It was sent by the commander 24 Major Dragan Obrenovic, and it was sent on the 14th of July, 1995, at 25 1840 hours. Can you see that? You have it in front of you. At the 1 stamp at the bottom, if you take a look. And you have the signature, V. 3 A. Yes, I see that, yes. 4 Q. Can you tell us, please, who V. Stojkic was? 5 A. Vinko Stojkic. He was an operator in that encryption department. 6 I think he was also the komandir of that squad or department. 7 Q. Was he one of the people who was permitted to be in the 8 encryption office? 9 A. Yes. 10 Q. Now, once a report of this kind is written out, how is it sent on 11 to the encryption department? 12 JUDGE LIU: Yes. Yes, Mr. Waespi. 13 MR. WAESPI: Yes. I believe the witness said before he wasn't 14 involved in this process of sending these reports, and also the 15 information he gave us about the entry into this encryption room was sort 16 of secondhand. So I would like to object to anything -- going into 17 details about the process he isn't aware of. 18 JUDGE LIU: Well, Mr. Stojanovic, would you please ask this once 19 again whether he was involved in the sending of the reports to lay some 20 foundation for this question. Yes. 21 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] Thank you, Your Honour, yes. 22 Q. Mr. Mihic, at one point you said that you were interested, from 23 your signals, fellow signalsmen, to learn of the way in which the 24 encryption, encrypters worked? 25 A. Yes, that's right. 1 Q. Now, did they tell you the kinds of situations that they would be 2 able to send out a document of this kind? Does it have to be authorised 3 and signed by the commander or what? 4 A. No. They didn't tell me that, but based on my experience, I 5 think it would have to have been signed and authorised by the commander. 6 So this isn't my sphere. But as far as I know, the report and document 7 would have to be signed. 8 Q. Thank you. And following on from that context, I want to ask you 9 the following: Were you ever in a position that through your radio 10 centre this kind of confidential, strictly confidential reports were ever 11 sent out? 12 A. No. We never sent reports of this kind out. 13 Q. Now, my question to you -- my next question is why. 14 A. It wasn't a reliable communication and line. And there was no 15 need. They had a wire connection if they were in the field. If you were 16 two kilometres away you could use the telephone and ring up. So there 17 was no reason and no need to use that, and everything was intercepted and 18 tapped into. So that wasn't standard practice at all. 19 Q. An experienced officer, an experienced commander, would he do 20 something like this knowing that the radio communication is intercepted? 21 Would they sent such document through you? 22 A. I don't think so. 23 JUDGE LIU: Mr. Waespi. 24 MR. WAESPI: This is pure speculation to ask him what an 25 experienced commander would do or not. 1 JUDGE LIU: Yes. It is a speculative question. 2 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] I'll go back to more concrete 4 Q. During your tour of duty, was any regular or interim report sent 5 via your radio centre? 6 A. No. 7 Q. I would like to draw your attention to the second part of the 8 questions that are relative to communication. You were in the radio 9 communication centre, and you wanted to say something or communicate 10 something to the duty operations officer. 11 A. Yes. 12 Q. Could you do it using the RUP? 13 A. No, I couldn't. 14 Q. Does that mean that the duty operations officer did not have 15 another RUP 12 on him? 16 A. Yes, that's what it means. He didn't have one. 17 Q. However, you have to communicate to him. You have to pass on 18 certain information that you had received from the battalion. How did 19 you do that? How did you communicate to the duty operations officer? 20 A. If I received information, I will speak to the duty operations 21 man at the switchboard who will pass it on. Or I would call the 22 switchboard and I would ask to speak to the duty operations officer. 23 That was the alternative. 24 Q. This is exactly what I wanted to ask you. One of the 25 battalions - and we have a logbook of the duty operations officers 1 recording the requirements for equipment, ammunition and so on and so 2 forth - one of the battalion addressed you and asked you to inform the 3 logistics that they needed ammunition, batteries, Browning ammunition and 4 similar things. How would you pass on this information to the duty 5 operations officer? 6 A. If this was asked from me, I would call the switchboard and I 7 will pass the information on, and they in their turn will pass the 8 information on to the duty operations officers. I could try and contact 9 the duty operations officer myself, but he was not always in his office. 10 So I would rather call the switchboard and ask them to pass on the 11 information on to him. 12 Q. Would it be more practical because somebody was always at the 13 switchboard at all times? 14 A. Yes, that's correct. There was always somebody at the 16 Q. When you passed on the information to the person working at the 17 switchboard, how would that person communicate that to the duty 18 operations officer? 19 A. It would be done on foot. It would be written on a piece of 20 paper and that person would literally take it downstairs to the duty 21 operations officer. 22 Q. Does that mean that you yourself did not have to communicate that 23 information directly to the duty informations -- duty operations officer? 24 A. Yes, that's correct. That's what it means. 25 Q. While you were working in -- at the radio communications centre, 1 what was the common practice? Was it the common practice for you to 2 communicate to the duty operations officer directly or did you leave the 3 information with the person at the switchboard who would then bring it to 4 the duty operations officer? 5 A. It was easier for me to leave the information with the 6 switchboard operator who would then bring it to the duty operations 7 officer. It was much easier, more practical for me. 8 Q. The same question, but let's go to the superior command. We're 9 now talking -- we were now talking about the battalion, but let's go to 10 the superior command. 11 In the duty operations officer logbook it says "Beara to report 12 to 155." Somebody's asking from the duty operations officer for this 13 information to be passed on to Beara. What would the procedure be in 14 this case? Did you have to talk to the duty operations officer directly? 15 A. No, we didn't. We could simply call the switchboard and ask them 16 to pass the information on, and they would do it at the first 17 opportunity. So we didn't have to speak to the duty operations officer 18 himself. It could be done through the switchboard operator. 19 Q. My question is as follows: Does it mean that bearing in mind the 20 system of communications, the duty operations officer did not necessarily 21 have to receive directly any such information, any such request? 22 A. That's correct. It wasn't the duty operations officer who 23 received that. It would be the switchboard operator who would receive 24 that, put it on a piece of paper and take it physically to the duty 25 operations officer who was supposed to receive it. 1 Q. And wouldn't that be the job of the communications or signalsmen, 2 the branch that you belonged to? 3 A. No. That wouldn't be my job. There would be other people, 4 people who are switchboard operators who would do that. 5 Q. Within this system of communication via the switchboard, could 6 the duty operations officer be in the position to receive information 7 more often through the switchboard or directly? 8 A. More often he would receive it from the switchboard because 9 everything went via the switchboard. 10 Q. Thank you. And now let me ask you about your position, the 11 position that you had up there as the radio communications squad. Why 12 did you exist if there were radio and telephone lines? 13 A. We were on a stand-by if telephone lines did not work. So we 14 worked very rarely. Within the period of 12 hours, we would maybe check 15 our connection once and that was -- that was it. Over the next five 16 days, maybe we did not even hear each other once. 17 Q. What was your function? Was your function to establish 18 communication was those units or those officers who at that given moment 19 did not have a telephone line? 20 A. Yes. If the telephone communication was broken, then it would be 21 us that established communication links. And if the units were on a 22 move, in combat, then we would be mediators. We would mediate in their 23 communication because they could communicate directly, and they did it on 24 a daily basis. When that was not possible, we would mediate in their 1 Q. On the 13th and 14th there was fighting in the area of the 2 Zvornik Brigade. Certain units were transferred to Snagovo. We have 3 heard a lot of testimonies about that. Did you have communication with 4 those units in Snagovo? Did you establish a radio connection with them? 5 A. I believe so. 6 JUDGE LIU: Yes, Mr. Waespi. 7 MR. WAESPI: I'm just objecting to using specific examples which 8 are not correct. For instance, there was no fighting on the 13th. So 9 that's a generalisation. I don't know whether it's needed, it's 10 important for the purposes of this question, but if he does it, it needs 11 to be correct. 12 JUDGE LIU: Yes. 13 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] I apologise, Your Honour. I did 14 not understand this remark. The first ambush and the first conflict with 15 the column and the military police of the Zvornik Brigade happened on the 16 13th, and on the 14th in the evening there was the most fierce fighting 17 with the ambush of Snagovo. We have heard testimonies to that effect. 18 If that is not correct, as my learned friend says, then I will also 19 accept that there was no fighting on the 13th. 20 JUDGE LIU: No. Here the suggestion is not that there was 21 fighting on the 13th or the 14th. Here we just want to establish whether 22 this person has some connection with the unit there. These are the most 23 important things, no matter whether there is fighting or not. So let's 24 concentrate on that direction. 25 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] Yes. This was the goal of my 1 question. However, an objection was raised to the effect that there was 2 into fighting on the 13th. 3 Q. My question is as follows: On the 13th, the 14th, the 15th, the 4 16th of July, during those developments and events did you have -- your 5 squad that is, the radio communications squad -- did you have -- did you 6 establish a link with those units which were on the move? 7 A. Yes. 8 Q. Did this communication function or would it be interrupted from 9 time to time because those units were on the move? 10 A. Yes, that's correct. It worked at times, and at times it didn't 12 Q. And now I wanted to ask you something very specific. Can you 13 remember on the 14th, in the night between the 14th and 15th and on the 14 15th, were you in the communications centre and up to when? 15 A. I believe I wasn't. It was a long time ago. On the 15th, 16 however, I was absent because my wife was due to give birth. The road to 17 Drinjaca was closed because of these combat activities, so I had to go 18 via Serbia. I had to cross the Drina. I had to go and fetch my wife, 19 and I had to bring my wife and two young children to Zvornik, to my 20 sister's place. And then I returned to the communications centre, but I 21 don't know when that was. It was a long time ago. But I was there. 22 There were combat operations. I was on the line. I may have been absent 23 for three or four hours, but I had to. The road was blocked. There were 24 two young children at home. My wife was pregnant and about to give 25 birth, so my family needed me, and that's why I left the position. 1 Q. Can you tell us approximately when it was that you left on the 2 15th of July for these objective reasons? 3 A. I believe that it was sometime in the morning. The 15th of July 4 was the date when she was due, and I just left on the 15th of July to see 5 what was going on. 6 Q. Because of these combat activities, you can conclude that you 7 were there in your position on the 14th and 15th? 8 A. Yes. 9 Q. How were you organised at the time, in view of the intensive 10 fighting in the area of the Zvornik Brigade? 11 A. I believe that we were all there, on the line. A hundred per 12 cent of the troops were there. Mind you, only one person could actually 13 work. The rest of us were probably sitting watching TV while that one 14 person was working. 15 Q. Thank you. In view of the fact that you were aware that what you 16 were doing could be intercepted and was indeed intercepted by the enemy, 17 can you tell us how would it happen within the system if you were to pass 18 on a piece of intelligence to a battalion or to the units on the move? 19 Did you have certain codes, code names? Did you have the means to carry 20 out secret conversations? 21 A. Yes. When we received our communications plans, we also received 22 codes that every battalion had. For example, one letter would be 23 replaced by three or four figures or several letters. So when a piece of 24 information was to be communicated, we would receive a lot of numbers. 25 For example, 562 was letter B. For example, if I were to sent 1 confidential information, I would just send the other person a cluster of 2 numbers. The person who received it, he would just follow those numbers 3 and that's how he could decipher the text. 4 It was very rarely that this was used, because we could normally 5 avail ourselves of the wire lines, of the telephone lines. 6 Q. Did you as the commander of that communications squad have an 7 opportunity or were you given a task to give one of your soldiers to 8 Dragan Obrenovic? 9 A. Yes. My unit was the one that gave soldiers to Dragan Obrenovic. 10 Q. Can you explain how this functioned? How did your soldiers serve 11 under him? 12 A. For example, a RUP 12 would be taken from the depot. The soldier 13 would put it on his back, literally. And if Dragan Obrenovic was sent to 14 the field, then that soldier would literally follow him. And that 15 soldier had to be very fit, because not everybody could follow Obrenovic 16 when he was moving around. 17 Q. Can you remember on the 14th of July who was escorting him? 18 A. Yes. It was Milos Pantic. 19 Q. On the 14th and the 15th of July, was he with him all the time? 20 A. I believe so. 21 Q. Thank you. In addition to RUP 12, did Dragan Obrenovic also use 22 or could he use the UK device [as interpreted]? 23 A. He usually carried a Motorola. 24 Q. When you say Motorola, do you mean that a Motorola is a UKT 1 A. Yes, I believe so. 2 Q. Could he use his Motorola in order to establish a direct link 3 with the command of the Zvornik Brigade? 4 A. No. 5 Q. To be more specific, let me ask you: Could he use his Motorola 6 to dispatch information to the duty operations officer? 7 A. No, he could not. He couldn't do it directly. He could via 8 somebody else. 9 Q. Does this mean that the duty operations officer did not have a 10 Motorola available? 11 A. No, he didn't. 12 Q. Thank you. 13 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] I will now ask the usher to 14 assist us to show the witness exhibit for identification, Your Honour. 15 It's P520, and this is a document we have already had an occasion to see. 16 It's an interim combat report of the 14th of July, 1995, which was used 17 by Mr. Butler and also by us when examining Witness Ljubo Bojanovic. 18 Q. Mr. Mihic, would you please look at the text of this interim 19 combat report and tell us to whom it's addressed. What does it say? 20 A. "To the command of the Drina Corps." 21 Q. Thank you. And who signed this document? Who is sending it? 22 A. Major Dragan Obrenovic, chief of staff. 23 JUDGE LIU: Yes, Mr. Waespi. 24 MR. WAESPI: The questions answers are following so quickly, so I 25 may not have a chance to object. But again, if he asked this witness to 1 comment on some substantive text, I have a problem. If he asks him again 2 whether somebody, you know, signed this document who was part of his 3 squad, that's no problem. But to have him again speculate about what may 4 be here, then I have a problem. 5 JUDGE LIU: Well, Mr. Stojanovic, I think the issue is here that 6 whether you could establish a certain kind of relevancy between this 7 document and this witness. That is to say whether this witness is in the 8 position to make some comments of that document. And before that, we 9 shall not go into the contents of this document. 10 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] Yes, Your Honour. There is no 11 need for hasty objections. I do not intend to ask the witness to comment 12 on this interim combat report. My questions will be in a completely 13 different direction, and we will link this all up through the document. 14 Q. So let's just familiarise ourselves with the document and then 15 I'll put questions to you. The document says: "Tonight at around 2020 16 hours, a large group of Muslims passed through the broader Maricici area, 17 proceeding towards the Zvornik-Caparde road." And I won't read any more 18 although it's brief. 19 I'll just read the last bit. The second paragraph says: "Try to 20 find some means of bringing in more intervention forces early in the 21 morning." And then it's signed by Dragan Obrenovic. 22 Would you, sir -- Mr. Mihic, look at the seal -- 23 MR. WAESPI: Objection. 24 JUDGE LIU: Well, Mr. Waespi, I don't think the question has been 25 asked yet. 1 MR. WAESPI: Yes, but it's not signed by Mr. Obrenovic. That's 2 what he keeps referring. So that's a misstatement of facts. 3 JUDGE LIU: Yes. 4 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] Your Honour, we say that in the 5 document, at the place where it is stated who is sending the document, 6 it's true there is no signature, but that was not the purpose of my 7 question. We've already established all this through the testimony of 8 Ljubo Bojanovic. 9 Q. Mr. Mihic, what I wanted to ask was the following: Would you 10 please look at the seal with me, at the stamp, saying when the document 11 was sent. 12 A. Yes, I see it. 13 Q. What's the date? 14 A. The 15th of July, 1995. 15 Q. What's the time? 16 A. I think it's 0110 hours. 17 JUDGE LIU: Yes, Mr. Waespi. 18 MR. WAESPI: Again I really object to this witness who wasn't 19 involved in sending these documents, who was at a hill outside Zvornik to 20 comment on a document, on dates. The document speaks for itself. And we 21 have here Mr. Bojanovic. These people were qualified to comment on it, 22 not this witness, I'm afraid. 23 JUDGE LIU: Well, at this stage I actually have not heard the 24 substantive questions put by Mr. Stojanovic. I believe that Mr. 25 Stojanovic is now just laying some background. But let's come to see the 1 question you're going to ask this witness. And you told us before that 2 it will be a quite different direction. We'll see how different it is. 3 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] Thank you. 4 Q. Mr. Mihic, until last night when I showed this document to you, 5 had you ever seen it? 6 A. No. I see Vinko Stojkic signed it, so it couldn't have been sent 7 through me. It must have been sent through the encryption. 8 Q. Thank you. I'll show you a part of the statement made by Dragan 9 Obrenovic, the statement of facts before this Tribunal. 10 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] Your Honour, it might be more 11 practical to put this on the ELMO - it's a public document - so that we 12 can see the English version. 13 JUDGE LIU: Yes. 14 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] 15 Q. In his statement, Dragan Obrenovic mentions this document and 16 says: "That same evening, 14th between 2300 hours and 0000 hours, I 17 wrote a request to the Drina Corps command for results on a piece of 18 paper and I gave it to my signalsman. He in turn sent the message to the 19 radioman. It was transmitted to the communication centre and then 20 relayed to the duty officer, Dragan Jokic. This was after the battles 21 and the capture of police captain Zoran Jankovic." 22 My question, Mr. Mihic, is as follows: On the 14th of July while 23 you were in the radio centre, at any point in time did you receive this 24 kind of open telegram from Snagovo? 25 JUDGE LIU: Yes, Mr. Waespi. 1 MR. WAESPI: There needs to be a foundation whether this person 2 was there on the 14th. I think he testified earlier he was away for 3 three hours. So before he goes in to basically assuming, he should 4 establish the foundation. 5 JUDGE LIU: Yes. I believe the witness testified before that he 6 was not stay there for the whole day. He was absent for some time. So 7 the first question is that, you know, from what time, you know, this 8 witness was absent during that day. 9 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] Yes, Your Honour. The witness 10 did state, and you can see on the previous page, that he left on the 15th 11 of July, before noon. And in answer to my next question, he said that in 12 the night between the 14th and 15th, he was there at the radio centre and 13 that they were all present there because of the intensive fighting. 14 JUDGE LIU: Yes. 15 MR. WAESPI: That was a general answer he testified in these 16 present, but he specifically said he was off and on. So I don't think 17 it's correct to assume now that on that night he was there. 18 JUDGE LIU: Well, since there's some, you know, different 19 interpretations, would you please ask some questions to this witness. 20 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] Yes, Your Honour. No problem. 21 Q. Mr. Mihic, a few minutes ago we discussed this. Would you tell 22 us when you went to pick up your wife in Drinjaca, who was about to give 24 A. Well, you have to understand me. This was a long time ago. I 25 think I left on the 15th because she was due to give birth on that day. 1 Q. My next question is: At what time on the 15th? 2 A. If it was the 15th, it was in the morning. It was before noon. 3 Q. And where did you go? 4 A. I crossed the bridge over the Drina. I went into Serbia by boat. 5 I crossed the Drina by boat. And then I took my wife and children to 6 Serbia, to Mali Zvornik, to be with my sister. 7 Q. On the 15th in the morning, how long were you away from the radio 9 A. Three or four hours, because I was in a hurry. I had to be on 11 Q. And did you then return to the radio centre? 12 A. Yes, I did. 13 Q. And the day before, the 14th, and the night between the 14th and 14 the 15th, did you spend that time together with the others in the squad? 15 A. Yes. I was at the radio centre. 16 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] May I continue now, Your Honour? 17 JUDGE LIU: Yes, of course. 18 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] Thank you. 19 Q. My question was: Between 2300 hours and 0000 hours on the 14th, 20 did you receive through the open RUP communication this interim combat 22 A. I personally didn't, but please don't misunderstand me. There 23 were four of us there. Maybe somebody else did, but I did not. Although 24 I'm not familiar with this text; we read whatever arrived, but I don't 25 remember seeing this. 1 Q. At one point you said that you never received such documents 2 through the RUP open line. 3 A. No. Especially not from the commander of the chief of staff. 4 This was never sent through us. We were there to communicate with the 5 battalions. It was the battalions who would send their reports through 6 us, and these were usually very trivial. They would just say "Situation 7 as usual." The battalions would sometimes send their reports to me if 8 the lines were down, and this would usually read just "Situation normal." 9 Q. Did you ever receive from the commander or the chief of staff the 10 task of sending such an important document through the open 12 A. No. The commander never called on us. 13 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] Thank you, Your Honours. I 14 propose that we take a break now. I will put a few more questions about 15 the witness's knowledge of Dragan Jokic and then that would conclude my 16 examination-in-chief. I will need not more than ten or 15 minutes. 17 JUDGE LIU: Yes. It's time for the break, and we will resume at 18 quarter to eleven. 19 --- Recess taken at 11.14 a.m. 20 --- On resuming at 11.47 a.m. 21 JUDGE LIU: Yes, Mr. Stojanovic. 22 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] Thank you, Your Honour. 23 Q. Mr. Mihic, I now have a few questions to ask you about Dragan 25 A. Yes, go ahead. 1 Q. Since when have you known Dragan Jokic? 2 A. I've known Dragan Jokic since he was the chief of staff of the 3 brigade, that is to say at the beginning of the war. 4 Q. Did you meet him perhaps during the war? 5 A. Yes. 6 Q. Did you have occasion to see him talk to other soldiers, 7 conversing to other officers, superior officers, subordinate officers, 8 that kind of thing? 9 A. Yes. 10 Q. Could you tell us, please, what your impressions are of Dragan 11 Jokic and what the troops and soldiers thought of him? What were their 13 A. Let me tell you. I'll be frank. I'll tell you what I really 14 think. I think most of the people here whom I don't know here have not 15 read a novel called "Nikoletina Bursac" who is also the main character. 16 At first chance he is a rather rough-looking type, rough-looking 17 character but with a very kind heart and soul. He loved everything, 18 loved nature and loved everything that was civilised, just as the 19 character in the book "Nikoletina Bursac." 20 As you know, my profession is a beekeeper, and Dragan Jokic 21 bought some bees from me, and he gave me his official pistol for what 22 were practically two empty beehives. It was just the same as if he'd 23 given it to me in exchange for two boxes of cigarettes, for example. 24 Dragan Jokic knew I was a hunter, and he had a rifle. I don't know what 25 kind it was, but he wanted to give it to me as a gift. That was before 1 any of these events took place. 2 So quite simply I can say that he was a good man. He wasn't a 3 careerist, a career oriented. But the officers persecuted him, 4 mistreated him, didn't treat him properly, and I found that difficult to 5 take. But what can you do? That's what the situation was like. 6 Q. Were you ever in a situation in which you attended these 7 conversations and communications between Dragan Jokic and his superior 8 officers when they behaved towards him that way, with a lack of respect, 9 or undermined him and the man he was? 10 A. Yes, I was, and I found it shameful to be in their company when 11 they took it out on them, the superior officers took it out on him in 12 front of other soldiers, in front of the troops. 13 Q. Could you be more specific and tell us how they berated him and 14 undermined him, the superior officers? 15 A. Well, I was present on one occasion when the commanding officer 16 asked him to dig a communicating trench. He said I don't want anybody 17 else, any other soldier to dig the trench, I want you to do it. So he 18 took up a shovel and started digging this communicating trench. He 19 didn't have to do for long, but it was just to prove a point and the way 20 they treated him. 21 Q. Did you ever have occasion while you were working as a signalsman 22 near the command of the Zvornik Brigade to hear from the soldiers or the 23 citizens members of the Zvornik Brigade anything about Dragan having 24 taken part in any crimes? 25 A. No. I'd never heard anything like that about Dragan's 1 participation in any crime. 2 Q. Well, did you hear about the crimes generally that were committed 3 in the Zvornik municipality? 4 A. I was a signalsman up at the signals department. And believe me 5 when I say I didn't hear anything about those crimes, not a single 6 letter. I heard about it when everything became public. But otherwise, 7 there was never any mention of anything of that kind and I knew 8 absolutely nothing about anything like that at the time. 9 Q. Thank you. Now, do you know about his family situation, Dragan 10 Jokic's family situation, his family circumstances? 11 A. Yes. I knew his financial situation and his family situation, 12 although we weren't close. We weren't friends. We didn't actually -- 13 but we did socialise a bit. I think he's divorced. He had to look after 14 a son, I think. I think it was his second or third marriage. I know he 15 has a very fine young son, a very cultivated, nice young man. I know he 16 lived in somebody else's apart. He was a tenant. That's all I can say. 17 That's all I know about him. 18 But I do know that the other officers gained a great deal more 19 than he did. He wasn't interested in anything material, whereas the 20 other officers accrued more. 21 Q. Thank you, Mr. Mihic. 22 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] I have no further questions, 23 Your Honours, for this witness. 24 JUDGE LIU: Thank you. Mr. Karnavas? 25 MR. KARNAVAS: Good morning, Mr. President, Your Honours; good 1 morning, sir. I have no questions for the gentleman. 2 JUDGE LIU: Thank you very much. Mr. Waespi. 3 MR. WAESPI: Yes, good morning, Mr. President. 4 JUDGE LIU: Yes. 5 MR. WAESPI: Yes, I have just a few questions, and I have been 6 using one exhibit, Exhibit P121. I'm sorry I didn't announce it 7 previously. That's the own exhibit I will be using, with your leave. 8 JUDGE LIU: Yes please. 9 Cross-examined by Mr. Waespi: 10 Q. Good morning, Mr. Mihic. I have just a few issues I'd like to 11 clarify with you. 12 A. Good morning. 13 Q. Let me first go back to your whereabouts. This morning 14 Mr. Stojanovic had asked you, and I quote him: 15 "And now I wanted to ask you something very specific. Can you 16 remember on the 14th, in the night between the 14th and the 15th and on 17 the 15th, were you in the communications centre and up to when? " 18 And your answer was: "I believe I wasn't. It was a long time 19 ago." And then you go on to talk about the 15th. 20 Now, you don't really know where you were in those days because 21 it's such a long time ago. Isn't that correct? 22 JUDGE LIU: Well, Mr. Stojanovic, I think this question has been 23 asked and answered, but we would like to hear the witness once again. 24 Yes. I understand that. Let the witness answer that question. Yes. Is 25 there anything that you still want to raise? If you have, please. 1 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] Just one sentence. I think, 2 Your Honour, that not at one point did the witness say he was not there, 3 but let the witness answer the question again. But then it would be 4 proper to have the whole answer given by the witness quoted. It would be 5 proper vis-a-vis the witness. 6 MR. WAESPI: The problem, Mr. President, is the question 7 Mr. Stojanovic had asked, because it included 14th, 15th night, and I 8 just would like to clarify what the witness said. 9 JUDGE LIU: Yes, of course. You may proceed. 10 Witness, you may answer that question. 11 THE WITNESS: [Interpretation] Yes, yes. Fine. Whether I was 12 there on the 14th, is that it? Well, I can't say 100 per cent. I think 13 I was there. Now, if somebody were to ask you where were you two and a 14 half years ago, it would be difficult for you to answer. So all I can 15 say is I think I was there, but as the war was going on, I was at the 16 front line 100 per cent. If I had gone to fetch my wife on the 15th, I 17 actually deserted to go and fetch my wife and take her to be -- to give 18 birth. So on the 14th I can say that 90 per cent, I'm sure 90 per cent 19 that I was there. 20 MR. WAESPI: 21 Q. Now, you just told us, in your words, that you deserted to get 22 your wife. Did you ask authority then from somebody or not? 23 A. No, I did not. I didn't ask anybody's permission, because it was 24 a -- I had two sons, born in 1993 and 1994. My wife was nine months 25 pregnant. She was full term. I had to go and fetch her from Zvornik in 1 the morning. The road was impassable. So it was a life-or-death 2 situation. I had to go to the Drina, across the Drina, go to Zvornik, 3 bring my wife back. But my job didn't suffer. There were four or five 4 signalsmen and just one device. So that wasn't a problem at all. I was 5 the komandir and I assessed that I could go and get my wife without any 6 problems. So my job didn't suffer at all. 7 Q. Do you remember the night 14th, 15th before you went to see your 8 wife? Were you sleeping at all that night? 9 A. Probably I was. I don't know. I can't say. There were enough 10 of us there. Somebody was always awake. There was always somebody 11 manning the device, so it couldn't be left without anybody. 12 Q. Now, in those time, 14th, 15th, 16th, there was a time, was it 13 not, that the city of Zvornik, the town, was threatened by the Muslim 14 forces? Isn't that correct? 15 A. Yes. Very well, yes. 16 Q. And you remember that? 17 A. I do. 18 Q. And the commander, the acting commander, the chief of staff 19 Obrenovic, he was in the field and was trying to cope with that 20 situation. Is that also a fair statement? 21 A. All right, yes. 22 Q. Now, did you listen to open communication between the brigade 23 duty officer and the corps asking desperately for measures how to cope 24 with the situation? Do you remember those type of conversations? 25 A. No. No, I wasn't able to listen in to that. I couldn't listen 1 in to that communication. I was on the other side. That was a different 2 line altogether. I was from the brigade to the battalion, that 3 connection, not brigade corps line. 4 Q. Did somebody else from your squad was able to -- to listen in to 5 those kind of communications? 6 A. No, not from my mine. 7 Q. So your squad wasn't -- wasn't doing that. 8 A. No. 9 Q. Now, let me ask you, perhaps you can help us a little bit about 10 the call-signs. Do you remember who Omega was? 11 A. I don't know. I don't remember. 12 Q. How about Lovac? 13 A. I think that was me. 14 Q. And who was Lovac 1? 15 A. Chief of staff. When he goes into the field, he uses our 16 call-sign and adds a 1. 17 Q. That was Dragan Obrenovic. 18 A. Yes. 19 Q. And do you remember the call-sign or the real name of the person 20 Celik, C-e-l-i-k? Do you remember who that was? 21 A. No. 22 Q. Now, did you have any exchanges with Obrenovic, being Lovac 1? 23 You Lovac, Obrenovic Lovac 1. Did you have any exchanges on those 24 critical days, let's say the 14th of July. 25 A. There probably was something, but I can't be sure what. I can't 1 say exactly. Probably there was some sort of communication, but I really 2 don't remember. I can't say. 3 Q. And why can't you remember? 4 A. Well, it was a long time ago. And it's like this, listen here. 5 I don't think I had any connections with Obrenovic at one point. The 6 connection was lost. I'm sure about that. 7 Q. Well -- 8 A. The connection line was lost. 9 Q. But if you had connections, were there many exchanges between you 10 and Mr. Obrenovic? 11 A. No. No. No, certainly not. 12 MR. WAESPI: Now, if the witness could be shown Exhibit 100 -- I 13 believe 121. And while that's being done -- 14 Q. If you were absent, somebody else for you would take over Lovac 15 and communicate with whoever wanted to communicate with you; is that 17 A. Yes, yes, yes. 18 Q. Perhaps if page 7 of the English version could be put onto the 19 ELMO, and -- in B/C/S. You'll be shown that page. Perhaps if you can 20 see somewhere in the middle, Mr. Mihic, there is an entry in your B/C/S 21 original and it says: "1825," "1825," and that's on the 14th July, "238 22 Lovac 1 - Lovac." Could you see that on your document? 23 A. Yes. 24 Q. Now, let me read what it says. It says: "They were attacked 25 there. They requested something to be sent. Is there anything," and 1 then it says, "came interrupted (L1)." I take it that's Lovac 1. And 2 then there is: "Igman informed Lovac what he (Vuk) came." 3 Now, do you remember this conversation? 4 A. I don't remember. No, no. 5 Q. So it's 14th July at 1825. 6 A. I don't remember. No. 7 Q. Now, we see here Igman. Do you know who Igman was? 8 A. I don't know. No, no. 9 Q. Now, let's go down a few lines, about four lines, and it says, 10 and I quote again: "On the frequency 293 at 2045 Igman 1 and Lovac 1 and 11 Lovac - surround the forces with war materiel, reinforcement is coming 12 from the Main Staff and now Mane's men are coming." 13 Again it's Lovac involved, your call-sign. Do you remember - 14 again, in the evening 14th July - do you remember this conversation? 15 A. I don't remember the conversation, but usually when I didn't pick 16 up and when Lovac 1 talked to someone, as far as I remember he would 17 usually use the Lovac codes -- call-sign without the number 1. So if 18 Lovac and Lovac 1 have a conversation, then that's what they say. But if 19 they talk to someone, they would just say Lovac because it was just the 20 same unit. So the signalsman who was where I was, he would follow Lovac 21 1, and he would report with the call-sign Lovac. So I didn't have the 22 need to involve myself. That's why you have Igman and Lovac. Why would 23 Igman have talked to Lovac? And what am I? Nothing. 24 Q. So these couple of conversations that we were discussing, you 25 don't remember anything about that. 1 A. I can't remember. 2 Q. And you don't remember any other conversation which would stick 3 out in your mind on that day. 4 A. I do remember the conversation. I don't know what day it was 5 exactly, but I do remember when the operations around Srebrenica started. 6 The -- it was reported to the centre that there was a long column, and 7 you couldn't see the end of the column. When the army platoon went for 8 reconnaissance and reconnoitring, then that was the first information, 9 when the scouts went out. So I received this information and conveyed it 10 further on, of course. Who received it, I can't say; the signalsman down 11 there. I don't know. 12 Q. And that was an army platoon from the Zvornik Brigade who was 13 down in Srebrenica. 14 A. No, no; not in Srebrenica. That was in the Zvornik portion, 15 Lijesanj or somewhere around there, towards Glodina and Kamenica. That's 16 where it was noticed. Now what the date was I don't know. You probably 17 have the right information. You must have the date. But that was the 18 first information I received, the first information that came in to me. 19 Q. And looking back, that is the one conversation which would stick 20 in your memory since today. 21 A. I remember that well. It was the first one, and I know that 22 exactly, for a fact. 23 Q. Any other conversation you recall now? 24 A. No, I can't remember. 25 MR. WAESPI: I have no further questions, Mr. President. 1 JUDGE LIU: Any re-examination, Mr. Stojanovic? 2 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] With Your Honour's permission, 3 just a few questions. 4 Re-examined by Mr. Stojanovic: 5 Q. [Interpretation] Mr. Mihic. 6 A. Yes, go ahead, please. 7 Q. You said at one point during those days because of the intensity 8 of the fighting that was going on you know that Obrenovic was in the 9 field, on the spot; is that correct? 10 A. Yes. 11 Q. Now, do you know whether Obrenovic during those days used a 12 vehicle of some kind? 13 A. Yes, he did. He went with a vehicle. 14 Q. Can you tell us what kind of vehicle? 15 A. Well, I can't remember the make. It was a jeep of some kind. 16 Q. And did he drive the jeep? 17 A. No, no. He had a driver. 18 Q. Right. He had a driver. Fine. Now, in the jeep was the 19 signalsman there that was assigned to him? 20 A. Yes. 21 Q. Could you tell us, please, from the crossroads leading to 22 Snagovo, from Crni Vrh to the Zvornik Brigade, how far is that journey? 23 How far is the route? 24 A. Well, I don't know. I'd say about ten, 12, 15 kilometres. 25 JUDGE LIU: Yes. Yes, Mr. Waespi. 1 MR. WAESPI: I believe it now gets out of the scope of 3 JUDGE LIU: Yes, I believe so. You began to ask some questions 4 in some new areas. The re-examination should be within the scope of the 6 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] Thank you. Yes, Your Honour. 7 Just one more question, then, and I'll wind up. 8 Q. How long does a vehicle take to get -- to pass that 10-12 route? 9 A. It takes 15 to 20 minutes. 10 Q. At one point you said that from time to time you would have a bad 11 connection, lose the connection with Obrenovic; is that right? 12 A. Yes, it was down. 13 Q. Does that show that he was moving around? 14 A. It indicates that he was moving around, and maybe my battery was 15 low. Maybe my battery was -- his battery was low and then he exchanged 16 his battery somewhere in the battalion later on. So his battery was low, 18 Q. Thank you. And you also said at one point that you remember that 19 on that day, the 14th or in the evening, that you lost all connection 20 with Obrenovic. Is that right? Can you tell us or can you remember when 21 that happened? 22 A. No, I can't. 23 Q. Thank you. 24 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] I have no further requests, Your 1 JUDGE LIU: Thank you. Now, at this stage are there any 2 documents to tender, Mr. Stojanovic? 3 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] No, Your Honour. The documents 4 we used have already been tendered through Ljubo Bojanovic and 5 Mr. Butler. They're already in evidence, so there's no need. 6 JUDGE LIU: Thank you. On the part of the Prosecution? No? 7 Well, thank you. 8 Well, Witness, thank you very much for coming to The Hague to 9 give your evidence. Madam Usher will show you out of the room, and we 10 all wish you a pleasant journey back home. You may go. 11 THE WITNESS: [Interpretation] Thank you very much. 12 JUDGE LIU: You may -- 13 THE WITNESS: [Interpretation] Thank you. 14 [The witness withdrew] 15 JUDGE LIU: Well, before we have the next witness, 16 Mr. Stojanovic, how about next Monday and Tuesday? Do we have any 17 witnesses on these two days? 18 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] On Monday, as you know, we don't 19 have any witnesses because Mr. Vasic's statement will be according to 20 92 bis. And on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the schedule, we are 21 to hear Mr. Dragan Jokic, unless there are some changes. In any event, 22 until the end of the day today, I'm going to inform you about that. 23 JUDGE LIU: Well, could we hear Mr. Jokic next Monday, because 24 next Monday, Tuesday we might have the full day, but on Wednesday, 25 Thursday, or Friday, we may only have half day for, you know, the hearing 1 because we will have the Plenary Meeting, you know, during that day. So 2 my suggestion is that we should hear your witness as early as possible. 3 You may discuss with your client during the break and inform us 4 in time. 5 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] I understand, Your Honour. 6 JUDGE LIU: Could we have the next witness, please. 7 [The witness entered court] 8 JUDGE LIU: Good morning, Witness. 9 THE WITNESS: [Interpretation] Good morning. 10 JUDGE LIU: Would you please make the solemn declaration in 11 accordance with the paper Madam Usher is showing to you. 12 THE WITNESS: [Interpretation] I solemnly declare that I will 13 speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. 14 WITNESS: MIHAJLO CVIJETIC 15 [Witness answered through interpreter] 16 JUDGE LIU: Thank you very much. You may sit down, please. 17 Yes, Mr. Stojanovic. 18 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] Yes, Your Honour. Our witness 19 is going to be led by Mr. Branko Lukic. So I would like to give the 20 floor to my co-counsel, Mr. Lukic. 21 JUDGE LIU: Mr. Lukic. 22 MR. LUKIC: Thank you, Your Honour. I know that you are 23 surprised every time when I get up. 24 Examined by Mr. Lukic: 25 Q. [Interpretation] Good morning, Mr. Cvijetic. 1 A. Good morning. 2 Q. For the record, can you please tell us your full name. 3 A. My name is Mihajlo Cvijetic. 4 Q. Again for the record, could you spell your first and last name. 5 A. M-i-h-a-j-l-o. My family name, C-v-i-j-e-t-i-c. 6 Q. When and where were you born? 7 A. I was born on the 28th of January, 1952, in Musici village in the 8 Municipality of Kupres, in the Socialist Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina. 9 Q. Can you tell us something about your educational background, 10 where and when you finish the schools that you finished. 11 A. I finished elementary school in 1967 in Ravno village in the 12 Municipality of Kupres in the Socialist Republic Bosnia and Herzegovina. 13 I finished school for non-commissioned officers engineers in Karlovac in 14 the Socialist Republic of Croatia. That was inform 1971. I completed 15 the military academy of the land army in 1978 in Belgrade, in the 16 Republic of Serbia. The General Staff school I completed in 1982 in 17 Belgrade. I also attended a course on the implementation of the 18 agreement in Prague, Oberammergau and Paris. I also attended a course 19 for de-mining and instruction of explosives in Chatham, London, the 20 United Kingdom. I also attended a course for de-mining and inspector for 21 the control of de-mining in the organisation of Banja Luka. I believe 22 this would be enough for the time being. 23 Q. I believe that it is more than enough. 24 During your service in the army of Republika Srpska, what 25 positions you held? 1 A. During my service in the Republika Srpska army, I was the chief 2 of engineers in a brigade. I was the inspector in the centre for 3 verification, and I also performed the duties of the officer for mine 4 clearance in the army of Republika Srpska. 5 Q. Did you represent the entire army of Republika Srpska in your 6 last position? 7 A. Yes. I represented the entire army of Republika Srpska, and I 8 was in constant contact with the SFOR, with the representatives of SFOR, 9 i.e., the representatives of the international organisations which are 10 engaged in mine clearance. 11 Q. I would kindly ask you to slow down a little so that our 12 interpreters could catch up with you and interpret all your words 14 A. Yes. Thank you. 15 Q. As we have already informed the Trial Chamber, you will be 16 testifying about the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the war. 17 We would like you to provide us with your insight into character of 18 Dragan Jokic. 19 First of all, can you tell us: Since when have you known Dragan 21 A. I have known Dragan Jokic since 1983, although I knew him even 22 before because he also attended the military academy and that's where I 23 saw him first. But since 1983, I have gotten to know him better, after 24 our education that we did, that we went together. 25 Q. In our conversation, you described your activities and the 1 activities of Dragan Jokic in the past date in Bosnia-Herzegovina by 2 dividing them into three segments. 3 A. Yes, yes, that's correct. I divided those activities into three 4 segments. I wanted to point to the activities pursuant to the 5 implementation of the agreement according to Article 4, according -- 6 Article 2, and the role of Mr. Dragan Jokic in the mine clearance of the 7 areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 8 Q. The first segment would be the implementation of the accords 9 falling under the regional control of arms, in other words, Article 4 of 10 Annex 1. I would like to show you a document with this regard, and let 11 me first ask you: The documents that we're going to show to you, can you 12 tell us how did the Defence get -- got by those documents. 13 A. I brought these documents with me as I was preparing for this 14 trial testimony, as when I was informed that I would appear before this 15 Trial Chamber, I inspected all the documents. I wanted my testimony to 16 be based on facts, on -- based on information and knowledge. I wanted to 17 provide the best possible testimony, and that's why I brought these 18 documents with me. 19 MR. LUKIC: [Interpretation] Can the usher assist us in showing 20 the documents to the witness. 21 Q. One of the documents that you have provided to the Defence will 22 be shown to you. You gave this document to the Defence yesterday 24 MR. LUKIC: [Interpretation] We apologise to the Trial Chamber and 25 to our learned friends for the documents not being translated. I believe 1 -- I hope we will appreciate that we only got hold of these documents 2 yesterday evening, but we also hope that the witness will be able to 3 provide us with the explanation of the contents and the importance of the 5 THE WITNESS: [Interpretation] Yes -- 6 JUDGE LIU: Yes, Mr. McCloskey. 7 MR. McCLOSKEY: Mr. President, this is the first time we've seen 8 these documents. We could have seen them tomorrow night -- or last 9 night. We could have some idea what they are. It is a bit absurd to be 10 using documents that could have had some meaning and they, really, now 11 have no meaning to us. 12 But given that this is the last witness and given the subject 13 matter, we will not object, but I just -- if there is any material for 14 the next witness, we would please request that we get it in a timely 16 JUDGE LIU: Yes. I quite agree with you, and the -- I believe 17 that any new-obtained documents should be furnished as soon as possible 18 to the other party and to the Bench. Any pre-emptive attack is not 20 But considering that those documents were not directly related to 21 the critical period, that is the July 1995, and the witness will testify 22 only on the character and the behaviours after the war of Mr. Jokic, we 23 allowed the Defence to use those documents. But it should be a warning 24 to the Defence team and in the future, if you have obtained any document, 25 please furnish it to the other party. As a rule, the pre-emptive attack 1 is not allowed. 2 You may proceed, Mr. Lukic. 3 MR. LUKIC: [In English] Thank you, Your Honour. And as you 4 could see, I wasn't sitting in the first session because I was 5 photocopying these document at that time. So we really were not able to 6 provide Your Honours and the Prosecution with these documents earlier 7 than we did. Thank you. 8 Q. [Interpretation] Mr. Cvijetic, please kindly tell us what the 9 document that is before you is about. 10 A. Mr. Dragan Jokic was engaged as an inspector of the control of 11 armament which can be seen from the message 0717 to 126. Under 32 it 12 says Dragan Jokic, male, born on 20 August 1957, and the identity card 13 number is here. Such a list was sent to all the parties to the 14 agreement, the verification centre of Croatia, the verification of 15 Yugoslavia, and verification centre of the army of the federation. 16 THE INTERPRETER: If the witness could slow down just a little, 18 THE WITNESS: [Interpretation] On receipt of this document, all 19 the parties had the right to voice their objections to the document. 20 Every party retains the right to exclude any other inspectors that are on 21 the list. 22 JUDGE LIU: Witness, I understand that you're eager to give your 23 testimony, but whatever you said in this courtroom will be translated 24 into the other two languages. So please make a pause after each 25 sentence, and please speak slowly. 1 THE WITNESS: [Interpretation] Thank you. Every party to the 2 agreement received such a list of inspectors, and all the parties have 3 the right to voice their objections to this list, which means that every 4 person listed herein may be excluded from the list. 5 The parties to the agreement did not have any objections to this 6 list, which means they did not have any objections to Dragan Jokic's name 7 on the list. So Mr. Jokic remained an inspector. 8 This list was also submitted to the OSCE, and I wanted to show 9 you the year 1996 on purpose, because, Your Honours, we believe that 10 those were decisive years, very difficult years. And those were the 11 years when human trades of the officers and the personnels who were 12 engaged on this task could be seen best. Many things, many activities 13 were not precisely regulated to the last letter. There was very little 14 experience at the time. And that is why personal trades of individuals 15 were so important. 16 Mr. Jokic, while performing this activity, showed and proved 17 himself, and he showed that the implementation of peace has no 18 alternative in Bosnia. As a person, as a human being, he made his 19 personal contribution towards the implementation of all the activities 20 that were planned according to this article. 21 Your Honours, there is an activity which is called escort. The 22 escort team is the one that receives the team of inspectors of the other 23 party. This is where Mr. Jokic was able -- 24 MS. ISSA: Your Honour. 25 JUDGE LIU: Yes, Ms. Issa. 1 MS. ISSA: I am objecting to this, Your Honour, because it 2 appears the witness is going into a very lengthy narrative without being 3 asked any particular questions. I don't think that's proper. 4 JUDGE LIU: Yes. Mr. Lukic, I think you have to lead this 5 witness, and the proceedings in this trial is in a pattern of question 6 and answer. Maybe the witness is not familiar with this kind of 7 practice. But you have to take the lead. 8 MR. LUKIC: [In English] We'll both do our best, Your Honour. 9 Thank you. 10 Q. [Interpretation] Mr. Cvijetic, your answers have to be a bit 11 shorter, please. However, I will ask you to finish what you started. 12 A. I wanted to finish with Article 4, and I would like to say that 13 Mr. Jokic's contribution was very correct when it comes to the activities 14 according to Article 4. 15 Q. Were there any objections to his work by the parties who were 16 informed about that? 17 A. As far as the parties were concerned, as far as the places where 18 we went to inspect, and as far as the parties who came to us to inspect, 19 there were no objections. 20 Q. The second segment that we will be addressing is the 21 implementation of the agreement on the measures for the building of 22 understanding and peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 23 A. Yes. 24 Q. In what capacity was Mr. Dragan Jokic engaged in this segment? 25 A. As for Mr. Jokic's activities in this area, he was active as an 1 inspector. Secondly, he was active as a host during visits to bases. 2 Q. What did the position of inspector of weapons control entail? 3 A. The position of inspector of verification of weapons meant that 4 he had to be on the list of inspectors and had to go through the 5 appropriate training courses either at home or abroad. 6 Q. But what did the job consist in? 7 A. Well, he had to be in the inspection team and go to the other 8 side. Or if he was in an escort team, he had to be the host, receive the 9 teams from the other side and show them everything that was provided for 10 in the protocol. 11 Q. As a host, was he cooperative? 12 A. As regards cooperativeness, the entire range of activity 13 organised by Dragan Jokic's unit was done correctly and properly, both as 14 regards the unit itself and the team of the other side, the inspection 16 Q. Were there any objections to Dragan Jokic's work in this area? 17 A. No, there were no objections to Mr. Jokic's work in this area. 18 And by your leave, by Their Honours' leave, I wish to say that it was 19 very fortunate that Article 2 has been fully implemented in 20 Bosnia-Herzegovina. This is something that gives me great satisfaction. 21 This year, the full implementation will be completed, and this, 22 of course, goes to the credit of all the people who participated in 23 creating and implementing this article, and Mr. Jokic has played a role 24 in all this. 25 MR. LUKIC: [Interpretation] For the sake of the record, we have 1 had D76/3 shown to the witness. I wish to ask Madam Usher to show the 2 witness Exhibit D77/3. 3 Q. Mr. Cvijetic, would you please assist us, because as you have 4 heard, we have not had an opportunity to have this document translated 5 for the benefit of the Court and the Prosecution. Could you tell us what 6 this document is about. 7 A. Well, it's similar to the first document. 8 Q. Please slow down. 9 A. Thank you. This is a document like the first document we saw. 10 It again contains a list of inspectors for the year 1997, and Mr. Jokic 11 is under number 29, which means that he remained on the list of 12 inspectors in the following year. And this means, of course, that there 13 were no objections to his work. And this list was adopted. 14 Q. Thank you. 15 JUDGE LIU: Well, Mr. Lukic, what is the number of this document? 16 It's 76 or 77? 17 MR. LUKIC: The latest document the number is 77/3. 18 JUDGE LIU: Yes, Ms. Issa. 19 MS. ISSA: Your Honour, for clarity's sake, it appears to 20 contradict the list. I think the list says 135/3. So I'm just wondering 21 if perhaps we can have that clarified so that -- to avoid any future 23 JUDGE LIU: Well, to me it is 76/3. 24 [Trial Chamber and registrar confer] 25 JUDGE LIU: Well, I've been informed by the Court Deputy that 1 this document should be 76/3. Let's stick to it. 2 MR. LUKIC: I'm afraid, Your Honour, that the previous document 3 is 76. And also the confusion is created by correcting our numbers by 4 the Court Deputy. 5 JUDGE LIU: You know, the problem is that, you know, at this 6 moment maybe we are not very much care about numbers, because you know, 7 after this sitting -- or during the break the Court Deputy will discuss 8 with the Defence counsel to give me the correct number. The problem is 9 it is not translated into English, so we don't know actually which 10 document it is. 11 For instance, you know, in the list the witness told us that 12 Mr. Jokic is number 26, and we could only check it according to the date 13 of birth of this person. Otherwise, there is no other indications on 14 that. This is the very, you know, problem we are facing. 15 But anyway, you may go on and use the document. I think during 16 the break we should have a correct numbering of all those documents so we 17 know what you are talking about and what documents you are using. 18 You may proceed. 19 MR. LUKIC: Thank you, Your Honour. And I believe the 20 Prosecution now has corrected numbers. Am I right? 21 Q. [Interpretation] Mr. Cvijetic, it is our mistake that we did not 22 provide translations in time. Please don't worry about this yourself. 23 I would now like to move on to the third topic we have to discuss 24 today, and that is de-mining according to the standards of humanitarian 25 de-mining. Has Mr. Dragan Jokic been involved in this type of work? 1 A. Your Honours, when broaching this topic, allow me to say that the 2 removal of mines and the de-mining of minefields is the most complex 3 activity and the most high-risk activity, both for the person carrying 4 out the de-mining and for the users of the de-mined area. 5 In this case, referring to Mr. Dragan Jokic, I can state openly 6 and with full responsibility that he personally invested a great deal of 7 effort in carrying out these activities properly. 8 Q. Thank you. Did Mr. Jokic participate in these activities from 9 the very beginning? 10 A. Yes. I will again mention the problem of the year 1996, when 11 soldiers were suddenly dismissed so that engineers and officers were 12 practically left on their own, and there was simply no other way but for 13 an officer to take up an instrument, put on a helmet and personally work 14 on removing mines so that the return of refugees could proceed according 15 to plan. Mr. Jokic personally did this work. 16 Q. Would you tell us what his personal involvement consisted in, in 17 the very beginning. 18 A. With respect to his personal involvement, I will again refer to 19 the complexity of the situation we found ourselves in. What I wish to 20 say here is that Mr. Jokic took an instrument in his hand to feel for the 21 mines, and he personally -- it was a kind of probe. And he personally 22 took part in de-mining to ensure that it proceeded according to plan. 23 All this took place in villages, hamlets, to which mostly Muslims were to 24 return, the Muslim population. That was the situation. Jokic first did 25 this personally, then he trained a group, and later on he did this in 1 cooperation with SFOR. SFOR helped us to organise ourselves, and he took 2 part in these activities then. 3 Q. Did Mr. Jokic take part in training de-mining personnel? 4 A. Yes, yes. As soon as the first training course was completed by 5 SFOR we organised training in our units, and Mr. Jokic was in charge of 6 this training. He selected commanders, komandirs, and people to work on 7 de-mining. He selected them for this task.? 8 MR. LUKIC: [Interpretation] I would now like to ask the usher to 9 help us with the following document. The next document should be D79/3. 10 Q. Mr. Cvijetic, what segment of Mr. Jokic's participation can we 11 see in this document? 12 A. Your Honour, this document before us shows that Mr. Dragan Jokic, 13 through his personal activity, made it possible for Captain Radenko 14 Petrovic to take over the duty of komandir of a de-mining unit. And 15 Mr. Dragan Jokic took on part of his job in order to help Lieutenant 16 Dragan Simic. And we can see that from this document. 17 Later on, during his later activities, we can see that this was a 18 very helpful move. 19 MR. LUKIC: [Interpretation] We're finished with this document. I 20 would now like to ask Madam Usher to assist us with the next document, 22 Q. Mr. Cvijetic, I will ask you, first of all, what the harvest 23 drive refers to. 24 A. Your Honours, the harvest drive was organised by SFOR from time 25 to time. It was a drive to gather explosive devices, mines, weapons, and 1 other military equipment. The citizens would bring these items to the 2 barracks. They would report them and hand them in. Every unit was 3 duty-bound to receive these items, to take an inventory, to list them and 4 to destroy them. 5 The engineers were mostly active in destroying explosive devices 6 and mines. We did this first, and then our colleagues from SFOR took 7 over this duty, which made it easier for us to do the job. 8 JUDGE LIU: Well, Mr. Lukic, I think this is not a good approach. 9 My suggestion is that you read that document in B/C/S so the 10 interpretation booth could have it translated into English, because this 11 document is not very long. But it will help us to know where is that 12 harvest thing, you know. Otherwise we are in total darkness. 13 MR. LUKIC: Yes, Your Honour. Thank you. 14 Q. [Interpretation] Mr. Cvijetic, would you be kind enough to read 15 out for us this document so that Their Honours and the Prosecution can 16 know what it's about. 17 A. When I was preparing to testify here, I only wanted to show this 18 as an example, as a kind of sample. There are many such documents. The 19 zetva or harvest drivers were planned every three months, and then every 20 six months, and then as things quieted down, once a year and so on. 21 I have taken this document as an example, simply to remind us of 22 all this. 23 Q. Can you please tell us who is sending the document to whom, and 24 could you read out its content. 25 A. The command of the 503rd Motorised Brigade carried out a drive to 1 gather equipment and materiel as part of the Zetva or harvest drive, and 2 it is sending this document to the command of the 5th Corps, and it says: 3 "In the period from the 16th of August, to the 23rd of August, 4 2002, as part of the 'Zetva' or harvest drive, from the MUP of Republika 5 Srpska, public security sector in Zvornik, we received a certain amount 6 of weapons and ammunition which we stored in the depot Glinica 1." 7 Second paragraph: "Please find attached a list of the equipment 8 and materiel collected in this period." 9 And from this document, we can see that four anti-personnel mines 10 were collected, four -- as the witness said, hand grenades. And this is 11 what was destroyed in the brigade. This is what the brigade destroyed. 12 This is the document I was commenting on. 13 Your Honours, please take into account that this is only a random 14 sample. I didn't follow this from the year 1996 because if I had, there 15 would have been many more such documents. 16 Q. Thank you. We've finished with that document. I'm now going to 17 show you another document which luckily everyone in the courtroom will be 18 able to understand because it's the only document we have in English. 19 Mr. Cvijetic, this is a document which you provided to Dragan 20 Jokic's Defence team last night. 21 A. Yes, it is. 22 Q. Do you know what it's about? 23 A. Yes. I am particularly happy that this is 1996, which was the 24 most complex and difficult year in view of the activities that were 25 ongoing, and Major Jokic was given this certificate of achievement from 1 cooperation with his colleagues at the SFOR, and I think it speaks for 2 itself and it confirms what I've already said in my testimony about him. 3 Once again, let me repeat that the de-mining or doing away with 4 mines is the most complex operation, and only somebody with - how shall I 5 put this? - a strong will and a lot of knowledge can tackle this kind of 7 MR. LUKIC: [Interpretation] For the record, this is document 8 number D80/3. Thank you. 9 Q. I'm now going to show you the next document. To save time, I'm 10 just going to read the contents of the document. 11 "Multinational Division (S), recognition or acknowledgement is 12 given to team S/5/1. It's an award for exceptional results achieved in 13 work on de-mining the -- on the de-mining campaign in the summer of 1998 14 accorded to the de-mining team. 15 "Your excellent work has helped in the elimination of mines and 16 resettlement of civilians in the area. Your efforts serve the honour of 17 the unit -- are to the credit of the unit." 18 It is the multinational division. S is Sever or north. To SFOR 19 and to Bosnia-Herzegovina. 20 Now, when it says that this was a team S/5/1, who is that? Who 21 was that? 22 A. Your Honours, this was the team provided by the 503rd Brigade. 23 It was the one in which Mr. Jokic worked, and it was through his 24 endeavours that this team took part in the work on de-mining the surfaces 25 which had been mined. 1 MR. LUKIC: [Interpretation] And for the record, it is document 3 [In English] And, Your Honour, is it a good time to have a break 5 JUDGE LIU: Yes. We will have a break and we will resume at 7 --- Recess taken at 12.01 p.m. 8 --- On resuming at 12.32 p.m. 9 JUDGE LIU: Yes, please continue, Mr. Lukic. 10 MR. LUKIC: Thank you, Your Honour. 11 I would like Madam Usher to help us with two more documents we'll 12 hopefully understand. 13 Q. [No translation] 14 JUDGE LIU: Yes, Ms. Issa. 15 MS. ISSA: I'm not sure if there was any translation. 16 THE INTERPRETER: Can you hear the English? Can you hear the 18 JUDGE LIU: Would you please repeat your question, Mr. Lukic. 19 MR. LUKIC: Yes. 20 Q. [Interpretation] Mr. Cvijetic, on the screen in front of you 21 there is a photograph showing a group of soldiers. Could you please tell 22 us, if you remember, where and when this photograph was taken and who you 23 can recognise on it. 24 A. Mr. President, on this photograph I recognise Mr. Jokic. He is 25 next to the civilian, standing next to the civilian. 1 Q. You have to show us on the ELMO and use your pointer, please. 2 A. This is Mr. Jokic. Next -- that's Mr. Jokic. Then I also 3 recognise Mr. Eric. And the others are colleagues from the army of 4 federation or, rather, the army of the federation and our colleagues from 5 SFOR working on the de-mining project. But I should particularly like to 6 emphasise Mr. Eric here, because Mr. Jokic proposed that Mr. Eric could 7 continue working on de-mining projects for the coming period, and that's 8 what happened next. He was a younger officer. He was a lieutenant 9 colonel at the time. A 2nd lieutenant, actually. 10 But otherwise this is a group photograph of people working on the 11 de-mining project as a momentum [as interpreted] for us, and Mr. Jokic, 12 and everyone else. 13 Q. Just briefly let's see the second set of photographs? 14 JUDGE LIU: Mr. Lukic, you have to ask a question when this 15 picture was taken and where it is. 16 MR. LUKIC: I did, Your Honour, but I don't think I got a 17 response, so I didn't. 18 JUDGE LIU: Yes, please. For the sake of the record, please 19 repeat your question. 20 MR. LUKIC: [Interpretation] 21 Q. Mr. Cvijetic, do you happen to remember where and when the 22 photograph was taken? 23 A. Well, I can't remember exactly. I think it was -- I can't 24 remember exactly. It was at the beginning, so I can't tell you exactly, 25 I'm afraid, but I think it was in Doboj or -- just a moment, please. 1 Just give me a second. No, I'm sorry, I can't give you an exact answer 2 to give you a time frame. 3 Q. Do you remember the time? 4 A. Well, roughly speaking, this is 1997. 1997 is the year. 5 Q. Thank you. And now let's take a look at these other photographs. 6 A. These photographs here, I can recognise Mr. Jokic, the OSCE 7 representative, OSCE. So it was cooperation there, an instance of 9 A colonel of the Swiss army on this side here. I can recognise 10 him. It was a long time ago. And Mr. Jokic. They're sitting there 12 Then the representative of the multinational division north and 13 Mr. Jokic. And here we have the inspectors and Mr. Jokic with them. 14 Here we have an exchange of gifts with the representative of the 15 army of the federation, probably when they were visiting the base. 16 And here once again we have him with the representative of the 17 multinational division north, him and Mr. Jokic. 18 So all these photographs testify to a very proper and concrete 19 form of cooperation, concrete and proper cooperation with representatives 20 of the SFOR, with representatives of international organisations with the 21 aim of timely and professional de-mining. 22 Q. Thank you. And for the record, these were exhibits, Defence 23 Exhibits D82/3-1 and D81/3-2. 24 The usher will now give you another document to look at, and I'm 25 going to ask you whether the execution of tasks given -- that you had 1 after the war that Mr. Jokic took part in, were they easy and simple 2 tasks that you were given to carry out? Tell us first whether they were 3 simple, whether it was easy to carry out the assignments that you had 4 given before you. Or were there many obstacles? 5 A. Mr. President, we have a document here which speaks about the 6 implementation of the Dayton Accords and the attending documents, where 7 the command of the 5th Corps conducted an analysis, and in the frameworks 8 of that analysis mention is made of certain problems -- and I should 9 especially like to stress that this was done in 1999. That was the date 10 when they speak about major problems. In continuation of the document, 11 it says problems occurring during inspection. 12 Q. Could you please tell us briefly, looking through the document 13 which is Defence Exhibit D83/3, what kind of problems you encountered. 14 What does it say in the document dated 1999? 15 A. Mr. President, in this document the problems that occurred when 16 we conducted inspection, that is to say three years later, there were 17 large quantities of ammunition in -- not in their original wrapping. A 18 lot of bulk ammunition not in its own original wrapping and casing. So 19 to establish what the situation was, we had to spend a great deal of time 20 in sizing up the situation, and it required, I would say, a lot of 21 courage too. 22 Then we didn't have enough warehouse space and the proper 23 warehouse space for storing this materiel and making a list of what we 24 stored, keeping records, and lack of training on the part of those 25 handling the materiel and equipment. 1 So first of all to see what materiel there was, to record the 2 materiel, the lack of necessary documentation pertaining to the materiel 3 equipment, and the keeping of records in three types of records. We had 4 the SFOR records, the OSCE records, and the Military Accountancy Centre 5 of Banja Luka, their records. So three sets of records. 6 I don't want to go into the different problems of the different 7 areas of activity, but I'd just like to focus on those three aspects. A 8 large number of materiel and equipment; not the proper storage space; and 9 not enough training of personnel, not enough professional people to deal 10 with the situation. So all these problems had to be addressed, and each 11 of the units had its assignments to perform in that regard, and Mr. Jokic 12 did too. Mr. Jokic worked with his unit on matters of this kind, because 13 in view of the fact that the engineers had to do with the bulk of the 14 work related to mines and de-mining and ammunition and so on, both to 15 test its operational use, the quantity and storing such materiel and 16 equipment too. 17 And I should once again like to emphasise that this was three 18 years later. 19 Q. And in that connection let me ask you this: The situation in 20 1996 and 1997, was it worse or not? Worse or better? 21 A. The situation was incalculably worse in the terms of pointers 22 stipulated here. So at that time we had a lot of material dispersed over 23 a large area, and we had to locate all this materiel and devices and to 24 make records of it and so on. 25 Q. Very well, Mr. Cvijetic. These are our questions of you. I 1 don't know if Mr. Karnavas will have some questions of you, and after 2 that I would ask you to kindly answer the questions put to you by our 3 learned friends and the Trial Chamber. Thank you very much? 4 JUDGE LIU: Thank you, Mr. Lukic. 5 Mr. Karnavas, do you have any questions to be put to this 7 MR. KARNAVAS: Thank you, Mr. President. I may have one or two 9 JUDGE LIU: Oh, yes, please. 10 MR. KARNAVAS: Thank you, Mr. President. 11 Cross-examined by Mr. Karnavas: 12 Q. Good afternoon, sir. 13 A. Good afternoon. 14 Q. We haven't met or spoken, but let me ask you whether you know 15 Mr. Blagojevic. 16 A. Yes, sir, I do. 17 Q. We understand that he was an engineer by training in the 18 military. My question to you is: During this critical period of time 19 that you've been testifying, that is after the Dayton Accords, do you 20 know whether Mr. Blagojevic participated with the international 21 community, international forces, in events such as the de-mining, events 22 that you've been talking about? 23 A. Yes, he did. He was a member of the initial conference that 24 held -- that was held in Vienna in 1996. And from then on, from that 25 meeting on, Mr. Blagojevic planned, managed and organised the system of 1 de-mining in the army of Republika Srpska, and he also cooperated with 2 the army of the federation, the SFOR and other international 3 organisations. His cooperation was very correct, very good, very rich. 4 And this was a very fruitful period in the life of Colonel Blagojevic in 5 that area. 6 Q. Thank you very much, sir? 7 MR. KARNAVAS: I have no further questions, Your Honour. 8 JUDGE LIU: Thank you. Ms. Issa. 9 MS. ISSA: Yes. Good afternoon, Your Honours. I do have a few 10 questions. Thank you. 11 JUDGE LIU: Yes. Yes, please. 12 Cross-examined by Ms. Issa: 13 Q. Good afternoon, sir. I just have a couple of questions, sir. 14 You're not aware of Mr. Jokic ever telling anyone where the victims of 15 the Srebrenica massacre were or the location of the mass graves, are you? 16 A. Did he ever tell anybody? I'm afraid I didn't understand your 17 question. Could you please repeat it. 18 Q. Did he say anything at all about identifying the location of the 19 mass graves? Did he assist in any way to do that, to the international 21 A. I really don't know. I don't know if he ever said that to 22 anybody. And he never said it to me personally, and -- I'm not aware of 23 that. Whether he said it to anybody else, I really wouldn't be able to 24 tell you anything to that effect. 25 Q. Okay. And by the same token, sir, I take it that you're not 1 aware of Mr. Blagojevic ever assisting international forces with 2 identifying the location of the mass graves, are you? 3 MR. KARNAVAS: Objection, Your Honour. It calls for speculation, 4 and she needs to lay a foundation which we don't have any in any way that 5 Mr. Blagojevic was ever involved in any of these activities. So if she 6 can lay a foundation then she can ask the question, but the question 7 assumes a fact that's not in evidence, as it's posed. 8 JUDGE LIU: I believe that witness can answer the question 9 whether it's yes or no, just like he answered the question that was put 10 to Mr. Jokic. 11 MR. KARNAVAS: Very well, Your Honour. 12 JUDGE LIU: Yes. 13 MS. ISSA: 14 Q. Could you answer that question, sir? 15 A. I'm a Bosnian. You have to repeat your question at least twice. 16 I hail from Bosnia, and that's what you have to do with us Bosnians. So 17 can you please repeat the question that referred to Mr. Blagojevic. 18 Q. Okay. I will do that. Do you know whether Colonel Blagojevic 19 ever assisted international forces in locating the mass graves? 20 A. I really don't know whether it was ever asked from 21 Colonel Blagojevic, whether anybody asked Colonel Blagojevic to do that. 22 I really don't know if anybody requested that from Colonel Blagojevic. 23 If anybody had, I'm sure that he would share any information that he 24 might have had with the person that requested it. I know Blagojevic very 25 well, and I'm sure he would have done that. I don't know whether anybody 1 asked that of him. I can't say yes or no. 2 In any case, if anybody had asked him to share that information, 3 I'm sure he would have shared it, had he known where that was. 4 Q. Okay. During the period of 1996 and 1997, did you know that 5 Mr. Obrenovic and Mr. Jokic were -- got into trouble or were caught for 6 hiding ammunition from SFOR? Are you aware of that? 7 A. You know what? I have presented information here, and I've told 8 you about the problems that we encountered in the course of our work. 9 For example, SFOR comes today and inspects your weapons. Overnight a 10 certain quantity of weapons is found somewhere else and a peasant brings 11 it to you, and you face a problem because the duty operations officer 12 doesn't report it, and when the inspection returns, this becomes a 14 In any case, I'm not aware of any problems involving the hiding 15 of weapons. I believe that this cooperation was always correct. 16 Q. Thank you. 17 JUDGE LIU: Yes, Mr. Lukic. 18 MR. LUKIC: I just wanted to let the witness answer the question, 19 but I think that it would be fair toward the witness to tell him who said 20 something, or what was the evidence, or to lay some kind of foundation. 21 JUDGE LIU: Well -- but anyway, the witness answered that he was 22 not aware of any problems involving the hiding of the weapons. So it's 23 over. But if the witness answered the other way, I believe that is the 24 responsibility for the Prosecutor to present some evidence. 25 I think this matter is answered. 1 Yes, Ms. Issa. 2 MS. ISSA: I don't have any further questions, Your Honour, but 3 perhaps to assist, Ms. Sinatra was actually the person who posed those 4 questions to Mr. Obrenovic and that's where we got that from. 5 JUDGE LIU: Thank you. Any redirect? 6 MR. LUKIC: No, Your Honour. 7 JUDGE LIU: Mr. Karnavas? 8 MR. KARNAVAS: No, Mr. President. 9 JUDGE LIU: Thank you. At this stage are there any documents to 10 tender? Mr. Lukic? 11 MR. LUKIC: Yes, Your Honour, and we believe that the Prosecution 12 won't be able to say whether they object or no. It would probably be 13 subject to translation. But we would like to tender these documents we 14 used today, and those are numbers D76/3, D77/3, D78/3 -- sorry, 79/3, 15 D80/3 D81/3, D82/3, D82/3 and D85/3. 16 JUDGE LIU: Thank you. Mr. McCloskey. 17 MR. McCLOSKEY: We have no objection to those being used -- dealt 18 with the same way the ones I think yesterday, that they provisionally be 19 allowed, and if we have any problems, we'll let the Court know. 20 JUDGE LIU: I see. But document D80/3 is written in English. 21 It's a certification, as well as the document D82/3-1 and -2. Those are 22 two photos. So at this stage we could make a decision on those two 23 documents. They are admitted into evidence. 24 As for the other evidence, I'm afraid we cannot admit them at 25 this moment, but later on if we see the translation I believe that we 1 will consider those documents' admission at that time. Thank you. So 3 Well, Witness, thank you very much indeed for coming to The Hague 4 to give your evidence. We wish you a pleasant journey back home. Madam 5 Usher will show you out of the room. 6 THE WITNESS: [Interpretation] Thank you, Your Honours. And if 7 you will allow me, would like to say a sentence. 8 I would kindly ask this Tribunal to address the issue of 9 de-mining and to use its reputation with certain institutions that might 10 have a say in the legal regulation of this problem. I myself have been a 11 victim of a mine, and I know what it looks like when a mine is laid and 12 what happens when somebody is hurt by a mine. So I would kindly ask you 13 if you could raise this issue with the authorities to give it the proper 15 JUDGE LIU: Thank you very much. You may go now. 16 [The witness withdrew] 17 JUDGE LIU: Well, we booked this courtroom until 7.00 today, and 18 we finished the witness before 1.00. At this stage, are there any other 19 matters that the parties would like to raise? 20 Yes, Mr. McCloskey. 21 MR. McCLOSKEY: Well, Mr. Karnavas and I can argue for the next 22 six hours if you like, but you probably don't want to hear us. 23 Mr. Stojanovic and I were able to talk about the expert report of 24 the witness yesterday. And we did actually take Mr. Karnavas's idea and 25 we did keep the basics of the report and I believe agreed on areas that 1 would not be in. So that, I think, should be resolved. 2 JUDGE LIU: Yes. I think if, Mr. Stojanovic, you could submit 3 that redacted, if I say, redacted report we will have it admitted into 4 the evidence. 5 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] Yes, Your Honour. Yesterday, we 6 had a long meeting, and we discussed the expert report in depth, and we 7 agreed on the contents of the report. Our associate Dragoslav Djukic has 8 prepared that, and as soon as this session is finished we're going to 9 provide the Prosecutor with the redacted report in B/C/S and in English, 10 and after that we're going to also provide it to the Trial Chamber with 11 our proposal for this redacted report to be admitted into evidence as a 12 Defence exhibit. And this also refers to the translation of the rules of 13 service and the instruction on the work of commands that we tendered into 14 evidence yesterday. 15 JUDGE LIU: Thank you. Thank you very much. 16 Yes, Mr. McCloskey? You must have some clarifications; right? 17 MR. McCLOSKEY: I believe Mr. Stojanovic may have one other 18 announcement, and I would see what he had to say first before I ask the 20 JUDGE LIU: Yes. Mr. Stojanovic. 21 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] Thank you, Your Honour. I'm 22 convinced that Mr. McCloskey could not argue with me for six hours. 23 Maybe this is just throwing the ball into my part of the courtyard. 24 I just wanted to inform you that with today's day and with this 25 last witness we have finished the presentation of Defence exhibits. 1 And we would like to inform that during the last break we have 2 finally been authorised to inform you that Dragan Jokic, for the reasons 3 for the security of his son, primarily, does not want to testify on his 4 behalf, and I would kindly ask you to make a note of that. We are not 5 going to have any evidence to present next week before this Trial 7 In any case, thank you for the time that you were willing to give 8 us. We have tried to use that time rationally and effectively with our 9 witnesses in the best intention to help our client. 10 So this brings the Defence case officially to an end. 11 JUDGE LIU: Thank you very much. As I said before that we fully 12 respect the free will of your client. Whatever decisions he makes, we'll 13 respect it. Thank you. 14 Could we go to the private session, please. 15 [Private session] 12 Pages 12266 to 12276 – redacted – private session. 17 [Open session] 18 JUDGE LIU: Well, it seems to me that there is nothing else on 19 the agenda, and I'm very glad to say that we finished the Defence case of 20 Mr. Jokic ahead of time, and I understand there are some leftover 21 housekeeping matters to deal with, especially concerning some documents 22 which has not been admitted into evidence. I hope the parties will make 23 submissions before the end of the whole case so that we could consider 24 the admission of those documents in due time. 25 I would like to repeat that if any party have the rebuttal or 1 rejoinder case or reopening his case, they could file us before the 26th 2 of August so that we could be prepared for any hearing -- possible 3 hearings in the future. 4 I believe that's all I have to say. If there is nothing else the 5 parties would like to raise at this stage, we declare the hearing is 7 --- Whereupon the hearing adjourned at 1.30 p.m., 8 to be reconvened on Wednesday, the 1st 9 day of September, 2004

Get involved: send your pictures, video & news by texting ENFIELD NEWS to 80360, or upload here Crafts day to roll back the years Traditional crafts will go on display for families at a stately home. Forty Hall will host demonstrations of traditional crafts such as beekeeping, blacksmithing, basket weaving, leather crafting and woodturning. The courtyard of the stately home will open on Sunday, July 13 from noon onwards. Children’s workshops include candle making, creating pencils and willow-weaving. Councillor Rohini Simbodyal, Enfield Borough Council cabinet member for culture, said: “Forty Hall has a wonderfully rich history and this event will bring it to life. The craft market is a fantastic way for visitors to buy and sell beautiful hand-crafted gifts, with exciting workshops available for children to get involved in making their own. “This will be a great day out for families and friends to celebrate and learn more about traditional crafts still being used today." Comments are closed on this article.

Over three decades of beekeeping experience since 1979. Award Winning Customer Service. 100% Secure Ordering Item # TRAY1 Shipping: Priced In Cart Quantity Price Discounts A white monitoring tray allows the easy removal of debris and faciliates inspection of the droppings of the beehive. An excellent tool in your arsenal to diagnose colonies afflicted with Varroa mites and other pests. This monitoring tray fits under the 10 Frame Varroa Screen. Just use it to remove the debris that builds up on the bottom board or make a quadrant to section off and count dropped mites on the easy to see white surface of the tray. If your ultimate goal is efficiency, choose this one. Dimension: 13-3/4 x 17-3/4 Hint: When using a Varroa Screen, the mites will just sit on the tray and die. They are programmed to wait for a ride on an incoming bee.

I’ve been reading about beekeeping problems lately, but nobody has produced such a detailed personal account (HCN, 3/19/07). I live in avocado country in San Diego, Calif., and ride the area on my motorcycle often. I can see far fewer bees working, and there are far fewer on my windshield (always sad). Now we hear about colony collapse disorder and cell phones causing the problems. I don’t know what to believe. I hope Hannah Nordhaus will keep up her work and keep us informed about new study results. > San Diego, CaliforniaB> - Jimmy Dean on Forest Service’s mission goes up in flames - Franklin Carroll on A new wildfire protection approach in Colorado - Mark H Miller on A new wildfire protection approach in Colorado - Ann Harvey on Forest Service’s mission goes up in flames - Valerie Heath-Harrison on Rants from the Hill: Hunting for Scorpions

GRETCHEN LeBUHN WANTS to save the nation's bees — one sunflower at a time. And she's hoping you'll help. LeBuhn, a Corte Madera resident and associate professor of biology at San Francisco State University, is the creator of the Great Sunflower Project, an effort to enlist "citizen scientists" in taking stock of the status of wild bees. "We want to identify areas where bees are doing well, and ones where they are doing poorly," LeBuhn said. "And once we have enough data, we want to be able to say: If you want a healthy bee community, here are things you can do in your own backyard." Her plan, available online at www.greatsunflower.org, is a simple one. Participants agree to plant and care for "lemon queen" sunflowers. They also agree to spend about 15 minutes every two weeks counting the number of bees that visit their sunflowers. "It's an ingenious way of recording what the density of pollinators is," said San Anselmo beekeeper Mea Draper. "We talk about honeybees because they're so closely associated with our food, but native bee populations are down too, probably proportionately — but we just don't have the adequate figures to document that." The project hopes to draw many new participants during Saturday's "Great Bee Count," organized by LeBuhn. "It's a targeted day to get the whole country to participate," LeBuhn said, noting that interested bee watchers can sign up at the Great Sunflower Project's website. "You get up, have your coffee, go outside at around 10 a.m. — when the fog's burned off — watch your sunflower for 15 minutes and enter the data online." LeBuhn hopes the results of the "Great Bee Count," and the sunflower project in general, will help bee researchers understand how native bee populations are surviving in urban, suburban and rural areas. She also hopes the project, which she began in 2008, will provide some clues as to what human activities can be helpful to wild pollinators. Many researchers have reported a drastic decline in the populations of domesticated honeybees since 2006, due in part to a phenomenon called "colony collapse disorder." Researchers have also noted a similar decline in the populations of wild bees. "Of the nine species of bumblebees historically known to live in San Francisco, we were only able to find four of them" in a recent study, LeBuhn said. "We happen to know that two of those bee species have been seen in Marin County, so they're not extinct — but they've disappeared from San Francisco." Yet few studies have examined how those plant populations that depend on wild bees for pollination have responded to that decline — even though the value of wild pollinators in the U.S. is estimated at $4 billion to $6 billion per year. Having studied bees and other pollinators in the northern Sierra Nevada mountains, San Francisco city parks and the Ecuadoran Andes, LeBuhn began the study that would lead to the sunflower project in the vineyards of Napa and Sonoma counties. "Our first idea was to send a grad student to plant sunflowers in Napa and Sonoma, and then look at the (bee) visitation rates," LeBuhn said. "And then our next thought was, hey, the vineyard community has been so helpful and so generous letting us use their property — why don't we just call those guys and ask if they would like to help collect the data? Then we don't have to pay a grad student to go out there each time. "And from there," LeBuhn said, "we thought, 'maybe other people would be interested in finding out what's happening with the bee community in their own backyards.'" Just how many people were interested surprised even LeBuhn. Within three weeks of setting up a website for the Great Sunflower Project, more than 15,000 people had agreed to observe their backyard bees. Today, more than 100,000 people throughout the U.S. and Canada are taking part. "During the first year, I mailed sunflower seeds to anyone who wanted to participate," LeBuhn said. "Once we had 25,000 to 30,000 people participating, however ... I asked people to buy their own seeds." LeBuhn chose the "lemon queen" sunflower variety because it provides nectar and pollen in equal supply. "Some bees harvest lots of nectar, and some want lots of pollen," LeBuhn said. "Some sunflowers are bred not to have pollen. If you grew those, and you weren't getting any bees, you might think you had a bad yard." According to LeBuhn, the average participant in the sunflower project sees an average 2.6 bees every 15 minutes. However, 20 percent of project participants never saw a single bee — a statistic LeBuhn finds alarming. Participants don't need to know whether the bee they're watching is a bumblebee, a honeybee or a carpenter bee, though they can use the handy bee guide at the sunflower project's website to find out. In fact, LeBuhn and others hope that everyone who takes part in the project will end up learning a little more about the creatures who call their gardens home. "This is getting individuals and the public to look at bees, and not only to realize what bees are coming to forage on their plants, but to watch the way they forage — to see their little proboscises going in and out, and their hairs picking up the pollen," Draper said. "Those are the kinds of little details that can make a person conscious about what interactions take place in nature, and begin to think about how to improve the environment for those creatures." Those who want to do more to help their local bees might consider planting blue, yellow or white flowers, LeBuhn said. A more complete list of bee-friendly plants is available at http://nature.berkeley.edu/urbanbeegardens/gbt.html. "Bees see in the ultraviolet, so they like blues and yellows, not reds," LeBuhn said. "And one of the best things people can do is to make sure they have flowers for as long as there might be bees — which in California is generally from February through October. They should also be careful with pesticide use, and try to have some bare ground, where there isn't mulch or grass. That provides nesting resources for bees." Contact Rob Rogers via email at [email protected] all about bees Sign up for Saturday's "Great Bee Count" at www.greatsunflower.org. Bee lovers can sponsor participants in the Marin Pollen Project. Those participants, members of the Marin County Beekeepers, will assess the potential affect of pesticides on hives by collecting samples from February through October of 2012. Visit www.marinpollen.org. Learn about caring for bees at the seminar "Beekeeping for Beginners" at 9:30 a.m. July 23 at the Marin Art & Garden Center, 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., in Ross.

Published on August 20th, 2009 | by Cate Nelson4 The “Bee Problem”: Is HFCS To Blame? Colony Collapse Disorder has killed off more than one-third of the bees in the United States. Beekeepers know that when there isn’t nectar readily available to their hives, as in the winter months, some turn to supplements. Traditionally it was (guess what) honey. But that’s what you want to harvest, so many turn to cheaper substitutions. Cane or beet sugar, mixed with water, was seen as acceptable as long as you removed the part of the comb containing the sugar once bees started producing again. It was important to keep the bees fed so they’d keep brooding and ready to produce honey. And once again, it seems our need for convenience and affordability has cost us: a new study shows that a contaminant from heat-exposed HFCS may be killing off the bees. But seriously, Cate...high fructose corn syrup? Surely you’re pulling my antenna. Stay with me, here, guys. - High fructose corn syrup has replaced sucrose in beekeeping because it’s cheap. - Bees are used commercially not just for making honey, but also for pollination. Farmers actually pay beekeepers to bring hives to their crops to help production “naturally”. - But when they arrive, they’re hungry. To promote brooding, farmers give them a sweet substitute. Nowadays, it’s often HFCS. - HFCS wouldn’t be a problem (besides the fact that it’s just more corn use), except get this: there is a contaminant formed by HFCS and heat that is awful for bees. Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a heat-formed contaminant and is the most noted toxin to honey bees. HMF is not something that keepers can currently test for. Researchers are working to find a solution to this part of the “bee problem.” But for right now, farmers and keepers end up…hoping? Former FDA researcher Renee Dufault has tirelessly worked with me on the issues regarding high fructose corn syrup (with more topics to come), and I thank her! Image: Wikimedia Commons

I opened my hive up yesterday to make sure there were no swarm cells, because this colony is large enough that I feel like swarming is always right around the corner. I used my smoker this time, and the bees were much easier to work with. My gloves were sting free by the end of it all, but it definitely took time to look through everything. This colony was a mess. Eggs are all over the place, and honey stores are dwindling greatly. I opened the top deep box (they still haven’t moved into the super) and was disheartened to find eggs on many of the frames there. There were eggs in every deep box, with something close to 18 frames with brood on them. They weren’t all full frames of brood. In fact, most of them were only half frames with the rest of it being honey stores. There were only 2 or 3 full frames of capped brood, and unfortunately the queen is laying in only the newest wax so not all of the frames are even fully drawn frames. I spent a very long time trying to get all of the frames arrange so there was a real brood nest, and moved the new frames around so that they were in the center and would hopefully be fully drawn out before the end of the year. The bottom box had a lot of frames that had obviously been brood, but the queen hadn’t come back down to lay in them yet. The bees had left all of the cells empty and clean though, so I tried to move things around to make it all a bit more enticing to the queen. The honey stores have greatly reduced since I last opened them. I’m still only just able to lift the top deep box, but with the brood nest so jumbled I had to move things around so much that the boxes are all a bit more evened out. I found the queen in the top box almost immediately. She was on one of the frames on the edges, laying eggs in a place that was very obviously honey stores. I’m not sure why she’s suddenly started laying wherever she wants to, but i’m a little worried about how she’ll do in the winter. Her laying pattern is still in solid frames, but the frames aren’t always right next to each other. There were several frames of honey stores in the middle of the brood nest, and I think that’s what’s throwing her off. I think I need to buy a queen excluder to make sure she stays in the lower two boxes. For now I’ve placed the empty super in between the top brood box and the top deep box, which I rearranged so that it’s mostly honey and frames that haven’t been drawn out yet. The queen moved from the top deep box down into the top brood box while I was working, but I’m not sure if she stayed there. If she somehow got trapped in the deep box that’s now above the super then at least the brood cluster will be confined and more manageable. I can’t believe how over whelming this colony has become. After I was done with the bees at my house, I went to visit my aunt. Her bees have been problematic all year because they won’t expand properly. Even with the extra bees from the laying worker colony they still haven’t drawn out either of the two lower boxes, and they refuse to even move down into the second box, even though its already completely drawn out. The top box weighs maybe 25lbs, and its the one that’s full of bees. The bees at my aunts have always seemed to struggle, which is very odd because she lives in a rural setting where there should be a lot more flowers available. I’m going to requeen this colony for sure, and I might even give them some extra bees from my own colony. I’m debating splitting my own bees and going into the winter with three hives instead of 2. Going away for school makes it a lot harder because I won’t be able to check on them as regularly as I normally would. Two colonies at my house would be a lot, but with the bees where I have them now it doesn’t even feel like I’ve got them in the yard. I opened up the bees at my house today, and was shocked to find the number of bees I did. I’ve honestly never worked with such a robust hive before. I thought I had an idea of what I would be working with when I took off the telescoping cover and found bees bubbling out of the inner cover, but I couldn’t have predicted truly how big the colony was. Only a couple of the new frames I put into the hive lacked wax. Most of them had two fan shaped bits of comb drawn out on them. And they all started with drone cells at the top and then slowly changed into worker cells towards the middle. Honey was everywhere, and I could barely even see it under all of the bees. I wanted to get into all of the boxes today, but I genuinely couldn’t work around all of the bees. They stung my gloves probably 30 times, and I squashed at least two bees every time I made a move. Normally I don’t need a smoker to work a colony because they’re so docile and easily managed. There were so many bees here that, had I known, I would’ve absolutely brought one out with me. I only got to check the second deep box before I finally gave up and put everything back together. I had a huge cloud of bees around me and was hardly being productive. I moved one of the empty frames up into the deep super, and switched it out for a new frame that was more drawn out. The upper super is all honey and a little bit of pollen. They still haven’t begun moving up into the short super, even though there were several hundred bees in it when I opened the hive, and they definitely need the space. I’m probably going to have to split them to keep them from swarming. This colony is so large, I feel like I have a giant in my garden. And the weirdest part is, you would have no idea that they were even there! Since I moved them up onto the second tier, its like I don’t even have bees. They fly right out over your head and there hasn’t been anywhere near the same level of bees getting lost in the lawn. I’m slightly weary that they might try to swarm, but there weren’t any swarm cells in the second box, and they had a decent amount of new eggs. I kind of worry about the die off this colony will inevitably have. At the rate they’re going, the entire hive will be so filled with honey there won’t be room for eggs. Or even bees! Wednesday of this week was a day I had off, so naturally I didn’t relax at all and spent the whole day running errands. Somewhere in the middle of everything I found time to go and check on my aunts bees. They seemed a bit more aggressive than they had previously been, but I needed to know if last weeks shenanigans had been a success so I proceeded with caution. I took the top box off and flipped it over to look at the underside of the comb. There wasn’t much to see, and since that box is technically a honey super I decided I would skip it and moved on to the box underneath it. I flipped that box over and cut loose a piece of comb in the middle so I could examine it. Flipping the box right side up, I carefully pulled up the top bar and the attached comb to see what I could find. At first all I saw was pollen (and lots of it) but after searching for a bit longer I realized that every cell not occupied with pollen had an egg in it. Which means that combining the hives was a success! I’m not sure that this colony will be strong enough to handle a second winter, and am seriously considering requeening. The drastic increase in eggs is a good sign, but I was still easily able to lift all four boxes, which is a problem. I think regardless of whether I requeen or not I’ll have to feed this colony through the winter. I also get to check my hive later today, so expect to see a post about that! I finally had time (at the right time of day) to add the new hive body. I pulled the drawn out frames from the edges of the two deep boxes already on the hive and replaced those with the empty frames from the new hive body. I also decided to put the new hive box in between the old two, so that I could rotate out one of the old ones at the end of the year. I want to paint all of them green, and I also want to try and have the majority of the comb be new next year. Most of the comb in the hive is several years old and a gross black color. There were a lot more brood combs than last time, which I was excited about. There were 8 brood frames in the lower hive body alone. They definitely need this new box. I only replaced 3 frames each in the two old hive bodies, and left 4 new ones in the new hive body. Most of the brood is in the bottom box, with only a few hundred capped cells being on the edges of the frames in the top brood box. The bees hadn’t moved into the super at all, which is slightly frustrating. Brace comb was everywhere again though, so I know that they’re capable of drawing out wax. We’re currently experiencing a heat wave, with temperatures in the high 80s and low 90s. It hasn’t rained in close to two weeks, so I’m not sure how much longer we’ll be having a nectar flow. It’s also supposed to be like this for a few weeks. That said, I have noticed a significant increase in all insect species this year. I have more than 6 different kinds of solitary bees nesting in logs in my garden, red soldier beetles, and 2 kinds of bumblebees still visit the garden daily. We also have 4 dragon flies in the garden constantly, and today while I was working with the bees a black butterfly, with blue fringes on its wings, flew right into the middle of the bees to see what was going on. I haven’t seen one like it in a few years. I think this color green is fantastic. It’s darker than white but still a bright color, and its something that kind of blends with a garden from a distance, I think. Slowly over the next year or so I hope to have the whole thing painted. Also shown in this picture is a carrot (in the top right corner with all those weird spiky things) that I allowed to go to seed. Carrots grow wild in my garden and the flowers are great mating spots for lady bugs and red soldier beetles. Both are great predators for aphids, and are very welcome in my garden! I went and bought my new hive body today! I decided to go with the wired frame route because it saved me $30 and the bees have never enjoyed drawing wax on foundation. The only wired frame I’ve had for the last few years has always been readily drawn out, and they fill it in perfectly every time. I bought the frames without foundation and put the wires in myself. Here’s a few pictures! The guy who sold me the box and frames wanted me to buy some rivets for the holes, but it didn’t make any sense for me to buy them because the wood is sturdy enough on its own. Plus there were way more rivets than I needed and it was just going to be one more thing to have sitting around the house. He also thought I was crazy for trying to use a deep box as a super. To me it just makes more sense to have all of the frames the same size, so that I can move things around easier and not have a bunch of different sized boxes sitting around. The bees have only ever filled up the lone super I have in the 4 years I’ve been beekeeping. They take forever to draw it out, and it never fills up completely like the two deep boxes do. Having three deep boxes is going to allow me to pull the honey frames that are clogging the brood space out, and put them up where they can encourage more growth and allow for new wax to be drawn out. The wax that I have currently is all very old and a dark black color. I’ve been putting off removing it because it took forever to get it drawn. Depending on how successful the wires are, I might just replace all of my foundation with wax. I put two coats of green paint on the new deep box today, as well as wiring the frames. I’ll wait until this weekend (potentially later depending on my work schedule) to put the new box on the hive. I decided to paint the box green because technically its illegal to keep bees on my lot, since I live in the city and my lot is “too small” to keep bees on. White is a boring color and stands out noticeably in a garden; green blends in and is also much darker, which will help keep the hive warmer during the winter. I’ll have to wait to repaint the other hive bodies, but that’s alright. The weather has been excruciatingly hot lately, with temps up in the 80s and 90s for the last week and a half. And things are only supposed to get hotter. A large group of bees vacated the hive for an hour today when it got really hot; spending their time flying around and congregating around the entrance. Most all of them landed in the end, but they all remained out on the front step where it was slightly cooler, despite being in the full sun. I’m hoping I’ll have lots of honey by the time fall rolls around! This weather is perfect for ripening nectar. I’ll post some pics once I get the new hive body up! The color I chose was called ‘Emerald Tower’ which I thought was fitting since that’s what the hive will look like once it’s all painted. I went to my aunts today to check on the colony with no queen. The queen cell that was in progress when I last checked in on them had been torn down, and the general population was greatly reduced. I decided to combine them with the colony next door, so that I’ll have a colony make it through the winter. I hauled the two hive boxes (which were very light) over to the other side of my aunts garden and shook the bees out into the lawn. She has over an acre lot size, but it wasn’t quite the 300 yards that most books recommend. Within minutes all the bees had flown back to their hives old spot and were covering the hive next door. There were bees everywhere. I removed all the comb from the two boxes that had drone brood in them, but there were several frames with a lot of honey and pollen that were still worker sized, so I moved those into a single box. I then put the box full of useable comb, and the empty box on the bottom of the hive that over wintered. I figured with the population doubling over night, they would want an extra box of food and room to expand. One of the boxes had a window on one side, and that was the box I put the comb into. Once everything was done we went back and peeked into that little window. The bees all seemed happy in there, and there wasn’t any fighting. I’ll check in on them next week to make sure everything’s going well! From her house I came home and looked in on my own bees. I didn’t even have the inner cover off before I realized I had made a mistake by not checking on them last week, and quickly grabbed the only super I have from my garage. They had wax all over the under side of the inner cover, and 7 of the frames in the top box were solid honey stores. Pollen was being packed into the brace comb, and drone brood was tucked in between the two boxes. I spent almost 45 minutes just cleaning the hive up so I could properly get into it. Once the top box was cleaned out I moved into the bottom box. I took out three of the fuller frames from the top box and set them aside so that I could arrange the brood a little bit nicer between the two boxes. There were honey frames between the brood in the top box, so I moved things around to make everything a bit more uniform. There wasn’t much in the way of new brood in the colony, which was really worrisome for a while. There just isn’t room for the queen to lay eggs, but because there were almost no new eggs I was really bothered. There were 4 full frames of capped brood, with more and more space being used to store honey. They queen was hiding on the absolutely last frame in the bottom box, so I was slightly panicked that she had gone missing by the time I found her. Luckily she’s there and looking healthy! I moved frames around in the hopes she’ll lay on them, and there’s a super on top of the hive now so they should have a little more room to move around. I definitely need to buy another box or two. I’m thinking I’ll just buy a third deep so that if this problem happens again I can just moved the frames between the boxes with easy. And I’m still young enough that a deep full of honey isn’t that big of a deal. Anyway, I’ve got lots of bees and lots of honey! More than likely I’ll have to harvest a frame or two from the deep boxes to give the girls a bit of space. They’ve only just started capping some of it, but it shouldn’t take them long. There were no signs of swarming which was really nice to find.

With bee population plummeting and new laws being introduced around the country that permit beekeeping, there's been a growing interest in personal beekeeping. The bees aren't just for the 'burbs and rural areas; they can also be raised in cities and dense urban areas. This neat inexpensive beekeeping kit, Beepod, is a great and easy way to get started! Rather than designing hives for maximum production, which can be difficult to use and too large for the casual user, Beepods have been designed to be easy to use. Instead of stacking the hive vertically, they've modified an ancient top bar hive design which spreads out horizontally making the hive far more accessible for care and safe viewing. According to the company, up to 40lbs of honey can be produced from a single Beepod in a season (unlike a stacked box hive that yields upwards of 200lbs). In addition to being easy to use, Beepod kits are easy to assemble! They come with all the hardware needed, which isn't much — just a phillips screwdriver and a 5mm allen wrench. According to the company Beepods can be assembled in under an hour! The Beepods retail for $450, find out more here. via: Jetson Green

California Almond industry members will be presented with recent research findings and trade developments addressing the most pressing issues they face in growing, processing and marketing the state's premier specialty crop at the 37th Annual Almond Industry Conference, to be held Dec. 9-10, in Modesto. With a theme of "Driving Value through Innovation," this year's event will focus on innovative research results that will promote more effective and efficient crop production while preserving the environment and protecting the market with food-safety practices. The two-day program offers sessions on Production Research tailored to the interests of growers and PCAs-CCAs, and presentations on Global, Technical and Regulatory Affairs will address the "need to know" for handlers, huller-shellers, and others associated with the processing and marketing of California Almonds. Continuing education units are available for applicators, PCAs, and CCAs for most presentations. Some highlights of the production research "Hot Topics" include: • Pollination Update, with a roll-out of the ALMOPOL pollination model, a tool that is being developed and is undergoing validation to help growers decide strength and number of hives needed under various scenarios of orchard and weather conditions. The session also includes a presentation on the year-round activities of a migratory beekeeping operation, a report on colony health, and a preview of bee supply, including considerations for the 2010 bloom season. • Balancing Insect Management with Environmental Concerns. Presentations on the latest tools and techniques for effective insect and mite management, and how these can be balanced with environmental regulations. Also addressed: Tools to evaluate the volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from pesticides, and surface water protection measures. • Almond Irrigation World Roundup. Water availability and efficient use are global issues. Panelists will discuss water management perspectives from Australia and Spain, what the industry has learned in California in 2009, particularly with respect to important ongoing research investigating drought management strategies, as well as the role of irrigation scheduling for top yields, crop quality, and food safety. • Developments in Disease Management. A panel of research specialists will review the latest in fungicide development and resistance management, and will address the factors contributing to lower limb dieback and the effective management of LLDB and canker diseases. • Variety Development, Evaluation and Selection: Balancing Field Performance and Market Potential. Performance and market potential are two key considerations when choosing which varieties to plant. This panel will discuss current and future variety development, what past variety trials tell us, and how this knowledge is applied to improve variety selection. • Also to be presented: A discussion of marketing perspectives, and how growers can put all this information together to choose which varieties to plant and how to manage them to yield the most desirable product for the conditions under which they are grown. Over the two-day program, a total of 4.5 continuing education units are available for growers, PCAs and others licensed by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. CCAs will have a total of 19 continuing education units available in the various categories. For specific information on units assigned to each session visit almondboard.com/conference. Once again, a lucky conference attendee will drive away a brand-new Kawasaki Mule, thanks to Garton Tractor and Log5 Corp. Tickets for the drawing are included in registration packages, and extra tickets are available at the Growers' Breakfast. The drawing will be held at the Thursday luncheon. A highlight of the conference will be the Wednesday evening Gala Dinner, featuring keynote speaker Bear Grylls, whose best-selling books, inspirational speaking engagements and award-winning television show "Man vs. Wild" have brought him worldwide acclaim as the most fascinating survival expert alive today. Keynote speaker for the Growers' Breakfast is Charles Hoppin, Chair of the California Water Resources Control Board, who is also a grower. He will review the evolving California water landscape and where we go from here. The Growers' Breakfast is free, but you must call Elaine at (209) 343-3200 to make reservations for limited seating. Keynote speaker for Thursday's luncheon is Rich Karlgaard, publisher of Forbes, on "The Global Economy and the New Administration: What's in Store and How to Weather the Storm." Sponsorships by BASF – the Chemical Co., Jose Borrell, Bayer CropScience, JackRabbit and Satake help make the Almond Industry Conference the biggest event of the year as well as the only conference dedicated entirely to the almond industry. The complete two-day conference agenda, information on special conference events, and an online registration form are available at almondboard.com/conference.

|« Back to Article| North Central Community Calendar — Sept. 5-11 : September 3, 2013 : Updated: September 5, 2013 3:26pm Send your North Central public event notices (including recreational sports) for free to Edmond Ortiz at [email protected]; by fax at 250-3350; or by mail to him in c/o North Central News, P.O. Box 2171, San Antonio, TX 78297-2171. Submissions must be received by noon Friday prior to the next desired publication date. Items run on a space-available basis. A program for family caregivers of a loved one with dementia offers stress management techniques, relaxation and coping strategies, and class materials 1:30-3 p.m. Thursdays at Autumn Grove Cottages, 1418 Walkers Way. Participation is confidential. Trained facilitators lead the program. Contact: Helen Flores, 764-8500 or [email protected]. Alzheimer's Association, San Antonio & South Texas Chapter, co-presents “Living with Alzheimer's,” a series of free informational programs, at Arden Courts of San Antonio Memory Care Community, 15290 Huebner Road. Each program, taking place 6-7:30 p.m., is designed to provide caregivers with the knowledge, tools, and strategies needed to cope with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or related dementia. Attendees may come to one or all seminars, set for today and Sept. 19. Seating is limited. RSVP to: 408-9100 or [email protected]. MCCI Medical Group of Legacy Place senior activity center opened Aug. 1 in the northeast corner of The Legacy retail center, U.S. 281 and Loop 1604. The facility is for the area seniors, ages 55 and over, to gather for educational and recreational activities. All classes and activities in are free. Weekly activities and classes range from healthy cooking, Zumba, Wii bowling, walking, Bingo, personal safety and personal health. Contact: www.mccigroup.com or 495-0222. Nydia's Yoga Therapy Studio, 4680 Lockhill-Selma Road, is hosting a variety of daily and semi-daily classes, such as yoga in Spanish, gentle yoga and yoga for children. Esther Vexler leads a yoga awareness practice class 2-3 p.m. Sept. 15 ($10 suggested donation; proceeds benefit Esther Vexler Yoga School). Contact: 764-1616 or www.nydiasyogatherapy.com. St. George Episcopal Church Mental Health Family Support Group holds its regular meeting at 7 p.m. second Wednesdays at 6904 West Ave. in Castle Hills. Call: 342-4261. Oak Meadow United Methodist Church, 2740 Hunters Green, begins a faith and sports program for boys and girls, ages 6-11, interested in playing soccer. Contact: The Rev. Benitez, 378-9283. North Central Baptist Hospital, 520 Madison Oak, hosts support groups and free educational programs: couples dealing with fertility issues meet 6 to 7 p.m. every fourth Tuesday within the atrium (call 297-4483); cancer patients and their loved ones meet at 10 a.m. fourth Saturdays (297-7005); pediatric asthma education classes 9:30 a.m. each third Saturday (297-7005); gestational diabetes program starts at 9 a.m. every second and fourth Monday in the second floor education room (297-7005); expectant mothers and their families can tour the hospital's women's service area at 5, 6 and 7 p.m. each first Monday; Gamblers Anonymous, 7 p.m. Thursdays (260-2616). Free health screenings are offered 7:30 a.m.-noon Tuesdays. Also, Bridges Beyond Grief meets at 10-11 a.m. Tuesdays at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 20523 Huebner Road, and 3-4 p.m. Tuesdays at Independence Hill Retirement Community, 20450 Huebner (297-4752). The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has formed iConnect, a new networking group for cancer survivors. Adult survivors of all cancer types ages 21-40 meet once a month at La Madeleine at Loop 410 and Blanco Road. All events are free, but do require a reservation. Contact: www.LLS.org/stx or 800-683-2458. Myasthenia Gravis Alamo Support Group of South Texas meets 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. each second Saturday (except July and August) at Baptist Health System Health Link Fitness Center, 288 Bitters Road. Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is a chronic neuromuscular autoimmune disorder that causes varying degrees of weakness involving the voluntary muscles of the body. Those afflicted and caregivers are welcome. Visit: www.mgsouthtexas.org. Overeaters Anonymous has a 12-step program, which offers recovery from compulsive eating. Visit www.oasanantonio.com, email [email protected] or call 492-5400 for local details. Qigong for Health offers classes at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesdays at Unity Church Community Center, 8103 Broadway. Qigong is the mother of tai chi. It's gentle movement with deep breathing yielding huge health benefits. For ages 35 to 105, Qigong can be practiced sitting, standing or even lying down. First class is free, $8 afterward or less if you purchase a pass. Contact: www.QigongSanAntonio.com or 508-5033. San Antonio Heart Failure Group hosts support groups and free educational programs for individuals who have questions about living with heart failure or are interested in meeting others with heart failure. Meetings are held at 6 p.m. each first Wednesday at Christus Santa Rosa Medical Center, 2827 Babcock Road (cafeteria). Visit: www.sanantonioheartfailure.blogspot.com. Mary Martha McNeel and visiting teachers lead various classes in qigong, universal yoga, tai chi and other wellness classes Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at different sites such as TriPoint, 3233 N. St. Mary's St., and St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 1018 E. Grayson St. Call: 226-0345. Alamo KidSports is a sport development company teaching soccer, baseball and basketball to children 18 months to 6 years in a non-competitive, fun environment. Alamo KidSports offers weekly 50-minute classes at Northwoods Ice and Golf Center, Spectrum Athletic Clubs at Rogers Ranch and at Alamo Heights, and Velocity Sports Performance. Visit: www.alamototsports.com. Alamo Heights community members have launched an Al-Anon parents-only support group, which meets 7-8 p.m. Wednesdays at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 11 St. Luke's Lane. Contact: 824-2483 or [email protected] or www.al-anon.alateen.org. Alzheimer's Association offers local support group meetings (patients, family members and caregivers invited): 1:30 p.m. third Mondays at Franklin Park Stone Oak, 21802 Encino Commons (www.franklinpark.org or 483-9999); 6:30 p.m. second Tuesdays at Forum at Lincoln Heights, 311 Nottingham; 6:30 p.m. fourth Thursdays at The Haven, 511 Knights Cross; 6:30 p.m. first Wednesdays at Arden Courts, 15290 Huebner Road; 6 p.m. fourth Tuesdays at CEDRA Clinical Research, 2455 N.E. Loop 410, Suite 150. Call the helpline at 800-272-3900 for details. A grief support group meets at 11:30 a.m. first Wednesdays at Homewood Residence at Castle Hills, 1207 Jackson-Keller Road. RSVP to 375-8132. Meetings are confidential and free to attend. Northside Performing Arts Center, 21518 Blanco Road, hosts a variety of acting and dance classes and workshops for children and teenagers. NPAC hosts Theatre for Young Audiences' performances of “Aladdin” 10 a.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays through Sept. 28 ($6). Contact: 481-2400 or www.NorthsidePAC.com. Clarity Child Guidance Center hosts a wide variety of parenting classes Thursday mornings and early evenings through Oct. 3 at its main campus, 8535 Tom Slick Drive, and its outpatient campus, 2135 Babcock Road. Family topics include creating a healthy family, communication, establishing authority and effective discipline techniques, dealing with anger and conflict, children's self-esteem, and raising modern-day children. Classes are offered in English and Spanish. Cost: $5 per class. Contact: 616-0300 or www.claritycgc.org. Phil Hardberger Park Conservancy offers public nature educational programs at the park. “Growing Up Wild: A Grasshopper World!” is offered for children ages 3-7 from 10-11:30 a.m. Friday at 13203 Blanco Road. “Spring Bloomer: Rock Art” is offered for children ages 7-10 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Sept. 17. Visit: www.philhardbergerpark.org. Alamo City Dance Co. holds city-wide auditions for its annual fall production of “The Nutcracker” Saturday from 2-3 p.m. for ages 13-professional, 3-4 p.m. for ages 6-older (maximum height 53 inches), 4-4:30 p.m. for male dancers and adult parts, and 4:30-5 p.m.. for ages 7-older (minimum height 54 inches) at the San Antonio School for the Performing Arts, 12915 Jones Maltsberger Road, Suite 200. Registration begins 30 minutes prior to each audition time. Wear ballet attire and hair in a bun. Bring pointe shoes, if on pointe. Contact: 495-2787 or sanantonioschoolfortheperformingarts.com. St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, 1602 Thousand Oaks, is registering all grade levels for faith formation classes, which begin this weekend. Faith formation classes include sacrament preparation for first reconciliation, first Eucharist and confirmation. Volunteer catechists and classroom assistants are needed for elementary-grade levels. Contact: Theresa Crow, 494-7434. St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, 1602 Thousand Oaks, hosts R.C.I.A. classes 7:15-9 p.m. Wednesdays. The classes allow attendees to grow through prayer, fellowship and hospitality in learning more about the Catholic faith. Sponsors are needed. Contact: Anne Kemper, 494-7434. Terrell Hills Fire Department offers CPR/AED classes that follow the American Heart Association's “Heart Saver” training guidelines. The next class takes place 8 a.m.-noon Tuesday at the fire station, 5100 N. New Braunfels Ave. The class will cover CPR for adults, children and infants as well as the use of an automated external defibrillator. Students who complete the class will be issued a “Heart Saver” CPR card that is valid for two years. Fee: $25. Contact: 824-7401 or [email protected]. Source of Light (SoL) Center at University Presbyterian Church, 300 Bushnell, is offering a variety of community courses, covering topics such as race, yogaia peace yoga, interfaith issues, social justice, writing, ecology and environmentalism. “Grasses of South Central Texas” is offered 9 a.m.-noon Fridays through Sept. 20 ($45). “Couple Talk: Revive the Art of Communicating with Your Mate” is offered 7-9 p.m. Mondays, Sept. 30-Nov. 4 ($65 per person). Childcare is provided. “Sacred Dance in Judaism, Christianity and Islam” is offered 7-8:30 p.m. Sept. 17 and 24 ($35). “Preparing for the Effects of Climate Change: Communicating, Organizing and Adapting” is offered 7-9 p.m. Sept. 16 ($15). “Listening for God's Heartbeat,” a course following the principle of discipleship in John's Gospel, is offered 7-9 p.m. Sept. 23 ($15). Contact: www.upcsa.org/sol_center or 732-9927. Backyard Basics Expo will be held 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 14 at Madison High School Agrilife Program, 5005 Stahl Road, featuring a variety of activities and hands-on demonstrations related to home-grown foods. Education sessions include: making soft cheeses, raising backyard poultry, rainwater conservation, food preservation, garden basics, backyard rabbits, beekeeping and more. Cost: $25 through Friday; $35 per person afterward; free for children 16-under. Lunch on your own; food available onsite. Visit: http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu/backyardbasics. The Rose Theater, 11838 Wurzbach Road, hosts various acting camps, workshops and seasonal courses. Performances of “Driving Miss Daisy” are to be offered 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, Sept. 13-28. Contact: 360-0004 or www.therosetheatreco.com. San Antonio Public Library Foundation's Great Books Seminars presents “A Conversation with the Constitution” 6-9 p.m. Sept. 17 at the Central Library auditorium, 600 Soledad. This is a public buffet dinner and discussion with Dr. Christopher Phillips, recipient of the Distinguished American Leadership Award, senior writing fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, and founder of the nonprofit Democracy Café. Admission: $75 general participation, $50 students. All guests receive a personal copy of the U.S. Constitution. Call: 225-4728, extension 10. Physical therapist Chris Harty will present a free 30-minute class at 10 a.m. Sept. 21 at HealthLink at Overlook (Baptist Emergency Hospital Complex), 25615 U.S. 281, Suite 201, about the serious risks associated with falls and how to prevent them. One in every three adults, age 65 and older, sustains a serious fall each year. Following this class, participants can stay for screenings to find out their risks and learn exercises to help prevent falls. RSVP to: 297-4525. Visit: www.BaptistHealthSystem.com. Performing Arts San Antonio, 15705 San Pedro Ave., offers an array of acting classes and workshops for adults and youths, as well as special live productions. Contact: www.performingartssa.org or 557-1187. The Playhouse, 800 W. Ashby Place, hosts live theatrical workshops and classes. The Playhouse Ball is a black tie-optional event 6 p.m. Sept. 20 that kicks off the organization's 2013-2014 season with a sneak peak at scheduled performances and special refreshments. Tickets start at $125. Contact: 733-7258 or www.ThePlayhouseSA.org. Church of the Holy Spirit, 8134 Blanco Road, will hosts a four-part seminar series, “Life Beyond Divorce,” 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays, Sept. 28-Oct. 19, at the family center upstairs conference room. Cost: $25 for the series. Scholarships are available. Contact: www.holyspiritsa.org or Rosantina Aranda, 819-1156 or Gladys Hernandez, 341-1395. Register by Sept. 20 for the Reagan High School cheer clinic, which will be available to ages 5-15 from 9 a.m.-noon Oct. 12 on campus, 19000 Ronald Reagan. Show-offs begin at 11:30 a.m. Registration includes pizza, water bottle and a group picture. Clinic T-shirts and shorts are available for purchase. Visit: www.rattlersports.com for a form, which must be finished and submitted to Molly Ramon. Email: [email protected]. Land of Virtuosity youth performing arts academy, Scottish Rite Auditorium, 305 Avenue E, offers a variety of classes and special seasonal camps related to all aspects of live theater, film and dance. Contact: 844-4298 or www.landofvirtuosity.org. The Circle School, 218 Pershing, a non-profit school, offers fall and spring enrichment classes that allow children and their parents to experience the campus without having to be enrolled. Varying courses are held 4-5:30 p.m. once a week for eight weeks. Contact: 822-0461 or www.thecircleschool.org. Jensen's Yamaha Music School, 2241 N.W. Military Highway, Suite 202-B, hosts a free music class for families at 10:30 a.m. third Tuesdays. Families and their young children (age 3 and under) can sing songs, play instruments, read stories, and make music together. Contact: 366-5048 or www.jensensyamahamusic.com. Paint Palooza, 1846 N.W. Loop 1604, Suite 104, offers painting events and camps for adults and children. Contact: www.paintpalooza.com or 481-6144. Young Chefs Academy in Stone Oak, 20330 Huebner Road, Suite 110, hosts various weekly classes Mondays-Thursdays and Saturday mornings as well as special workshops. Contact: 402-0023 or www.youngchefsacademy.com/stoneoak. Guadalupe River State Park and Honey Creek State Natural Area, 3350 Park Road 31 in Spring Branch, offer various activities and educational programs. Join the park interpreter at 10 a.m. or 8 p.m. each Saturday for family-oriented nature programs. Contact: 830-438-7653 or www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/guadalupe-river. Ballet San Antonio, 903 Proton Road, hosts classes for children and adults, as well as a professional training in ballet and jazz. Contact: 404-9641 or www.balletsanantonio.org. Learn chanting “hu,” an ancient name for God, during a free class discussion at 6 p.m. Fridays at the Eckankar Spiritual Center of San Antonio, 1603 W. Lullwood. Regardless of your beliefs or religion, you are invited sing hu with the Texas Satsang Society. Contact: www.Eckankar-Texas.org or 737-6863. The Twig Book Shop at Pearl, 306 Pearl Parkway, Suite 106, offers children's storytimes and other ongoing activities and special events. Contact: 826-6411 or http://thetwig.com. Pinot's Palette-Alamo Heights, 7959 Broadway, Suite 402, hosts painting classes and special events. Contact: 832-8004 or www.pinotspalette.com/AlamoHeights. Texas Wildlife Association and Texas AgriLife Extension will host a series of webinars covering a wide array of wildlife and land management topics. These free online webinars are held noon-1 p.m. local time so that anyone interested may tune in during the work day. Visit: https://texas-wildlife.webex.com or www.texas-wildlife.org. Texas AgriLife Extension Service provides an opportunity for children ages 8-13 to learn about gardening by growing their own vegetables through the mentoring of Bexar County Master Gardener volunteers. Each child is allotted a 3.5-foot by x 28-foot plot at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. Children will grow different types of seeds, herbs, vegetables and ornamental annual flowers. Contact: Angel Torres, 467-6575 or [email protected] or http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu. Y.E.L.L. (Youth Engaging in Leadership & Learning) is gearing up to host the fourth annual San Antonio Youth Summit Oct. 10 at the Alamodome. Y.E.L.L is a 501(c)3 non-profit that helps to prepare and support youth to become knowledgeable and active decision makers in their school and community. Visit: www.yellfoundation.org. Bravo Ballet School, 2147 N.W. Military Highway, offers various classes for ages 3 and up, including a summer program. Contact: www.bravoballetschool.com or 818-4999. San Antonio School for the Performing Arts, 12915 Jones Maltsberger Road, Suite 200, hosts various classes. Contact: 495-2787 or http://sanantonioschoolfortheperformingarts.com. Ballet Conservatory of South Texas, 5200 Broadway, hosts various classes, including its popular “Budding Ballerina” program tailored for dancers ages 3-7. Contact: 820-3400 or www.balletsouthtexas.org. Viva! Bookstore at Viva Galleria, 8407 Broadway, hosts classes, workshops and special events, ranging from exercise and meditation to writing and art. Contact: 826-1143 or www.vivabooks.com. Free English as a Second Language (ESL) classes are held 6-7 p.m. Wednesdays at Oak Meadow United Methodist Church, 2740 Hunters Green St. Students may be asked later to purchase a text book ($22), including a CD for home study and review. Contact: The Rev. Osvaldo Benitez, 378-9283, or the church, 492-3902. Associated Builders and Contractors, South Texas Chapter, offers weekly and special workforce development events. Regular activities include new construction industry employee orientation sessions and the basics of building construction. Visit: www.abcsouthtexas.org. Unlimited Thought Life Enrichment Center, 5525 Blanco Road, hosts Hatha yoga classes 7-8:30 p.m. Thursdays. Cost: $12 per drop-in, $40 for one month. This is open to all ages and levels. Call: 525-0693. The Institute of Interfaith Dialog, 4337 Vance Jackson Road, Suite 203, hosts various classes, discussions and special events. Visit: www.interfaithdialog.org. North East Independent School District Community Education offers a variety of classes, ranging from butterfly gardening and hiking to air painting and web page publishing. Youth classes include electric guitar, sewing, video game design and more. Classes will be offered at many locations including several district schools and the North East Community Learning Center, 8750 Tesoro Drive. Contact: www.communityed.neisd.net or 657-8866. The Josephine Theater, 339 W. Josephine St., is hosting Inish Free School of Irish Dancing classes. Visit: www.inishfreetx.com/Inishfree_Texas/Home.html. Call: 842-6407. Texas Thunder Cloggers offers beginner clogging lessons 6-7 p.m. Wednesdays (except Tuesday final week of the month) at San Antonio Street Dance and Drum Co., 1026 Donaldson. No partner is necessary. Visit: www.texasthundercloggers.org. Art Works, 1840 Nacogdoches Road, hosts art classes for ages 2-18, as well as occasional Arts Night Out (parents' night out). Contact: 826-2787 or www.artworkstx.com. Trilogy Dance Center, 2602 N. Loop 1604 West, offers classes in yoga, Pilates, Latin and ballroom dance and more. Kids' nights out, also, are offered. Contact: 479-1551 or www.trilogydancecenter.com. Texas Cheer and Dance has begun providing cheerleading lessons on Wednesdays at Hardy Oak Elementary School, 22900 Hardy Oak Blvd., from 6:30-7:30 p.m. for kindergarteners through second-graders, and 7:30-8:30 p.m. for third- through eighth-graders. Cost: $39 a month. Call: 289-2921 or 323-6094. School of Rock-Stone Oak, 109 Gallery Circle, Suite 101, hosts various music classes. Visit: www.stoneoak.schoolofrock.com. Perspectives Gallery of Art at The Village at Stone Oak retail center, 22610 U.S. 281 North, hosts a children's drawing and painting workshop 1-4 p.m. each third Saturday. The gallery also provides adult portrait, watercolor, painting and drawing classes. Contact: Judy Payne-Korge, 704-7555. San Antonio Small Business Development Center at UTSA Downtown, 501 W. César E. Chávez Blvd., offers a variety of training sessions for people who would like to start their own businesses. Many of the training sessions are free. Visit: http://sasbdc.org or www.utsa.edu. Brilliant lighting, sound effects and video are featured in the Dinosaur Quest animatronic exhibit of life-sized dinosaur skeletons 10 a.m.-9 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays and noon-6 p.m. Sundays at Rivercenter Mall (near AMC Theater), 849 E. Commerce St. Visit: www.dinosaur-quest.com. Conjunto Heritage Taller, 725 S. Presa St., offers classes in button accordion to students of all ages 5-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays with accordion instructor Bene Medina, and 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturdays with accordion instructor Lorenzo Martinez. CHT offers acoustic guitar classes for students of all ages 5-8 p.m. Wednesdays and 2-5 p.m. Saturdays with Ismael Rivera. Classes are $40 per month. Contact: 212-8560 or [email protected]. San Antonio Dance Academy, 15714 Huebner Road, offers classes in ballet, hip-hop, Mexican folkloric, ballroom, prep for dance team, adult tap/flamenco and Mommy-n-Me for ages 2-up. Contact: 341-7574 or www.sadance.info. L.A. Performing Arts, 19239 Stone Oak Parkway, Suite 202, hosts acting, dance and vocals classes. Contact: 842-6407 or www.laperformingarts.com. Heather Stolle's School of Dance, 20323 Huebner Road, Suite 106, hosts a variety of dance classes. Contact: 481-9999 or www.hssdance.com. Performing Arts Conservatory of Texas, 22610 U.S. 281 North, Suite 221, hosts various classes in ballet, tap, lyrical, jazz and hip-hop. Contact: 494-5100 or www.performingartsconservatoryoftexas.com. Fred Astaire Dance Studio, 115 N. Loop 1604 East, Suite 1200, hosts one-on-one and group lessons for various dance styles. Contact: 490-3733 or www.fredastairesanantonio.com. Ballroom Dance Annex, 8123 Broadway, hosts ballroom dance classes for children and teenagers in performance and competitive categories. Contact: 240-0070 or www.ballroomdanceannex.com. La Fonda Latina, 6714 San Pedro Ave., hosts Argentine tango lessons 6 and 8 p.m. Wednesdays. Contact: www.susurrodetango.com or 467-2838. Jazzercize Dance Studio, 1031 Patricia, hosts beginner and intermediate Argentine tango lessons Sundays. Call: 363-6070. Alamo Arts Ballet Theater, 2103 Lockhill-Selma Road, hosts various classes. Visit: www.alamoartsballet.org. Jazz Poets of San Antonio offers a weekly writing session and live poetry - with accompaniment by the Jazz Poetry Band - at 7 p.m. Thursdays at Espresso Gallery, 529 San Pedro Ave. Donations are appreciated. Call: 573-5115. La Taza Coffee House, 15060 San Pedro Ave., hosts “Heartbeat of the Soul,” a weekly session of open-mike poetry at 8 p.m. Mondays as well as open-mike sessions 8 p.m. Fridays. Contact: 494-8292 or www.lataza.biz. Lion and Rose British Restaurant and Pub at Park North, 842 N.W. Loop 410, hosts karaoke 9:30 p.m. Thursdays. Lion and Rose British Restaurant and Pub, 700 E. Sonterra Blvd., hosts live Celtic music by Boru 7-9:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Contact: 798-5466 or www.TheLionandRose.com. LOL (Laugh Out Loud) comedy club, Park North Plaza, 618 N.W. Loop 410, hosts feature shows 8 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays; and 8 and 10:15 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Open mic night is held 8 p.m. Tuesdays. The Oxymorons offers family night - family-friendly improv comedy - 5 p.m. third Saturdays ($5-$9). Contact: www.lolsanantonio.com or 541-8805. ComedySportz improv offers fast-paced comedy shows for the family, schools, business conferences, parties and special events. Two teams battle for laughs and points as they make up scenes, games and songs from audience suggestions, similar to "Who's Line Is It Anyway?” ComedySportz also provides remote shows, corporate training and improv classes. Live performances are given 7:30 p.m. Saturdays at Acting Up Creative Drama Academy, 12002 Bandera Road. Contact: www.cszsa.com or 338-0279. Orderup locations at 999 E. Basse Road and 20821 U.S. 281 North host free live music at 7-9 p.m. Fridays. Local Coffee, 700 E. Sonterra Blvd., Suite 1113, hosts open mic (acoustic music) sessions 6-9 p.m. every other Friday, and live musicians in concert 6-9 p.m. most Saturdays. Visit: www.localcoffeesa.com. Come unwind on the new outdoor patio of The Quarry Golf Course and Restaurant, 444 E. Basse Road, and enjoy free, public concerts 6:30-9:30 p.m. Fridays. Visit: www.quarrygolf.com. H-E-B Central Market, 4821 Broadway, hosts free live music in the café noon-3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Piranha Killer Sushi, 260 E. Basse Road, Suite 101, hosts a sake-tasting event each first and third Tuesday night. Cost: $25 (includes five different sakes paired with a small tasting as well as dessert). Today, Piranha offers active and retired military personnel a 15 percent discount on all food items, and all military receive a complimentary beverage. Daily Grind Coffee Shop, 1911 Huebner Road, hosts open-mike sessions for comedians and acoustic musicians 7-11 p.m. Fridays. Call: 481-0444. Barriba Cantina, 111 Crockett St., open 11 a.m.-2 p.m. daily, offers Mexican street food available until closing time. There's live music 9 p.m. daily, and during the day Fridays through Sundays. Admission is free. Visit: www.barribacantina.com. Join the Alamo Metro Chorus' Sweet Adelines, the world's largest women's singing group, for voice lessons and high-energy performance techniques at 6:30 p.m. Thursdays at Beitel Memorial Lutheran Church, 2515 Austin Highway. Contact: 514-0976 or www.alamometrochorus.org. Alamo Heights United Methodist Church, 825 E. Basse Road, hosts Thursday Lunch Bunch at 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Thursdays. People age 50 and older are invited to eat lunch in or takeout. Cost: $5. Call: 805-3215 for reservations. BNI=Stone Oak Business Network meets 11:30 a.m. Thursdays at The Club at Sonterra, 901 Sonterra Blvd. Contact: http://www.bnidfw.com/tx-san-antonio-bni-stone-oak-business-network-(so). San Antonio Audubon Society holds its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. first Thursdays at The First Tee, 915 E. Mulberry Ave. Bruce Fried talks about this Green Spaces Alliance programs. Contact: 308-6788 or www.saaudubon.org. San Antonio Calligraphers Guild meets 7 p.m. first Thursdays at Christ Episcopal Church, 510 Belknap Place (except for the summer). Visitors are welcome and may attend two meetings without paying memberships dues. Visit: www.sanantoniocalligraphy.com. Single Professionals Network, a mature adult, singles, friendship group, holds a happy hour/social at 5 p.m. Friday at Cover3 sports bar and restaurant, 1806 N.W. Loop 1604. SPN holds weekly events that offer an opportunity to widowed, divorced and single people to meet and make new acquaintances. Visit: www.spn-sa.org. Northeast Bexar County Democrats meet at noon first Saturdays at Grady's BBQ, 6510 San Pedro Ave. Lunch will be available. Admission is free and open to the public. Visit: www.nebcd.org. Los Bexareños Genealogical and Historical Society holds its monthly meeting at 9:30 a.m. first Saturdays with a social coffee at Central Library, 600 Soledad, first floor auditorium. Contact: Louis Benavides, 735-8717. San Antonio Rose Society meets at 7 p.m. Monday at the San Antonio Garden Center, 3310 N New Braunfels Ave. Travis Burns, owner of Burns Garden Center and Landscape, will present a program on “Companion Plantings for Rose Gardens.” Admission is free to the public. Visit: www.sarosesociety.org. Friendship Force of San Antonio regular monthly meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. second Tuesdays at Northeast Methodist Hospital (Community Health Center meeting room), 12412 Judson Road in Live Oak. Contact: www.thefriendshipforce.org or Imelda, 590-4634, or Faye Minnis, 499-4929. San Antonio Women's Chamber of Commerce begins its 2013-2014 Smart Women Series with provocateur Kelley Neumann, senior vice president of strategic resources, San Antonio Water System, in a luncheon 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday at the SAWS campus, 2800 U.S. 281 North (Tower II, Customer Center Building, Multi-Purpose Room, Room No. 145). Cost: free for chamber members, $10 for non-members. Register at: www.sawomenschamber.org. San Antonio Herb Society presents a free, public program 6:30-8:30 p.m. Sept. 12 at the San Antonio Garden Center, 3310 N. New Braungels Ave., with self-proclaimed “food evangelist” Diane Baines who'll discuss genetically modified foods, the food chain, what's safe and what is not safe. Visit: www.sanantonioherbs.org. Castle Hills Civic Participation Committee presents the second Castle Hills Social Night for local residents and merchants 5:30-8:30 p.m. Sept. 26 at Azro Moroccan Bistro. 2211 N.W. Military Highway, Suite 131. There are food and drink specials. RSVP by Sept. 20 to: Audrey Poole, 867-6582. Stone Oak Business Association seeks participants for its annual business expo, set for 5:30-8 p.m. Sept. 26 at Reagan High School, 19000 Ronald Reagan Drive. Costs: $85 for members, $125 non-members. The event raises funds for scholarships for Reagan and Johnson high school seniors. Contact: 348-8233 or [email protected]. Society of Professional Journalists-San Antonio Chapter will benefit from its Gridiron show 7:30-10 p.m. Sept. 21 at San Antonio College McAllister Center, 1300 San Pedro Ave. Local journalists come together to make fun of local, state and national newsmakers, with show proceeds supporting college scholarships for area journalism students. This year's theme is “50 Shades of S.A.” Beer, wine, soft drinks and water will be sold before the show and during intermission. Admission: $20 through Sept. 14; $25 afterward. Visit: https://sanantoniospj.ticketbud.com/gridiron. Alamo Chapter of MOAA (Military Officers Association of America) has a Solitaires' Sunday brunch once a month at the Randolph Officers' Club. This monthly gathering of single officers (active and retired) or widow(er)s of officers is an opportunity to socialize and just have fun. No registration is necessary; pay as you go. Must be a member of the Alamo-MOAA chapter or be willing to join at the meeting. Visit: www.alamomoaa.org/membership.cfm. San Antonio Audubon Society presents its second Saturday beginners' bird walk, starting at 7:30 a.m. Meet trip leader Georgina Schwartz at the Judson Nature Trails in Alamo Heights, 246 Viesca. Non-members are welcome and binoculars with instructions can be provided. Contact Schwartz for details: 342-2073 or www.saaudubon.org. Alamo Sierra Club meets at 6:30 p.m. third Tuesdays at the Witte Museum, 3801 Broadway. Admission is free and open to the public. Socializing and snacks begin at 6 p.m. Contact: 828-1233 or [email protected]. San Antonio Chapter, Sons of The American Revolution, holds its monthly meeting and luncheon at 11:30 a.m. third Wednesdays at The Petroleum Club, 8620 N. New Braunfels Ave. Cost: $23. There will be a guest speaker. Guests and prospective members are welcome. RSVP by the preceding Monday to treasurer Bob Clark, [email protected] or 402-0871. San Antonio Storytellers Association presents monthly story swaps 6:30-9 p.m. first Wednesdays at Brook Hollow Library, 530 Heimer Road. Beginners and non-members are welcome. Greater San Antonio Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m. each first and third Thursdays at the Lions Field Adult Center, 2809 Broadway. The first gathering is an educational meeting, the third Thursday is a competition with members presenting alternating digital and print photographs for peer judging and commentary. Admission is free and all skill levels of photographers are welcome. Visit: www.gsacc.org or Facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Greater-San-Antonio-Camera-Club/121865424504012. Friendship Force of San Antonio regular monthly meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. second Tuesdays at Northeast Methodist Hospital (Community Health Center meeting room), 12412 Judson Road in Live Oak. Contact: www.thefriendshipforce.org or Imelda, 590-4634, or Faye Minnis, 499-4929. North San Antonio Retired Teachers Association holds a meeting/luncheon at 11 a.m. third Wednesdays at San Pedro Presbyterian Church, 14900 San Pedro Ave. Contact: Martha Windham, 490-3783; or 494-6560; or http://localunits.org/NSARTA. Newcomers of San Antonio is a non-for-profit social organization founded in 1981. Membership is open to anyone residing in the greater San Antonio area for two years or less. The group sponsors social events (monthly luncheons each first Thursday, and monthly morning coffees each third Thursday), interest groups (games, book club, evening groups and local day trips), and opportunities for community involvement. Visit: NewcomersofSanAntonio.org. Rotary Clubs: Sunrise, 7 a.m. first through third Fridays at Pericos restaurant, 1439 E. Sonterra Blvd. (www.sasunriserotary.org): Alamo Heights, noon Tuesdays at The Petroleum Club, 8620 N. New Braunfels Ave. (www.ahrotary.org); Stone Oak, noon Thursdays at The Club at Sonterra, 901 Sonterra (www.stoneoaksarotary.org); San Antonio Airport, noon Wednesdays at Old San Francisco Steakhouse, 10223 Sahara.; San Antonio North Central, 6 p.m. Mondays at Little Italy, 824 Afterglow; San Antonio Oak Hills, noon Fridays, MJ China Bistro, 10103 Huebner Road; Northwest, noon Thursdays at Sushihana Japanese Restaurant; 1810 N.W. Military Highway (www.rotarynorthwest.com). Cerveceros, group of people interested in beer and home brew beer (craft beer), holds a meeting and social at noon each third Sunday at 500 Carolina St. Membership is up to the individual. Bring some friends as well as a sampling glass and lawn chair. Email: [email protected]. Encino Park neighborhood senior citizens may take part in a “Seniorific” social to be held each fourth Thursday at the Encino Park Community Center, 1923 Encino Rio. Attendees may bring a dish to share. Lions Clubs: Alamo Heights, 7 p.m. first and third Wednesdays at the Magic Time Machine, 902 N.E. Loop 410; Northside, noon first and third Thursdays at Little Italy, 824 Afterglow; Oak Hills, 7:15 p.m. third Wednesdays at Denny's, 9550 Interstate 10 West; Central Park, 7:30 a.m. first and third Tuesdays at Jim's, 9950 San Pedro Ave. Visit: http://texaslions2a2.org/clubs.html. Optimist Clubs: Alamo Heights, 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays at The Barn Door; Towne and Country, 7:30 p.m. Thursdays at Grady's BBQ on San Pedro Avenue. Visit: www.stxd.org. Toastmasters Clubs (learn how to get ahead by improving your communication and leadership skills): Alamo Heights, 7 p.m. Wednesdays at University of the Incarnate Word - administrative building Room 265 (www.alamo.freetoasthost.org); North San Antonio, 7 a.m. Wednesdays, The Egg & I, 830 N.W. Loop 410 (Anna, 896-6141, [email protected] or http://www.nshukayr.com/toastmasters130424.pdf) -- open house and free breakfast offered 7-8 a.m. this Wednesday); San Antonio, noon Fridays, Taste of China Super Buffet (sanantonio.toastmastersclubs.org); San Antonio Discussion and Debate, 7 p.m. second and fourth Mondays, IHOP, 14424 San Pedro Ave. (sadd.toastmastersclubs.org); San Antonio Sociable, 7 p.m. Mondays, St. Andrews Lutheran Church, 16320 Huebner Road (sanantonio.freetoasthost.com); Stone Oak, noon Wednesdays, The Egg & I, 700 E. Sonterra Blvd. (http://stoneoaktoastmasters.org). San Antonio Astronomical Association offers Astronomy in the Park, free night-sky viewings, at sunset on Wednesdays at McAllister Park, 13102 Jones-Maltsberger Road. SAAA meets at 6:30 p.m. each second Friday at Christ Lutheran Church, 6720 Broadway. SAAA also hosts a spring star party at 7:30 p.m. this Saturday at Guadalupe River State Park. Telescopes will be set up in the day use area. Visit: www.sananantonioastronomy.org. A Fort Sam Houston historical landmark since 1888, Stilwell House is open for tours, receptions and parties. Stilwell House is managed by non-profit Society for the Preservation of Historic Fort Sam Houston Inc. Contact: 224-4030 or 655-0577 or [email protected]. DaisyCares benefits from the third annual Daisy's Paws for a Cause 5K Run/Walk Saturday, starting at 8 a.m. at the Alamo Heights city pool, 250 Viesca. Dogs are welcome to the 1960s-inspired event. Sponsorships are available. There will be prizes for the top runners and “grooviest” costumes. DaisyCares helps less needy pet owners with pet food and veterinary care aid. Visit: www.daisycares.org or iaapweb.com. Olmos Park residents are free to take part in Cycle at the Circle 9-11 a.m. first Saturdays around Alameda Circle. Nearby streets are closed to through traffic during those two hours while bicyclists enjoy the scenery and other activities. Alamo Chapter of MOAA (Military Officers Association of America) holds a golf tournament benefit Sept. 13 at River Crossing Golf Club, 500 River Way in Spring Branch. Proceeds benefit the Wounded Warrior Family Support Center and the MOAA Student Scholarship Program. Fee: $125/player. Contact: http://alamomoaa.org or 830-537-5452. The 23rd annual Run & Walk for AIDS, benefiting the San Antonio AIDS Foundation, begins at 7 a.m. Sept. 14 at the Blue Star Arts Complex, 1400 S. Alamo St. The event consists of a 5K run and 2-mile walk. Top fundraising individuals and teams will receive trophies, and top runners will receive medals. There'll also be refreshments, entertainment and pet-friendly activities. Visit: www.RunWalkAIDS.org. Annual San Antonio Walk for PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease) takes place Sept. 21 at O.P. Schnabel Park (Graff Pavilion), 9600 Bandera Road, starting at 9:15 a.m. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. There'll be pre- and post-walk activities for the whole family. The walk, endorsed by the Mayor's Fitness Council, is a top 10 walk for PKD events nationwide. Contact: Patti Ruffin, 414-6614 or [email protected]. TMI Alumni Association will hold its 13th annual Modified Sporting Clay Shoot Sept. 13 at the San Antonio Gun Club, 928 E. Contour Drive. Registration begins at noon; the shoot starts at 1 p.m., and a barbecue dinner will be served at 4:30 p.m. The shoot and dinner are open to the public. Registration: $400 for a team of four shooters, $110 for individuals. Dinner costs: $25 adults, $10 children. Sponsorships also are available. Contact: www.tmi-sa.org; or Alex Hernandez, [email protected] or 564-6169. Annual Walk to End Alzheimer's-San Antonio fundraiser begins at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 21 at the AT&T Center. Visit: http://act.alz.org/site/TR?fr_id=3737&pg=entry. Spay-Neuter-Inject-Protect-San Antonio presents the sixth annual Race for the Rescues 5K Run/Walk Sept. 28, starting at 8 a.m. at the Alamo Heights city pool, 250 Viesca. You may run/walk with your dog. Proceeds benefit homeless and abandoned animals in the area needing medical care, as well as spay/neuter services. Visit: www.snipsa.org. Vendors are sought for the Encino Park Women's Club 2013 craft fair, set for 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 5 and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Encino Park Community Center, 1923 Encino Rio. Contact: Gail Swain, [email protected]. National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Walk-San Antonio fundraiser takes place Oct. 5 at Morgan's Wonderland. Check-in time is 7 a.m., followed by an 8:30 a.m. start. Email: [email protected]. Vendors (food trucks and bazaar vendors) are wanted for St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church's annual holiday bazaar, set for Nov. 1 and 2 at 4201 DeZavala Road. Indoor and outdoor spaces are available. Contact: [email protected] or 393-5483. ALS Association-Texas Chapter announces San Antonio's 15th annual Walk to Defeat ALS, the organization's largest yearly fundraiser that raises money for patients living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The 3-mile walk, beginning 11 a.m. Oct. 26 at San Pedro Springs Park, 1315 San Pedro Ave., is open to the public. The event includes children's activities, entertainment and a post-walk cookout. Participants are urged to sign advocacy petitions while on-site as part of the organization's work to bring the importance of ALS research to the attention of officials at all levels of government. Raise a minimum of $75 and receive an official Walk to Defeat ALS T-shirt. Visit: www.walktodefeatals.org. Annual Bike MS: Valero 2013 Ride to the River takes place Oct. 12 and 13 in San Antonio and New Braunfels. Bike MS: Valero raises awareness of multiple sclerosis and funds to support research, as well as programs and services that directly impact those living with MS. Registration continues until Oct. 11 at $50. Visit: https://secure3.convio.net/nmss/site/SPageServer?pagename=BIKE_National. Tejas Rodeo Co., 401 Obst Road in Bulverde, hosts live professional rodeos Saturday nights starting at 7:30 p.m. Live music and dancing follow. Admission: $6-$12. Contact: 830-980-2226 or www.tejasrodeo.com. San Antonio Sports, a nonprofit sports commission, is seeking volunteers to assist with events throughout the year. Volunteers must be at least 14 years of age. Events are posted online and those interested can choose their event and their shift. SAS-hosted events are also an opportunity for students and others to earn community service hours. Contact: SanAntonioSports.org/volunteer or David Blank, 820-2191 or [email protected]. San Antonio Table Tennis Club has meetings and activities at Alamo Fitness Center, 16675 Huebner Road. Visit: www.satabletennis.org. San Antonio Gaelic Athletic Club's football practices are open to men and women ages 18 and up, from all backgrounds, at 6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m. Saturdays at the Olmos Basin Park rugby pitch. SAGAC last year competed in national competition, where it won the Junior D Gaelic Football Shield. Visit: www.sanantoniogac.org or see the club at Facebook. Knitting and crocheting lessons, and game days are offered 9-11 a.m. each Tuesday at Shearer Hills Baptist Church, 12615 San Pedro Ave. Game day is open to the public. Snacks are provided. Contact: Sandra Baskin, 275-8503. Geeks Who Drink presents trivia games at local Lion and Rose Pub locations — 8 p.m. Tuesdays at 700 E. Sonterra Blvd., and at 5148 Broadway; 8 p.m. Wednesdays at 842 N.W. Loop 410 (Park North Plaza). Games also offered at 8 p.m. Thursdays at Firewater Grille, 26108 Overlook Parkway, and 8 p.m. Mondays at Freetail Brewing Co., 4035 N.W. Loop 1604. Prizes and free pints are up for grabs. Visit: www.geekswhodrink.com. Pearl Brewery, 200 E. Grayson St., holds First Thursdays 5-8 p.m., featuring special deals from Pearl shops along with pop-up sidewalk sales, music and refreshments. Admission is free and open to the public. Boardwalk on Bulverde food truck park, 14732 Bulverde Road, offers free beer Fridays from 6 p.m. until the supply is gone. Green Fields Market, 19239 Stone Oak Parkway, hosts: free wine sampling at noon Saturdays; free yoga class 7-8 a.m. Saturdays; special wine tastings at 7 p.m. every second Tuesday. Visit: www.greenfieldsmkt.com. Wonderland of the Americas, 4522 Fredericksburg Road, hosts Wonderland Market Days 10 a.m.-5 p.m. first Saturdays and Sundays with arts and crafts, clothes, jewelry and more. Also, karaoke is offered 1-5 p.m. Sundays in the Shops at the Marketplace section. Free movie screenings for the family are offered 7 p.m. Thursdays. Visit: http://wonderlandamericas.com. Jewelry Exchange and Auction, 19903 Stone Oak Parkway, is hosting live auctions at 7 p.m. Saturdays. Public peeks at items, ranging from jewelry to collectibles, take place 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Fridays and 10 a.m. and 7 pm. Saturdays. Visit: www.jewelryexchangeandauction.com. Destination Maternity, 9802 Colonnade Blvd., hosts various nutrition and exercise classes and workshops for mothers-to-be throughout this month. Destination Maternity also offers a selection of maternity fashions. Contact: 694-4692 or www.destinationmaternity.com. Goodwill holds its fall donation drive now through Sept. 15. Donate household items at your nearest Goodwill Donation Station or store. Items currently in high demand include home decor, house wares, books, furniture, toys, small appliances and computers. Providence High School, 1215 N. St. Mary's St., will host Goodwill donation trailers Sept. 15. Proceeds to Providence for full trailer donations will be allocated to campus ADA/disabled ramp improvements. Contact: www.goodwillsa.org or 924-8581. International School of the Americas at Lee High School, 1400 Jackson-Keller Road, is accepting donations of items for its Sept. 28 annual garage sale benefit. Proceeds benefit scholarships. Donations of household appliances, electronics, furniture, sporting equipment, bicycles, jewelry, toys and kitchenware are being sought. Email: [email protected]. Boiler House Texas Grill and Wine Garden, Pearl Brewery, donates 20 percent of net proceeds from dinners each third Monday night to the San Antonio River Foundation. Visit: www.boilerhousesa.com. Friends of Landa Library seek books of all shapes and sizes, CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes and cassettes for its fall book sale at 233 Bushnell. All funds raised will be used to enhance Landa Library services and programs. These items/activities include: laminating machine, art supplies, multipurpose headphones for the children's area, refreshments for programs, color printer/copier, children's display rack, collapsible banquet tables for the book sale, and honorariums for performers and lecturers. Contact: Michael Kaminski, 732-8369, or Landon Middleton, 557-0160. Johnson High School band members and supporters are raising funds to help support their trip to take part in the 125th Tournament of Roses Parade Jan. 1, 2014, in Pasadena, Calif. The Johnson band was invited to apply, and was accepted, to participate in the annual prestigious event that happens ahead of the Rose Bowl. The 2014 theme is “Dreams Come True.” Contact: www.johnsonjaguarband.org or Jarrett Lipman, [email protected]. Castle Hills Police Department, 209 Lemonwood Drive, is accepting toy donations throughout the year for its Blue Santa program. Donations of new, unwrapped toys can be dropped off at the dispatch window during business hours. Child Advocates San Antonio (CASA), 406 San Pedro Ave., is a nonprofit that recruits and trains volunteers who are appointed by courts to advocate for the “best interest” of abused and neglected children. Volunteers visit with the children and gather information to help a court make informed decisions and ensure that children are placed in safe, permanent homes. CASA offers free volunteer training throughout the year; daytime, evening and weekend training available. Contact: Belinda Cox, [email protected] or 225-7070; or www.casa-satx.org. St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, 1602 Thousand Oaks, is collecting inkjet and toner cartridges for recycling. Proceeds will benefit the church children's ministry Lion Store. Contact: Theresa Crow, 494-7434, extension 324, or [email protected]. San Antonio Animal Care Services, 4710 Texas 151, is accepting donations of dog and cat food 11 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and noon-4 p.m. Sundays, for its pet pantry program. Pet owners in need can obtain pet food with proof of government assistance, a current driver's license or picture ID and proof of their pet's sterilization status and current rabies vaccination. Contact: www.saacs.net or 207-4738. San Antonio Pets Alive! seeks volunteers to work with shelter dogs and cats, as well as qualified individuals willing to foster animals awaiting permanent homes. SAPA also seeks donated items to help support animals in its care. SAPA works with San Antonio Animal Care Services. Outdoor boot camp 6:30-7:30 p.m. Mondays at Phil Hardberger Park, 13203 Blanco Road, benefits San Antonio Pets Alive! with a $5 donation per session. All you need to bring is a mat, free weights and maybe even your dog for the running portion. SAPA also receives 15 percent of each purchase from Trilogy Pizza and Wine Bistro, 19141 Stone Oak Parkway, between 4 and 9 p.m. first Wednesdays. (Mention this fundraiser to your server.) SAPA offers pet adoption opportunities 1-5 p.m. second and third Sundays at PetSmart, U.S. 281 near Bitters. Visit: www.sanantoniopetsalive.org. Spay-Neuter-Inject-Project San Antonio seeks donations of resources to help benefit volunteers and adoptable animals. Needed items include paper towels, bleach, trash bags, laundry detergent, collars, leashes, metal crates, cat carriers, copy paper, and gift cards to Office Max or Office Depot. Visit: www.snipsa.org. San Antonio Street Saves/Animal Friends Humane Society, 28730 Interstate 10 West, have pet adoption opportunities 11 a.m.-4 p.m. daily, or by appointment, on site. AFHS/SASS appreciates donations of newspapers, dog/cat food, toys, cleaning supplies and other items to help with daily shelter operations. Contact: www.animalfriends4ever.org or 830-981-2300. Tejas Rescued Pet Adoptions seeks donations of dry cat and dog food, dog leashes and collars. Monetary donations also are accepted. Visit www.tejasrescues.org to donate via PayPal. Donations can also be mailed to TRPA, P.O. Box 790372, San Antonio, Texas 78279. Call 416-3947 or email [email protected] for a donation pick-up at your chosen site. Seguin-based SARA Sanctuary seeks donations of flea treatment and protection, as well as monetary donations to help provide food for the sheltered animals and to pay electricity bills. Food donations are accepted, too. Volunteers also are needed. Contact: 830-379-1750 or www.sarasanctuary.org. Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation has domestic cats available for adoption 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays at Sherman Animal Care Complex, 137 Earl St. near Olmos Park. Contact: www.wildlife-rescue.org or 830-336-2725. Non-profit Guide Dogs of Texas seeks area dog lovers to volunteer as puppy raisers and brood holders. A brood holder provides a permanent home for a female dog in the breeding program. Holders are essential to the program in providing the next generation of guide dog puppies for GDTX. They also provide a safe, loving environment in which new litters can be born and cared for up to eight weeks. After that, the pups are then cared for by volunteer puppy raisers, thus starting the next stage of their training. Puppy managers from GDTX provide training and meet with puppy raisers regularly for guidance and feedback. Volunteers also teach basic commands, obedience and acclimate the puppy to different environments. Volunteers must be at least age 18, live within a two-hour radius of San Antonio, and be available to be with the dog for the most of the day. Contact: Susana Dias, 366-4081 or [email protected]. The 50th Fox Tech High School reunion dance is scheduled for Oct. 5 at the San Antonio Shrine Auditorium, 901 N.W. Loop 1604. All 1963 classmates interested are encouraged to contact Lupe Leos, 372-0355, or Vangie Perales, 834-6993. Bueche family members reunite 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 5 at Landa Haus, Landa Park, New Braunfels. The event includes a meal, a bake-off, children's activities, a “white elephant” auction, and more. A $6-per-person donation benefits Bueche Cemetery Fund, which helps to cover costs of maintaining the Bueche Family Cemetery in Windcrest. Contact: Donna Bueche, 830-895-1931 or [email protected]; or Carol Ann Rullo, 637-3668 or [email protected]; or Jon Bueche, 854-9048 or [email protected]. San Antonio Farmers Market Association — 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Fridays at 11121 Wurzbach Road, 7:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays at Olmos Basin Park, 100 Jackson-Keller Road, and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Mondays at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, 16320 Huebner Road. Visit: www.sanantoniofarmersmarket.org. Pearl Brewery Farmers Market Association — 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at 220 E. Grayson St. Visit: www.atpearl.com. Quarry Farmers and Ranchers Market — 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Sundays at Alamo Quarry Market, 255 E. Basse Road. This includes live music, food trucks and the occasional cooking demonstration. Contact: www.quarryfarmersmarket.com or 722-5077. The Alley on Bitters Farmers Market — 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at 555 W. Bitters Road. This includes a dog park and live music. Call: 494-3226. Haute and Fresh Market hosts the Legacy Outdoor Market 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays at The Legacy shopping center, U.S. 281 and Loop 1604. Contact: www.hauteandfresh.com or 451-0603. AnArte Gallery, 7959 Broadway, Suite 404, hosts a reception with acclaimed art photographer Thomas Dodd 6-8 p.m. Wednesday. AnArte hosts an exhibit of Dodd's works through September. Lyn Belisle Studio, 1824 Nacogdoches Road, hosts art exhibits and special workshops. “Shared Spaces: Paintings and Works on Paper by Lyn Belisle and Gloria Hill” is on display. An opening reception is set for 6-9 p.m. Sept. 13 for “Terroir: A Fine Blend of Wine and Images,” a photo exhibit by M. Venkatramesh. Contact: www.lynbelisle.com or Lyn Belisle, 860-9468. Many Hands Gallery, 555 W. Bitters Road, offers a Batik class on rice paper 6:30-8:30 p.m. Sept. 17. This art form goes back to 2000 years in Central Asia and Indonesia and involves the manual wax-resist dyeing techniques on siks and linen. Space is limited to five participants so enroll now. No previous experience is required. Contact: Kathy, 391-1959. Winston School San Antonio, 8565 Ewing Halsell, hosts “Collector's Gallery,” a public showing and sale of original masterpieces and collectibles, Sept. 21 and 22. Walter Edelman of New York City's Edelman Fine Arts will provide art education and history on his collection of landscape, still life, Western, abstract and other original works from the 19th to 21st centuries. Approximately 600 unframed oil canvasses and print posters are available for purchase, ranging $50-$50,000. A leading art appraiser, critic and locater of fine art representing 250 artists in 26 countries, Edelman is donating a portion of sale proceeds to WSSA. Admission and parking to this event are free to the public. Visitors are required to register prior to entering the event. Contact: www.winston-sa.org or 615-7485 during school hours. University of the Incarnate Word hosts “Flourish,” an exhibit of art works by Elizabeth Elequin, through Oct. 4 at the campus Semmes Gallery, Dougherty Fine Arts Center, 4301 Broadway. High Wire Arts, 326 W. Josephine St., hosts “Heart Art Portrait Designs” by five artists. Call: 827-7652. McNay Art Museum, 6000 N. New Braunfels Ave., hosts these exhibits: “The America of Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton” through Sunday; “Majority Rules: A Decade of Contemporary Art Acquisitions” through Sept. 15; “Printing Perfection: The Art of Beth Van Hoesen” through Sept. 29; “The Human Face and Form” through Oct. 6. McNay's third annual fundraiser, “Art to the Power of Ten,” brings together a selection of contemporary art galleries and dealers from across Texas for an evening of art, food and cocktails 7-10 p.m. this Friday= ($50 per person). Art, live music and drinks for adults age 21 and over are offered 7-9 p.m. second Thursdays this summer (free admission). Contact: 805-1768 or www.mcnayart.org. San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W. Jones Ave., hosts these exhibits: “Rostros de Maria: The Virgin as Archetype and Inspiration” through Sept. 29. Ongoing events: live music 6-8:30 p.m. Fridays at Café des Artistes; First Sundays for Families 1-5 p.m. first Sundays, “Scene at SAMA” 5:30-7:30 p.m. second Fridays with art, cocktails and live music; Run Wild Sports Tuesday Night Runs 6:30 p.m. second Tuesdays. Contact: 978-8100 or www.samuseum.org. Witte Museum, 3801 Broadway, hosts these exhibits: “Texas Impressionism: Branding with Brushstroke and Color, 1885-1935” through Sunday; “The World Through Magic Lanterns” through Jan. 1. Ongoing activities: Children's Chorus of San Antonio in “Informance!” at 5 p.m. Tuesdays, featuring demonstrations and performances in conjunction with the Witte's Free Tuesdays. Contact: www.wittemuseum.org or 357-1910. Holocaust Memorial of San Antonio, Barshop Jewish Community Center, 12500 N.W. Military Highway, is open 9 a.m.-noon weekdays and 1-3 p.m. Sundays or by appointment. Contact: 302-6807 or www.jfsatx.org. San Antonio Zoo, 3903 N. St. Mary's St., has half-price admission and discounted concessions Tuesdays through this month. Visit: www.sazoo.org. San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place, hosts: its annual Art in the Garden, featuring sculptures by members of the Texas Sculpture Group, the Mid-South Alliance and the Chicago Sculpture International, through March 1, 2014; “Savage Gardens: The Real and Imaginary World of Carnivorous Plants” through Dec. 1. San Antonio Public Library cardholders will receive $1 off general admission for this exhibit's duration. Ongoing activities: Watersaver Walks conservation programs at 10 a.m. first Fridays and third Saturdays; tree care courses; beginner bird walks at 9 a.m. third Saturdays; monthly Earth-Kind Landscape classes and workshops on eco-friendly horticulture; as well as gardening and nature workshops, and Tai Chi courses. Contact: 829-5100 or www.sabot.org. Morgan's Wonderland, 5223 David Edwards Drive, is a theme park especially designed for individuals with special needs. Visit: www.morganswonderland.com. Sheldon Vexler Theater hosts final performances of Neil Simon's play “Lost in Yonkers” 7:30 p.m. today, 8 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at 12500 N.W. Military Highway. Tickets: $14-$20. Visit: www.vexler.org. Alamo Heights Junior School community members are invited to a fall sports picnic and scrimmage on campus, 7607 N. New Braunfels. Volleyball and football scrimmages take place 4:30-5:30 p.m. The barbecue dinner/picnic will be held 5:30-7 p.m. Plates cost $7. Dine in or take out. Contact: Jenni Curren, [email protected], or Susan Hardy, [email protected]. The Village at Incarnate Word holds its September Soiree Fundraiser, an evening of fine art and elegant jazz, 7-10 p.m. at Christus Heritage Hall, 4707 Broadway. There will be cocktails, heavy hors d'oeuvres, a silent auction, an art sale, and a concert by George and Aaron Prado accompanied by Joan Carroll. The event kicks off a yearlong celebration of the Village of the Incarnate Word's 25th anniversary. Tickets: $50 at the door. Contact: Roland Mazuca, [email protected] or 829.7561, extension 150. San Antonio Public Library BookMobile is available 3-6 p.m. today at the Encino Park Community Center, 1923 Encino Rio, and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday at The Arc of San Antonio, 13430 West Ave. IBC Bank, 1500 N.E. Loop 410, hosts a kickoff event 6-8 p.m. to promote the fourth annual Ford Lucky Duck Race. The kickoff event, free to the public, includes refreshments and live music. The Ford Lucky Duck Race is set for Oct. 5 at the Pearl Brewery, with net proceeds benefiting the Workforce Readiness Program at Haven for Hope and Paseo del Rio Association. Ducks for sale are tagged with a number that matches an adoption number; people can adopt one duck for $5, six for $25, or 25 for $100. The first four ducks to cross the finish line the day of the race will win prizes for their adopters. Today is the first day rubber ducks are available for purchase online (www.riverwalkluckyduck.com) or at any IBC Bank branch location.“Duck-orated” ducks, previously purchased by local corporations, are also on display, and a winner of the Facebook fan favorite duck will be awarded a $1,000 American Express gift card. Vanguard Veterinary Associates offers low-cost pet vaccinations at these sites and times: 6-8 p.m. today at H-E-B, 12777 Interstate 10 West; Saturday — 9-11 a.m. at Walgreens, 22114 Bulverde Road, and at H-E-B, 14087 O'Connor Road; 12:30-2:30 p.m. at H-E-B Plus, 20935 U.S. 281 North; 12:30-2:30 p.m. Sunday at Walgreens, 26482 U.S. 281 North; 6-8 p.m. Monday at H-E-B, 18140 San Pedro Ave.; 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at H-E-B Plus, 20935 U.S. 281 N.; 6-8 p.m. Sept. 12 at H-E-B, 1955 Nacogdoches Road. VVA also offers heartworm screenings and preventatives, flea and tapeworm medications, and feline leukemia and AIDS tests. Visit: www.lowcostvacc.com. Santikos Theatres host Cine Classics Series, which provides a screening of a new classic film noon and 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Oct. 10 at Santikos Embassy 14, 13707 Embassy Row. Visit: www.santikos.com. Bulverde United Methodist Church, 23800 U.S. 281 North, hosts its annual “Broadway on Bulverde” 7 p.m. Friday through Sunday. The BUMC choir and special guest singers will offer songs and excerpts from some of America's f

Amy Goldsmith, NJEF State Director Amy oversees all of New Jersey programs for Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund. She also serves on the Board of the NJ Work Environment Council, EarthShare New Jersey, Chairs the Coalition for Healthy Ports, as well as an appointee to the NJDEP Clean Water Council. From 1994-2002, served in various roles as National Coordinator for the Public Health Institute's (PHI) Jobs and Environment Training Consortium, National Just Transition Alliance Curriculum Writing Team and Training Logistics Coordinator. Before joining Clean Water Action in mid-1992, Ms. Goldsmith directed Clean Water Action/Fund's New England programs for seven years - leading a variety of public campaigns around water, superfund and Boston Harbor cleanups, and solid waste. From 1989-1992, Amy served as the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Nuclear Referendum Committee, focused on radioactive waste issues. In 2004, she received an Environmental Achievement Award from NJ Governor McGreevey. She has a B.S. in Land Use Planning from the University of Minnesota, and served for three years as a research scientist with the University of Minnesota's Entomology Department. Amy lives in Red Bank with her husband, 2 children, 3 cats, 4 fish and a turtle. She loves to garden and take walks in her favorite nature area. David Pringle, NJEF Campaign Director For over 25 years, David has been one of the state's leading environmental advocates, playing a pivotal role in advancing protections and defeating rollbacks in most of the key clean water, air and energy and land use campaigns over that span. He serves as Clean Water Action's chief strategist, media spokesperson, and lobbyist in New Jersey on a very wide range of issues with a particular focus on Trenton, field and electoral work. He helped found the NJ Highlands Coalition, chaired its Policy Committee, served as the NJ Assembly Speaker's public health appointee to the Drinking Water Quality Institute where he chaired its Health Committee, and is a Trustee of Consumers for Civil Justice. A graduate of Princeton University and lifelong resident of Cranford, NJ, David just celebrated his 20th anniversary with his wife and their 3 teenagers, serves on the Board of Trustees of the First Presbyterian Church, and also volunteers as a local boy scout leader, and basketball and soccer coach. Peggi Sturmfels, NJEF Program Organizer Peggi works with schools to adopt green cleaning, no bus idling, and other protective measures and coordinates Clean Water Action's sustainable energy and power plant safety initiatives. Prior to joining Clean Water Action, Ms. Sturmfels was Associate Editor of the Two River Times, Red Bank, NJ. Formerly a member of the Governor's Lyme Disease Advisory Council, cofounder and past president of Lyme Disease Coalition of NJ. Thirty years of experience and leadership roles in campaigns with special needs organizations, school boards, national, state (past vice president) and local PTAs. Jenny Vickers, NJEF Communications Coordinator and Organizer Jenny manages communications and marketing for Clean Water Action New Jersey’s campaigns, events, and programs, including website, email alerts, social media, print and online communications, and videos. Ms. Vickers also helps coordinate organizational events such as action-oriented lobby days, conferences, charity auctions, fundraisers, wine tastings, art shows, poetry festivals and more. She also conducts media and member outreach, grassroots and fundraising campaigns, mobilization efforts, responds to inquiries for information, and makes referrals on a wide variety of environmental issues. Formerly, the Program Assistant for the University Honors Program and Ethics Studies Program at East Carolina University, as well as Staff Writer/Editor of The East Carolinian Newspaper. She has a M.A. in International Studies from East Carolina University. Jenny is also a published freelance writer and owns her own Etsy shop where she makes and sells handmade crocheted and knitted hats, scarves, shawls, and more. In addition to the environment, she is passionate about traveling, hiking, yoga, organic gardening, and music. Ben Davies, Field Canvass Director Ben grew up in Brewster, NY and attended school at SUNY Purchase where he graduated with a B.A. in Political Science in January 2009. He started working in Environmental Activism in February 2009 and became Clean Water Action’s Long Branch Canvass Director in August 2010. He has immense passions in human rights and civil liberties and wishes to advance his career in such fields, but only after accomplishing great campaign victories with Clean Water Action. Deborah Kim Gaddy, NJEF Environmental Justice Organizer Kim develops and implements Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund's grassroots environmental justice campaigns and coalition building efforts. She is the Chair, Newark Environmental commission and former Chair of the Essex County Environmental Commission. Also, she is a member of NJDEP's Environmental Justice Advisory Council, founding member of the NJ Environmental Justice Alliance and New Jersey President of the International Black Women's Congress. Previously, she worked in Municipal government in Newark for 12 years and served as the first female Chief of Staff for the Newark Municipal Council. Kim is a 2000 Neighborhood Leadership Fellow and former elected school board member for the Newark Public schools. Kim is a 2007 recipient of the Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 Environmental Community award for her fight for Environmental Justice in urban communities. She is a graduate of Rutgers University, member of the First Baptist Church of Nutley and proud mother of Sonny Jr., Frankie Mo’Nay, and Julian. Eric Benson, Field Canvass Director Eric started his Clean Water Action career managing the door to door canvass staff in Montclair just as he graduated from Rutgers University with a bachelor's degree in Geography in 2004. The passionate and positively charged staff makes it exciting for him to go to work each day. With that, he brings new levels of environmental activism to our campaigns. In his spare time, Eric loves to travel, crotchet, and brew his own beer. Eric’s latest messy hobby is beekeeping. Now a resident of Montclair, Eric also serves on the Essex County Environmental Commission.

When I got interested in beekeeping, I did the opposite of most beekeepers. I took a beekeeping class before I bought my hive. In fact, I think I was the only one in my class who did – I distinctly remember the other students laughing good-naturedly because it was such a novel idea. Evidently, most people inherit a hive, or they’ve worked with other beekeepers and know the drill or they decide to just, pardon the pun, wing it. So if you’re in the “wing it” camp (or any of those others) and you just want to start beekeeping, what do you do? A standard Langstroth hive, the white one everyone recognizes, consists of: - several boxes (the big ones are called “hive bodies,” where the bees build brood, or baby bees; and the small ones are “honey supers” where they store the honey) - a bottom board - a lid - an outer cover You’ll need some frames to stick in the boxes, for the bees to build their comb on. Most beekeepers outfit the frames with wax foundations so the bees have something to start on. You’ll also need a smoker, a feeder of some kind, an entrance guard and protective gear. For protective gear, you can buy a whole suit or just a shirt or jacket, or you can use your own. I’d also recommend gloves (mine come up to my shoulders) and a veil, either built into your suit, or separate. I bought the Kentucky Special from the Walter T. Kelley Company because I liked having everything in a kit, from nails to foundation wax. (Kelley was recommended in my class; the name is just a happy coincidence!) My kit came unassembled and unpainted, but you can buy ready-made kits, too. I don’t own a suit or jacket (I use a heavy cotton shirt) and my helmet and veil were gifts from another beekeeper. Find a Location The best location for a hive is facing east, near a water supply, preferably with afternoon shade. Mine sit in the backyard under a tree, and the only downside is that I have to mow around them. This fall I plan to make a patio and garden back there so I don’t have to irritate them (and me) with the mower. Get Your Bees The easiest way to get bees? Order them online. They come in a box, either by mail or FedEx. You typically get 3 lbs of bees in a package (about 10,000 bees), and since you’re starting a hive from scratch, you should order a package with a queen. I ordered mine from kelleybees.com when I bought the hive. You can also order from local beekeepers — find them through your local beekeepers’ association. If you know a beekeeper whose bees have swarmed, you may be able to charm them out of the swarm. Register Your Bees Find your local extension service by calling your county government or Googling. Then ask if you need to register your bees. Most states require that you register all hives, and that they be inspected once a year. Join a Support Group Just kidding. But it might not hurt to join your nearest beekeepers’ association. They’re a good place to find a mentor, buy local honey, purchase beekeeping supplies and get bees. Subscribe to a Magazine (or Two) I’m more a reader than a joiner, so while I never joined my local beekeepers’ group, I do go to the library to read: Bee Culture and the American Bee Journal. I also like these beekeeping sites: Melissa Bees, The Barefoot Beekeeper and Sweet Seattle Life. I also recently started tracking my hive on Hive Tracks, which is probably better-suited to people with more than one hive, but still a lot of fun.

Puget Sound Beekeepers Association is committed to educating both beekeepers and the public about honey bees. One way we do this is by curating interesting and renowned speakers for our meetings. All meetings are free and open to the public. We hope you enjoy this year’s schedule of speakers and topics! PSBA meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month, excluding July, November, and December. Typically, a beekeeper lesson is offered at 6:30pm and main presentation starts at 7:30pm. Meetings are at the Graham Visitors Center at the Washington Park Arboretum. Here are details for the meeting – no registration needed: Tuesday, April 22nd: 6:30 Pre Meeting Lesson 7:00 PSBA Announcements 7:30 Main Meeting Presenter: Daniel Najera, PSBA’s research chair will present-PSBA Research, Knowledge, and Learning – The Varroa Mite In 2013, PSBA started a cooperative effort with Green River Community College to analyze the populations of honeybees in our region. Here, we detail the methodology and basic results. More importantly, we demonstrate the effectiveness of research efforts and put out a call for more participation. We will discuss the future research efforts to be conducted in 2014. Come listen to how we can work together to help understand how to handle varroa in our part of the country and become a powerful example for what beekeeping organizations can do.

Sick Bees – Part 18C: Colony Collapse Revisited Sorry for my recent diversion from this series while I addressed the neonicotinoid insecticides. Please allow me to continue with my retrospective analysis of the suspects suspected or implicated, rightly or wrongly, to be the cause of CCD. In the previous article of this series, it seems that I hurt the feelers of some beekeepers by irreverently dismissing some of their pet suspects for Colony Collapse. Unlike during the peak of CCD, when researchers were desperately following up every possible lead, I have the advantage of retrospection, as well as now having had the opportunity to observe and study sudden colony depopulation again and again. However, before I get to the real meat of CCD, I feel that it would be to the benefit of the reader to cut through the muddle of all the various things that have been blamed for being the cause of the disorder by evaluating each of them using scientific logic. Although most named suspects are biologically plausible, a number can be quickly ruled out by the application of Koch’s postulates—either that suspect isn’t always present during collapse events, or doesn’t always cause the problem when it is present. I’ll address the suspects in the following order (spoiler: I’m saving the best for last). - Beekeeper management practices - Environmental factors - Chemical exposure - Biological agents Although my focus will be upon determining the “proximate causative agents” of sudden colony collapse, I’ll also examine how the various suspects may contribute to colony mortality or morbidity in general. In order to pick up the thread of this series, and to review the terms that I’ll be using, you may wish to reread the previous installment (available at my website1. Due to his being a government employee, Colony Collapse researcher Dr. Jeff Pettis, unlike me, must be careful that his public statements are politically correct. But in his presentations on CCD, he can’t help but candidly note that 25% percent of beekeeping operations accounted for fully 75% of total colony losses. And any apiary inspector will tell you that it was usually the same beekeepers over and over. This fact certainly suggests that beekeeper management practices may be related to the degree of colony mortality in an operation. Let me be perfectly clear here—CCD can happen to anyone, and there is nothing funny about it. If you’ve never watched the film “The Last Beekeeper,” you should. In it, hard working beekeepers are brought to tears as they watch their operations collapse from CCD just prior to almond bloom—leading to their financial ruin. I’ve experienced CCD myself, and wouldn’t wish it upon anyone! That said, CCD also quickly became an excuse for absolving oneself of the consequences of PPB (Piss Poor Beekeeping). I’ve heard many a beekeeper who knew damn well that his colonies died from varroa or some other form of neglect, later piously tell a reporter that they were hit by CCD! Here’s the thing: I’ve visited beekeepers all over the country. Even in areas in which some “noisy” beekeepers blame their elevated colony losses upon pesticides, the weather, the alignment of the stars, or some other factor, there are always other “quiet” beekeepers who experience very low losses under the same conditions. The difference could be luck, but more often appears to be due to better management. Biological plausibility: Allow me to quote from the original CCD report, back when it was still called “Fall Dwindle Disease”2: “All [affected operations] experienced some form of extraordinary “Stress” at least 2 months prior to the first incidence of “die off” associated with “Fall dwindle disease”. The nature of this stress was variable but included nutritional stress (apiary overcrowding, pollination of crops with little nutritional value), dramatic pollen and nectar dearth, or varroa mite pressure.” Honey bee colonies can handle a lot of insults so long as they get enough high-quality forage (Fig. 1) to maintain vigorous broodrearing, and are not hamstrung by parasites. Those beekeepers who make sure that their colonies are always well fed, especially with protein, and never allow varroa infestation to exceed a few percentage points, appear to have far fewer problems than others. In some areas, treatment against nosema also appears to help. Transportation stresses from migratory beekeeping—non beekeeper bloggers love to blame CCD on our “unnatural” moving of bees from one location to the next. In truth, bees, due to their innate ability to reorient to a new location after swarming, seem to take being moved in stride. In my own operation, I follow the bloom up the mountains during the season, akin to moving other livestock to better pasture, and my colonies are the better for it. Even colonies moved from the East Coast to California and back do not appear to suffer greatly from transportation. Multiple pollination contracts—If bees are moved from one pollination contract to another, they may suffer from poor nutrition and exposure to pesticides. This problem can generally be mitigated by supplemental feeding (Fig. 2) or by “resting” them on natural pasture to rebuild. Feeding of high-fructose corn syrup–HFCS has been blamed with little supportive evidence. Granted, HFCS can become toxic to bees due to the formation of hydroxymethylfurfural if it is overheated or stored for long periods in metal containers, but most commercial beekeepers are now aware of this. No correlation has been found between the feeding of HFCS and CCD. Overcrowding of locations—just as other livestock cannot thrive if they are overstocked onto insufficient pasture, too many hives in one area compete for limited resources. If a beekeeper places a hundred hives into an apiary that has adequate forage for only two dozen, he can expect those colonies to have problems. Holding yards—the need to stockpile semi loads of hives at certain times of the year can create serious problems due to: - The nutritional stress due to inadequate forage as mentioned above. - The behavioral stress caused by the robbing pressure between overstocked colonies. - The fact that crowded bees all “share spit” in nearby flowers and at water holes. Need I explain the consequences? Easy transmission of virulent strains of pathogens (especially the constantly-mutating viruses) that may spontaneously arise in one or more hives (the more hives, the more chance of the evolution of a new strain). Drifting, robbing, and hitchhiking varroa mites can quickly spread that pathogen throughout the entire yard (Fig. 3)! In a number of instances, beekeepers observed CCD spreading from one group of sick colonies to adjacent holding yards. Other commercial beekeeping practices—some “natural beekeeping” advocates have blamed the use of antibiotics, synthetic miticides, or sugar feeding for CCD, but these practices were common prior to CCD, and are used in many operations that have not experienced CCD, so the charges simply don’t stick. Verdict: I’m not buying the notion that CCD can be blamed on commercial beekeeping practices per se, since no particular practice is always associated with colony collapse, nor does any particular practice always create it. But poorly managed colonies–whether in a large commercial or small organic operation–appear to be more susceptible to mortality or collapse. Good bee husbandry—including proper nutrition and parasite management—goes a long way toward keeping colonies healthy. One need only note how commercial beekeepers were able to ramp up their colony numbers for almond pollination when the growers made it financially worthwhile for them to invest in good management practices! Biological plausibility: Ozone is highly reactive chemically, and oxidizes organic molecules. “The scent molecules produced by flowers in a less polluted environment, such as in the 1800s, could travel for roughly 1,000 to 1,200 meters; but in today’s polluted environment downwind of major cities, they may travel only 200 to 300 meters…This makes it increasingly difficult for pollinators to locate the flowers.”3 Analysis: Although the negative effect of ozone upon bee foraging success is biologically plausible, neither the timing nor location fit the sporadic occurrence of CCD. The timing is wrong, since ozone levels (and general air pollution) in the U.S. have actually been dropping since the early 1990’s and ozone levels showed a notable decline after 2002.4 Neither does location fit, since CCD occurred in rural areas with little ozone, and conversely is not normally a problem in my area of the Sierra foothills, which often (and unfortunately) has one of the highest ozone levels in the country due to the smog blowing up from Sacramento (easy to confirm, since the ozone quickly destroys anything made of rubber). Verdict: Although a high ozone levels certainly doesn’t make life any easier for bees (or beekeepers), it does not appear to be the cause of colony collapse. HAARP is a favorite of conspiracy theorists, and one website5 presents a convincing case that the high frequency transmissions are the cause of CCD. The hypothesis is that the transmissions are interfering with the bees’ navigational ability. I’m not being frivolous here–some earnest beekeepers implored me to investigate the facts. Biological plausibility: In brief, the HAARP antenna array in Alaska is a cooperative military/academic experimental station that shoots strong electromagnetic pulses into the ionosphere. Either the resulting wavelengths of light produced in the ionosphere above the station, or the extra low frequency (ELF) radio waves transmitted around the globe could plausibly interfere with the bee navigation system. Analysis: The emitted electromagnetic energy pulses from HAARP are dwarfed by the natural atmospheric electromagnetic radiation variation from the sun, and their strength drops off according to the inverse square law. At only 150 ft away from the antennas, it already falls within human safety standards. When I did the math, the strength of the signal by the time it finally reaches my apiaries in California would be less than a billionth of the intensity of that typically found near AM broadcast station antennas in many urban areas6. Similar ELF waves are created by lightning bolts, which strike the Earth some 100 times per second. A single bolt can produce far more electromagnetic radiation that the entire 3600kW output of HAARP.7 And as far as the timing, HAARP started intermittent testing in 1994, but did not actually begin transmitting at full power until 2007, long after CCD started to be reported. Verdict: The laws of physics and the timing appear to let HAARP off the hook as being the cause of CCD (the math doesn’t support it being the cause of earthquakes either). The next two factors come under suspicion based upon the hypothesis that CCD is caused by bees being unable to find their way back to the hive, thus leading to sudden colony depopulation. Biological plausibility: Bees produce tiny molecules of magnetite in their bodies, which they appear to use in navigation.[i] Electromagnetic fields could plausibly disrupt their ability to find their way back to the hive. Alternately, some bee tissues may resonate with certain wavelengths of EMR, leading to biological effects. Analysis: The intermittent appearance of CCD does not match the steady proliferation of cell phone and other electromagnetic transmissions. More importantly, CCD occurred in areas in which you couldn’t get cell reception; conversely, plenty of apiaries thrived immediately adjacent to cell phone and radio towers, and under electrical transmission lines. Verdict: Although the cell phone hypothesis certainly resonated with the public (and gave beekeepers fodder for a lot of jokes), there are more cell phone transmissions today than when CCD made the press, yet CCD has largely gone away. One thing to keep in mind with any alleged cause of CCD is that it should also explain the historical appearances of colony depopulations in the older literature—cell phones were not around then. Natural solar flares cause “geomagnetic storms” on Earth. Dr. Tom Ferrari8 has proposed that such storms may be the cause of CCD due to their effect upon bee magnetoreception, causing bees to lose the ability to find their way home. Biological plausibility: The hypothesis that geomagnetic flux affects bee navigation is biologically plausible, and I have been corresponding with Dr. Ferrari, and have seen his supportive (unpublished) experimental data that forager return takes longer during solar flare events. Solar storms have also occurred as long as the Earth has existed, so could possibly explain historical colony depopulation events. Analysis: The question boils down to whether CCD is actually caused by the inability of foragers to find their way back to the hive. If solar storms were indeed the cause of CCD, one would expect them to affect all colonies equally over a wide area in which the flux occurred during daylight hours, which does not happen. And since I began correspondence with Dr. Ferrari, I’ve paid particular attention to any news reports of major solar storms to see whether I could observe the resulting geomagnetic flux causing any noticeable depopulations of my apiaries—I haven’t. Verdict: Although I find Dr. Ferrari’s experimental data to be of great interest, since it appears to indicate that bee navigation is indeed affected by aberrations in the geomagnetic flux, I do not find it to make a compelling case for being the cause of CCD. I do look forward, however, to seeing more research on this aspect of bee navigation. In many recent and historical instances of unusual colony mortality, an unexpected spring or fall chill preceded the event. Biological plausibility: The unexpected chilling of a colony with brood requires the colony to ramp up its metabolism, which stresses bees already suffering from nosema or virus infections. Such chilling may also suppress the bee antiviral response.9 In addition, should the colony already have a low bee:brood ratio due to a virus or nosema infection, then a cold snap could result in the chilling of the brood, which can greatly shorten the subsequent life spans of those workers.10 Analysis: Dr. Bill Wilson observed in 1979 how “Disappearing Disease” tended to be associated with chill events: “In the case of [Disappearing Disease]… the colonies frequently have gone through a period of nectar and pollen collection with active brood rearing. Then the weather has turned unseasonably cool and damp and remained adverse for from about 3 to 14 days. Such a situation usually occurs in early spring. During the inclement weather, the bee populations dwindle because the worker bees disappear from the hive leaving a “handful” of bees and the queen.” 11 A similar correlation between chill events and the occurrence of sudden colony depopulation has been noted again and again in the historical record, as it was with the first reports of CCD.12 In my own experience, I have repeatedly observed unseasonable chills to precipitate the sudden collapse of colonies infected with either nosema or viruses. 13 Verdict: There is a strong case to be made for unexpected chilling to contribute to colony collapse. The chilling is not the proximate cause of the exodus of the bees from the hive, but tends to precipitate the chain of events leading to colony collapse (see Sick Bees, Part 2).14 Naysayers aside, the Earth’s climate appears to be warming, and such change is reflected in shifting weather patterns, which may affect bee forage. Dr. Eric Mussen15 has noted that in some areas of the California foothills, previously common native plants no longer supply fall forage. Biological plausibility: The weather is well known to be a huge factor in colony survival, due to its indirect effect upon plant production of nectar and pollen, and the ability of bees to forage for them. Temperature extremes (hot or cold) also stress colonies. In addition, the weather appears to affect the levels of nosema and varroa. Climate change affects plant communities, which may then have either positive or negative effects upon pollinator populations—a drier climate may eliminate bee forage, whereas a warming climate would expand favorable bee habitat northward. Analysis: Dr. Gordon Wardell16 gave an excellent presentation shortly after the first reports of CCD, in which he used weather maps to show how unusual weather patterns appeared to correlate with subsequent increased colony mortality. In certain areas, warm winter weather led to fruitless foraging and the using up of precious stores; in other areas, prolonged spring rains prevented necessary foraging for pollen. On the other hand, this year’s warm January appeared to be very beneficial to bees. Verdict: Weather and climate change may well be associated with pollinator decline in certain areas, directly affect colony survival, and could well be contributing factors to CCD. Biological plausibility: The seasonal buildup of colonies, and their health over the rest of the season, is largely a function of the availability of good mixed forage, which is best provided by the diverse plant communities naturally present in areas with fertile soil and ample water. Analysis: Unfortunately, honey bees are in direct competition with humans for such habitats, as people convert fertile lands into cropland and towns. Habitat loss directly and clearly affects many species, including honey bees. This fact sets it apart from bee-specific factors such as varroa or beekeeper management practices. It strikes me odd that when people think of the impact of farming upon bees that they focus upon pesticides. In truth, the most destructive annihilator of natural ecosystems is the act of tillage—the mechanical preparation of land for the growing of crops (Fig. 4). I keep bees on several organic farms, and they are lovely to look at. But I choke when someone starts to wax poetic about organic agriculture being in harmony with nature. Try to explain that illusionary harmony to the unfortunate former denizens of the diverse ecosystem that existed previous to the clearing and tillage of that fertile land! In an acre of the former natural ecological community, there may have existed hundreds of species of plants and animals. When converted to farmland, you may be able to count the number of reestablished species on your fingers and toes. And those species of plants that are favorable to bees we generally refer to as weeds! Habitat conversion to agriculture has changed the face of the most fertile lands on Earth. Unfortunately for the honey bee, the flora of converted lands, rather than being replaced with bee-friendly plants, are largely planted to crops that offer scant nutrition for pollinators (Fig. 5). Only a tiny proportion of cropland actually requires pollination by bees, but even that fact hardly makes it good bee habitat. Take almond orchards, for instance. Over half of all managed hives in the country are transported to supply the pollination needs of this crop. Why? Because bees can’t survive on land converted to almond orchards when the trees are not in bloom! The almond orchards represent over 1000 square miles of fertile California Central Valley land that becomes a “bee desert” for the 49 weeks of the year that the trees are not in bloom. Farmers today are also moving away from their previous rotations of legume-rich (and bee friendly) pasture, upon which livestock were formerly put out to graze. The new model is to keep beef and dairy cattle in feedlots, bringing their food—in the form of hay, silage, and corn—to them. Compare the photos below that I took of two dairies in Indiana (Figs. 6 and 7). Newer beekeepers may not notice the effects of land use change due to the “shifting baseline syndrome”—in which we take for granted the current state of affairs, not knowing or remembering how it used to be. In this matter, the old timers (once you get past the “the older I get, the better I was” part) are a valuable resource of historical knowledge to which we can compare the situation of today. For example, I ran my hives to irrigated alfalfa for some 25 years, until the demand for high protein “dairy hay” caused the farmers to start cutting it at the slightest hint of bloom, greatly reducing the honey crop. Even so, since summer bee pasture is at such a premium in the West, it got to the point that I could throw a rock and hit another beekeeper’s hives at any of my long-held locations. So even though one would not see any particular change in land use in the area, those fields went from being my most productive locations to not being worth the effort to move bees to. Verdict: Although habitat conversion is not likely the proximate cause of colony mortality, colonies stressed by lack of good forage are less able to cope with parasites, pesticides, overcrowding, and other insults. The conversion of meadows and other biologically productive lands to monocultures, the practice of fencepost-to-fencepost tillage and the elimination of hedgerows, “clean farming” requirements by food processors to remove extraneous animal habitat, the shift away from pasturing livestock, and the placing of fallow lands into cultivation, have all resulted in loss of bee forage. Such habitat change is the scientific community’s number one suspect for pollinator decline in general.18 It doesn’t directly cause CCD, but colonies that suffered from CCD often came from areas of poor forage. This physical elimination of food sources is likely a major cause in increased colony mortality worldwide, since malnourished colonies cannot thrive. It will be difficult to reverse the trend, but land management practices can make farmland more pollinator friendly. A number of organizations worldwide are promoting such practices, and public pressure will greatly help to promote the conservation of biodiversity. See References for more information. None of the above discussion is revelatory, since this series is largely retrospective. However, I felt it necessary to grant some myths a dignified death. Next I’ll move onto some more contentious issues, such as agricultural exposure, GMO’s, and pesticides. Thanks as ever to my friend and collaborator Peter Loring Borst for his untiring help in literature review. And thanks to all the researchers who perform the tedious hard work of investigating colony mortality—it is only through their efforts and helpful correspondence that I could attempt my methodical analysis of this subject. All would be academic if it were not for the smart and hardworking professional beekeepers who keep me informed. My sons and I are continually learning how to better manage our own hives. My articles are simply a reflection of what goes through my head each day as I try to digest all the scientific research, and then apply it in a practical manner to our own operation. Most importantly, thanks for the appreciation and support that I get from beekeepers large and small worldwide. We are all in this together. OPERA (2011) Bee health in Europe – Facts and Figures http://www.pollinator.org/PDFs/OPERAReport.pdf One of the best overall objective reports, from a European think tank called OPERA. I highly recommend. AFSSA (2009) Mortalités, effondrements et affaiblissements des colonies d’abeilles (Weakening, collapse and mortality of bee colonies). http://www.afssa.fr/Documents/SANT-Ra-MortaliteAbeilles.pdf This free download, translated into English, is an excellent overall review of colony mortality in Europe by the French Food Safety Agency. Landscape enhancement for bees Support beekeeper Kathy Kellison’s nonprofit Partners for Sustainable Pollination http://pfspbees.org/ Project Apism is working to get growers to plant bee forage in California http://projectapism.org/content/view/142/61/ Decourtye, A, E Mader, N Desneux (2010) Landscape enhancement of floral resources for honey bees in agro-ecosystems. Apidologie 41: 264–277. Free download Wrattena, SD, et al (2012) Pollinator habitat enhancement: Benefits to other ecosystem services. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 159: 112– 122. An excellent download for increasing pollinator habitat on farmland can be found at ftp://ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/NH/WWW/New%20England_NRCS_Pollinator_Tech_Note_FINAL.pdf And to their credit, Syngenta has a program! http://operationpollinator.com 2 vanEngelsdorp, D, et al (2006) “Fall-Dwindle Disease”: Investigations into the causes of sudden and alarming colony losses experienced by beekeepers in the fall of 2006. http://www.freshfromflorida.com/pi/plantinsp/apiary/fall_dwindle_report.pdf 3 McFrederick, Q.S., J.C. Kathilankal, and J.D. Fuentes (2008) Air pollution modifies floral scent trails. Atmospheric Environment 42:2336. 7 Bianchi, C and A Meloni (n.d.) Terrestrial natural and man-made electromagnetic noise. http://www.progettomem.it/doc/MEM_Noise.pdf 8 Reviewed by Wajnberg, E, et al (2010) Magnetoreception in eusocial insects: an update. http://rsif.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/7/Suppl_2/S207.full.pdf+html?sid=4cea0921-cf0e-48df-80f8-fe2206db6976 9 Ferrari, T.E. & A.B. Cobb (2011) Correlations between geomagnetic storms and colony collapse disorder. And Honey bees, magnetoreception and colony collapse disorder. http://www.extension.org/pages/58650/proceedings-of-the-american-bee-research-conference-2011 10 Bailey, L (1969) The multiplication and spread of sacbrood virus of bees. Ann. App. Biol. 63: 483-491. 11 Medrzycki, F, et al (2010) Influence of brood rearing temperature on honey bee development and susceptibility to poisoning by pesticides. Journal of Apicultural Research 49 (1): 52-59. 12 Wilson, WT, and DM Menapace (1979) Disappearing disease of honey bees: A survey of the United States. ABJ March 1979: 184-186. 13 Dr. Jerry Bromenshenk, pers comm. 14 Oliver, R (2012) Sick Bees 18a—Colony Collapse Revisited http://scientificbeekeeping.com/sick-bees-part-18a-colony-collaspse-revisited/ 15 Oliver, R (2010) Sick Bees – Part 2: A Model of Colony Collapse. http://scientificbeekeeping.com/sick-bees-part-2-a-model-of-colony-collapse/ 16 Dr. Eric Mussen, pers comm. 17 Presentation to Western Apicultural Society, Tucson, AZ, 2007. 18 Blacquière, T (2010) Care for bees: for many reasons and in many ways. Proc. Neth. Entomol. Soc. Meet. 21: 35-41. http://edepot.wur.nl/185843

By far the most common question we hear is, "Which type of hive should I get?". This is a complex question that boils down to: what do you want to get out of beekeeping? Is it strictly pollination and support of honeybee populations? A little honey? A lot of honey? Based on these types of considerations, you will want to determine what hive type will best suit your needs. We ask our bees what they prefer all the time but they never offer an opinion either way! Bees will be bees in whichever type of hive you choose. The three most common hives used in the United States are the Langstroth Hive, Horizontal Top Bar Hive, and the Warre Hive. These are the three hives we sell and use in our own apiary. Each design has its own benefits and drawbacks; none of them are perfect for every situation. This handy table will help you determine which hive type is right for you. TOP BAR HIVE |Overview||Rising in popularity for backyard beekeepers due to its simplicity, ease of access, no heavy lifting, and few accessories required.||The most hands-off hive, ideal for those looking for a simple-to-manage hive with lighter boxes.||Most common hive in North America. Heavy boxes, lots of accessories and resources available.| |Cost||Low to high. Costs range from very cheap (building your own) to high-end with all the bells and whistles and everything in between. Few accessories required.||Low to high depending on if building your own or purchasing one. Few accessories required.||Mass produced hives are relatively cheap, but required accessories and components add up and are costly.| |Maintenance||The most frequent maintenance and monitoring, but no heavy lifting is involved.||The least maintenance. Boxes added to the bottom in the spring. Harvest in the fall.||Relatively little maintenance. Boxes can be added early in anticipation of colony growth or a strong nectar flow.| |Weight||The easiest on the back. Once the hive is in place, lifting only involves 3-7lb combs.||Significantly lighter than the Langstroth, heavier than the horizontal top bar hive.||The heaviest and most awkward to lift and maintain, between approximately 30 and 80lbs, depending on the box size.| |Production||Some expert top bar beekeepers maintain they harvest similar honey quantities from their Top Bar Hives and their Langstroths. More frequent inspection required.||Comparable production to Langstroth as long as boxes are added on time.||Arguably the highest honey production of the three, due to large box sizes.| |Colony Health||Natural, foundationless combs improve colony health.||Natural, foundationless combs improve colony health.||With foundationless combs, the same likelyhood for survival as other designs.| |Next Steps||Choose a Top Bar Hive→||Choose a Warre Hive→||Choose a Langstroth Hive→| Most beekeepers using this style pour in a swarm or package of bees at one end, and then continue providing the bees with more bars as they build through the box. With false backs (dividers called follower boards), beekeepers can expand and contract the amount of space to which the bees have access, prompting them to build in an orderly and tidy fashion. In the mid 1900s, the Peace Corps introduced the horizontal top bar hive in Africa as a low cost alternative to standard box hives like the Langstroth. Since the top bar hives could be built from cheap materials with no need for a wide selection of power tools, they allowed impoverished areas to move away from subsistence, destructive honey hunting, to a more profitable means of tending bees. This has allowed many communities to benefit from honey and wax sales, using inexpensive hives in a sustainable manner. Top bar hives have no stacking boxes or frames, thus there is no heavy lifting, and they don't require an extractor to harvest honey. Instead, the beekeeper harvests any time the hive is close to being filled. To harvest, beekeepers cut entire honey combs from the bars, to either eat or sell the cut-comb honey, or crush and strain the honey from the wax resulting in strained, clear honey and separated wax that can then be rendered for candles or balms. Most modern of the hive designs we are discussing, the Warre hive was invented in the early 1900s by a monk in France named Emile Warre. He was a pragmatic beekeeper who wanted a hive that was inexpensive to build, easy to manage, produced honey, and was a good environment for the bees. He researched and experimented with over 300 hives, including those like the horizontal top bar hive and Langstroth hive, until he settled on his design. He called it "The People's Hive," as he thought it was a great design for all beekeepers. This design is usually started with two boxes and a swarm or package of bees. The hive consists of stacked boxes with 8 top bars (similar to those of the horizontal top bar hive) evenly spaced across the top of each box. The bees build their own natural combs from the bars. The boxes are noticeably smaller than those of the Langstroth hive -- approximately 12" square vs 19"x14". This is because Warre looked at bees in nature and found that the cavities in which they lived, and the clusters of bees within, were much smaller than the managed hives allowed for. Another noteable difference from the Langstroth hive is that boxes are added to the BOTTOM of the hive rather than the TOP. Many Langstroth beekeepers, at first, think this idea is crazy. However, when one observes feral colonies living in trees or other natural cavities, they ALWAYS build comb from the top of the cavity downward. The only reason bees build upwards in Langstroth hives is because beekeepers add the empty space on top. Bees will build in the direction they are able to. Thus, If you add empty space to the left or right (such as the horizontal top bar hive) the bees will build left or right. In the Warre they build down, like they do in a natural cavity and left to their own instincts. By adding boxes to the bottom, bees continue moving their brood nest downward and eventually organize all of their honey stores to the top boxes. This creates a natural cycle of comb removal; key to perpetuating healthy colonies and hive environments. By adding to the bottom and taking from the top, all the combs will be cycled out every few years. The most common hive in North America and Australia, the Langstroth hive was invented in the mid 1800s by the reverend Lorenzo Langstroth. The most important part of his invention, and that which he is most known for, is the moveable frame. There is much debate as to whether he truly was the first to create the moveable frame, but it is his hive that rose up to dominate the modern beekeeping world. The Langstroth hive is made up multiple stacked boxes of various heights. The different box names are: deep, medium and shallow, which corresponds to the height of each box (deeps being the tallest boxes and shallows being the shortest). Most Langstroth beekeepers start their hive with either 2 deeps, or 3 mediums depending on their preference. The boxes come in 2 widths -- 10-frame (the most common) or 8-frame. In our own Langstroth hives we use 8-frame medium boxes throughout the hive. This dramatically reduces the weight of the boxes, and makes all parts interchangeable. As the colony builds through the boxes, the beekeeper usually adds boxes to the top (called supering) so the bees can continue building upward. Later in the season, after the colony has filled up the "supers," the beekeeper will remove the surplus honey supers, leaving the rest for the bees. Inside the frames, most beekeepers use a thin sheet called foundation. These sheets of foundation are made from either beeswax or plastic, and they are pressed into the hexagon pattern to resemble that of a real comb. Upon installation, the bees draw this foundation out further, creating the cells into which their brood will develop and their honey will be stored. Often, this foundation has wires run through it for added strength. When it's time to harvest, the beekeeper will usually remove the frames and foundation, cut the caps off of the honey cells, and then spin the honey out in a centrifuge called an extractor. What many don't realize is that when Langstroth first invented his hive, foundation wasn't readily available. Instead, he allowed the bees to build natural combs inside the frames (as they've built for millions of years). This is what we do in all of our hives.

I am wanting to sell honey at reniassance festivals but am having a heck of a time finding information on "ren" period beekeeping let alone the garb of that day for a beekeeper. Being a stickler for historical accuracy, I don't want to continue to seriously on this path with out having a provrebial leg to stand on. Any ideas? suggestions? resources? anything???

That the company is named “Eat Me Raw” is not the best part. The sustainable-scale raw-honey business takes its moniker from a phrase founder Dan Skipwith used to end a conversation with a pesky representative from a federal agency. “It’s nothing sexual I assure you,” Skipwith said, during a recent walk out to his Kasilof-area hives, which were buzzing with the work of 100,000 honeybees. Beyond a humorist’s view on the world, Skipwith has a message to go with his sweet product: bees are good stewards of their world and their resources, and keeping them can teach mankind to be the same, sometimes. “Everything else goes away when I open a hive,” he said. A busy man, with happy-docent qualities and a continuing student’s interest in his work with the bees, Skipwith said this year’s hives might produce enough honey to sell and give away to those he thinks could use the health benefits of raw honey — an anti-viral digestive-promoting antioxidant immune system booster that can also stabilize blood pressure for some and combat allergies for others. There is also myriad uses for the honeybee wax and the wide collections of tree shrub and plant pollens brought back to the hives from foraging trips. This year is definitely the best year in a while, Skipwith said of the Kenai Peninsula weather that his honeybees must endure as non-native species. The cold springs and wet summers of the last three years have kept honey production down, if the bees produced at all. As a general rule, when the colonies in Alaska fail to produce it’s weather related, not colony collapse disorder. Last year, the excessive rain — 28 days in a row — kept Skipwith’s bees in the hives seeking dry warmth when they should have been out foraging for nectars. For the first time, he had to feed his bees. The total result that year was an only couple of pounds of honey. “A whole different ballgame than down south,” Skipwith said. Honeybees are not native to Alaska and as a result keeping them can be a tough proposition. There have been bumper years for production; the University of Alaska Cooperative Extension Service reports per-hive honey production rates varying from 12 pounds to 127 pounds. “The late 1980s to the mid 1990s were very good years for the bees,” Skipwith said. He’s been working with bees for 30 years, since first buying a beekeeper’s suit and hive on a whim. There were about a dozen beekeepers when he began keeping bees. Now, he estimates that 150 people keep honeybees in the Kenai area. Some estimates say up to 45 million honeybees work between the Kenai Peninsula and the agricultural areas around Anchorage. Like any good tool in Alaska, honey has more than one use. If you are allergic to something, eating a little bee-collected pollen from that plant or tree can begin the end of that allergy, Skipwith said. His family also uses it an anti-bacterial salve on cuts and burns. His bees work in Kenai, Clam Gulch and in Kasilof. His Kasilof hives will soon move to the fireweed fields consuming the burned area in the Caribou Hills. Until then, they’ll have bluebells, lupine, dandelions, raspberry and any number of other available nectars grown on the Skipwith property. “My wife and I are gardeners,” he said of the bounty of pollen available to his bees. Beyond the billions of tons of food produced annually by nectar-seeking bee pollination — every third bite you take, according to Skipwith — they are harbingers of the local environmental health of a community. Be careful of what you put on your lawns and in your soils, he warned. He recently lost a colony in a Kenai neighborhood to pesticide positioning. “Imagine what that stuff is doing to their children,” he said. It’s another message that underlies Skipwith’s honeybee mission. For example: to date he’s not mixed his beekeeping with local agriculture. He’s not so sure that his bees wouldn’t get into something chemical based, such as pesticides and fertilizers, That his honey is organic and non-GMO is very important to Skipwith, but he is keeping an eye toward food farming in Alaska as a future — if global warming continues. As warmer temperatures move north and the Midwest continues to over heat and dry out, Alaska could become America’s breadbasket, he said. It’s in that future that the bees will be needed on the Kenai. What’s not OK for the honey his bees make, is pasteurizing it and filtering it into a sterile sweetener — like most honey found in most stores. It literally takes the life out of honey otherwise teaming with healthful organisms. “By the time you get to it in the store, it’s only sucrose,” Skipwith said. Along with his own personal growth through bees, Skipwith has helped establish other beekeepers and spread the good word of beekeeping as he’s seen the peninsula population grow 12 times over. In schools, at his own hives or the annual harvest party, three generations have caught the bug. He coaches others interested in the subject on the how’s, why’s and philosophies of bee keeping. “I’m not going to be here forever,” he said. Answering one final question, Skipwith said, “Yes they have knees. Would you like me to show you?” Reach Greg Skinner at [email protected].

“As to religion, I hold it to be the indispensable duty of government to protect all conscientious professors thereof, and I know of no other business which government hath to do therewith. Let a man throw aside that narrowness of soul, that selfishness of principle, which the niggards of all professions are so unwilling to part with, and he will be at once delivered of his fears on that head. Suspicion is the companion of mean souls, and the bane of all good society. For myself, I fully and conscientiously believe that it is the will of the Almighty that there should be a diversity of religious opinions among us. It affords a larger field for our Christian kindness; were we all of one way of thinking, our religious dispositions would want matter for probation; and on this liberal principle I look on the various denominations among us to be like children of the same family, differing only in what is called their Christian names.” “… there are three different ways by which an independency may hereafter be effected, and that one of those three, will, one day or other, be the fate of America, viz. By the legal voice of the people in Congress; by a military power, or by a mob: It may not always happen that our soldiers are citizens, and the multitude a body of reasonable men; virtue, as I have already remarked, is not hereditary, neither is it perpetual. Should an independency be brought about by the first of those means, we have every opportunity and every encouragement before us, to form the noblest, purest constitution on the face of the earth. We have it in our power to begin the world over again. A situation, similar to the present, hath not happened since the days of Noah until now.” “WHEREFORE, instead of gazing at each other with suspicious or doubtful curiosity, let each of us hold out to his neighbor the hearty hand of friendship, and unite in drawing a line, which, like an act of oblivion, shall bury in forgetfulness every former dissension. Let the names of Whig and Tory be extinct; and let none other be heard among us, than those of a good citizen, an open and resolute friend, and a virtuous supporter of the RIGHTS of MANKIND, and of the FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES OF AMERICA.” “These are the times that try men’s souls.” This simple quotation from Founding Father Thomas Paine’s The Crisis not only describes the beginnings of the American Revolution, but also the life of Paine himself. Throughout most of his life, his writings inspired passion, but also brought him great criticism. He communicated the ideas of the Revolution to common farmers as easily as to intellectuals, creating prose that stirred the hearts of the fledgling United States. He had a grand vision for society: he was staunchly anti-slavery, and he was one of the first to advocate a world peace organization and social security for the poor and elderly. But his radical views on religion would destroy his success, and by the end of his life, only a handful of people attended his funeral. AGE OF REASON January 27, O. S. 1794 – TO MY FELLOW-CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I PUT the following work under your protection. It contains my opinions upon Religion. You will do me the justice to remember, that I have always strenuously supported the Right of every Man to his own opinion, however different that opinion might be to mine. He who denies to another this right, makes a slave of himself to his present opinion, because he precludes himself the right of changing it. The most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is Reason. I have never used any other, and I trust I never shall. Your affectionate friend and fellow-citizen, - What country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. In Thomas Jefferson‘s day, the books he lovingly collected were almost as famous as he was. Leather-bound tomes on topics as varied as whist, beekeeping and philosophy were gathered from across Europe and colonial America, then brought to Monticello to help fulfill Jefferson’s vow to amass the whole of human knowledge. They eventually became the foundation for the Library of Congress, although two-thirds were lost in a fire in 1851. For the past decade, a small group of rare book experts has sought to re-create Jefferson’s library, scouring antiquarian book collections on two continents to acquire thousands of volumes. The entire collection of more than 6,000 volumes — some originals and some replacements — will go on display tomorrow at the Library of Congress, looking much as it would have 200 years ago. “These are the books that made America,” said Mark Dimunation, chief of the Rare Books and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress. On September 25, 1789, the First Federal Congress of the United States proposed to the state legislatures twelve amendments to the Constitution. The first two, concerning the number of constituents for each Representative and the compensation of Congressmen, were not ratified. Articles three through twelve, known as the Bill of Rights, became the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution and contained guarantees of essential rights and liberties omitted in the crafting of the original document. Posted by bosskitty on June 18, 2007 Abraham Lincoln (attributed): You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time. Albert Einstein: Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods. Alfred North Whitehead: There are no whole truths: all truths are half-truths. It is trying to treat them as whole truths that plays the devil. Anais Nin: When we blindly adopt a religion, a political system, a literary dogma, we become automatons. We cease to grow. Andre Gide: Believe those who are seeking the truth; doubt those who find it. Buddha: Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true. [paraphrased] Demosthenes: Nothing is easier than self-deceit. For what each man wishes, that he also believes to be true. Edward R. Murrow: Most truths are so naked that people feel sorry for them and cover them up, at least a little bit. Joan of Arc: Children say that people are hung sometimes for speaking the truth. Leonardo da Vinci: Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using his intelligence; he is just using his memory. Voltaire: As long as people believe in absurdities, they will continue to commit atrocities. BossKitty: Truth cannot be dictated. Truth can only be dressed in different garments. Thomas Jefferson: He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual. Dwight D. Eisenhower: Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. The world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. Franklin Delano Roosevelt: I have seen war. I have seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen the dead in the mud. I have seen cities destroyed. I have seen children starving. I have seen the agony of mothers and wives. I hate war. General Douglas MacArthur: I know war as few other men now living know it, and nothing to me is more revolting. I have long advocated its complete abolition, as its very destructiveness on both friend and foe has rendered it useless as a method of settling international disputes. Gertrude Stein: A nice war is a war where everybody who is heroic is a hero, and everybody more or less is a hero in a nice war. Now this war is not at all a nice war. Hermann Goering: Naturally the common people don’t want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country. quote verified at snopes.com Omar N. Bradley: Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about living. We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount. R. Buckminster Fuller: Either war is obsolete or men are. Theodore Roosevelt: To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. (1918) || Excerpts from Federalist Papers No. 3 & 4|| The Same Subject Continued: Concerning Dangers From Foreign Force and Influence For the Independent Journal. Author: John Jay The number of wars which have happened or will happen in the world will always be found to be in proportion to the number and weight of the causes, whether REAL or PRETENDED, which PROVOKE or INVITE them. If this remark be just, it becomes useful to inquire whether so many JUST causes of war are likely to be given by UNITED AMERICA as by DISUNITED America; for if it should turn out that United America will probably give the fewest, then it will follow that in this respect the Union tends most to preserve the people in a state of peace with other nations. The JUST causes of war, for the most part, arise either from violation of treaties or from direct violence. America has already formed treaties with no less than six foreign nations, and all of them, except Prussia, are maritime, and therefore able to annoy and injure us. She has also extensive commerce with Portugal, Spain, and Britain, and, with respect to the two latter, has, in addition, the circumstance of neighborhood to attend to. It is of high importance to the peace of America that she observe the laws of nations towards all these powers, and to me it appears evident that this will be more perfectly and punctually done by one national government than it could be either by thirteen separate States or by three or four distinct confederacies. But not only fewer just causes of war will be given by the national government, but it will also be more in their power to accommodate and settle them amicably. They will be more temperate and cool, and in that respect, as well as in others, will be more in capacity to act advisedly than the offending State. The pride of states, as well as of men, naturally disposes them to justify all their actions, and opposes their acknowledging, correcting, or repairing their errors and offenses. The national government, in such cases, will not be affected by this pride, but will proceed with moderation and candor to consider and decide on the means most proper to extricate them from the difficulties which threaten them. But the safety of the people of America against dangers from FOREIGN force depends not only on their forbearing to give JUST causes of war to other nations, but also on their placing and continuing themselves in such a situation as not to INVITE hostility or insult; for it need not be observed that there are PRETENDED as well as just causes of war. It is too true, however disgraceful it may be to human nature, that nations in general will make war whenever they have a prospect of getting anything by it; nay, absolute monarchs will often make war when their nations are to get nothing by it, but for the purposes and objects merely personal, such as thirst for military glory, revenge for personal affronts, ambition, or private compacts to aggrandize or support their particular families or partisans. These and a variety of other motives, which affect only the mind of the sovereign, often lead him to engage in wars not sanctified by justice or the voice and interests of his people. But, independent of these inducements to war, which are more prevalent in absolute monarchies, but which well deserve our attention, there are others which affect nations as often as kings; and some of them will on examination be found to grow out of our relative situation and circumstances. We should take heed to truths expounded by our Founding Fathers in the 1780s Posted by bosskitty on July 22, 2007 The Real Character of the Executive Friday, March 14, 1788 Alexander Hamilton To the People of the State of New York: I PROCEED now to trace the real characters of the proposed Executive, as they are marked out in the plan of the convention. This will serve to place in a strong light the unfairness of the representations which have been made in regard to it. The first thing which strikes our attention is, that the executive authority, with few exceptions, is to be vested in a single magistrate. This will scarcely, however, be considered as a point upon which any comparison can be grounded; for if, in this particular, there be a resemblance to the king of Great Britain, there is not less a resemblance to the Grand Seignior, to the khan of Tartary, to the Man of the Seven Mountains, or to the governor of New York. That magistrate is to be elected for FOUR years; and is to be re-eligible as often as the people of the United States shall think him worthy of their confidence. In these circumstances there is a total dissimilitude between HIM and a king of Great Britain, who is an HEREDITARY monarch, possessing the crown as a patrimony descendible to his heirs forever; but there is a close analogy between HIM and a governor of New York, who is elected for THREE years, and is re-eligible without limitation or intermission. If we consider how much less time would be requisite for establishing a dangerous influence in a single State, than for establishing a like influence throughout the United States, we must conclude that a duration of FOUR years for the Chief Magistrate of the Union is a degree of permanency far less to be dreaded in that office, than a duration of THREE years for a corresponding office in a single State. The President of the United States would be liable to be impeached, tried, and, upon conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes or misdemeanors, removed from office; and would afterwards be liable to prosecution and punishment in the ordinary course of law. The person of the king of Great Britain is sacred and inviolable; there is no constitutional tribunal to which he is amenable; no punishment to which he can be subjected without involving the crisis of a national revolution. In this delicate and important circumstance of personal responsibility, the President of Confederated America would stand upon no better ground than a governor of New York, and upon worse ground than the governors of Maryland and Delaware. The President is to be the “commander-in-chief of the army and navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several States, when called into the actual service of the United States. He is to have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, EXCEPT IN CASES OF IMPEACHMENT; to recommend to the consideration of Congress such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; to convene, on extraordinary occasions, both houses of the legislature, or either of them, and, in case of disagreement between them WITH RESPECT TO THE TIME OF ADJOURNMENT, to adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper; to take care that the laws be faithfully executed; and to commission all officers of the United States.” In most of these particulars, the power of the President will resemble equally that of the king of Great Britain and of the governor of New York. The most material points of difference are these: First. The President will have only the occasional command of such part of the militia of the nation as by legislative provision may be called into the actual service of the Union. The king of Great Britain and the governor of New York have at all times the entire command of all the militia within their several jurisdictions. In this article, therefore, the power of the President would be inferior to that of either the monarch or the governor. Secondly. The President is to be commander-in-chief of the army and navy of the United States. In this respect his authority would be nominally the same with that of the king of Great Britain, but in substance much inferior to it. It would amount to nothing more than the supreme command and direction of the military and naval forces, as first General and admiral of the Confederacy; while that of the British king extends to the DECLARING of war and to the RAISING and REGULATING of fleets and armies, all which, by the Constitution under consideration, would appertain to the legislature. The governor of New York, on the other hand, is by the constitution of the State vested only with the command of its militia and navy. But the constitutions of several of the States expressly declare their governors to be commanders-in-chief, as well of the army as navy; and it may well be a question, whether those of New Hampshire and Massachusetts, in particular, do not, in this instance, confer larger powers upon their respective governors, than could be claimed by a President of the United States. Thirdly. The power of the President, in respect to pardons, would extend to all cases, EXCEPT THOSE OF IMPEACHMENT. The governor of New York may pardon in all cases, even in those of impeachment, except for treason and murder. Is not the power of the governor, in this article, on a calculation of political consequences, greater than that of the President? All conspiracies and plots against the government, which have not been matured into actual treason, may be screened from punishment of every kind, by the interposition of the prerogative of pardoning. If a governor of New York, therefore, should be at the head of any such conspiracy, until the design had been ripened into actual hostility he could insure his accomplices and adherents an entire impunity. A President of the Union, on the other hand, though he may even pardon treason, when prosecuted in the ordinary course of law, could shelter no offender, in any degree, from the effects of impeachment and conviction. Would not the prospect of a total indemnity for all the preliminary steps be a greater temptation to undertake and persevere in an enterprise against the public liberty, than the mere prospect of an exemption from death and confiscation, if the final execution of the design, upon an actual appeal to arms, should miscarry? Would this last expectation have any influence at all, when the probability was computed, that the person who was to afford that exemption might himself be involved in the consequences of the measure, and might be incapacitated by his agency in it from affording the desired impunity? The better to judge of this matter, it will be necessary to recollect, that, by the proposed Constitution, the offense of treason is limited “to levying war upon the United States, and adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort”; and that by the laws of New York it is confined within similar bounds. Fourthly. The President can only adjourn the national legislature in the single case of disagreement about the time of adjournment. The British monarch may prorogue or even dissolve the Parliament. The governor of New York may also prorogue the legislature of this State for a limited time; a power which, in certain situations, may be employed to very important purposes. The President is to have power, with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the senators present concur. The king of Great Britain is the sole and absolute representative of the nation in all foreign transactions. He can of his own accord make treaties of peace, commerce, alliance, and of every other description. The President is to nominate, and, WITH THE ADVICE AND CONSENT OF THE SENATE, to appoint ambassadors and other public ministers, judges of the Supreme Court, and in general all officers of the United States established by law, and whose appointments are not otherwise provided for by the Constitution. The king of Great Britain is emphatically and truly styled the fountain of honor. The President of the United States would be an officer elected by the people for FOUR years; the king of Great Britain is a perpetual and HEREDITARY prince. The one would be amenable to personal punishment and disgrace; the person of the other is sacred and inviolable. The one would have a QUALIFIED negative upon the acts of the legislative body; the other has an ABSOLUTE negative. The one would have a right to command the military and naval forces of the nation; the other, in addition to this right, possesses that of DECLARING war, and of RAISING and REGULATING fleets and armies by his own authority. The one would have a concurrent power with a branch of the legislature in the formation of treaties; the other is the SOLE POSSESSOR of the power of making treaties. The one would have a like concurrent authority in appointing to offices; the other is the sole author of all appointments. The one can confer no privileges whatever; the other can make denizens of aliens, noblemen of commoners; can erect corporations with all the rights incident to corporate bodies. The one can prescribe no rules concerning the commerce or currency of the nation; the other is in several respects the arbiter of commerce, and in this capacity can establish markets and fairs, can regulate weights and measures, can lay embargoes for a limited time, can coin money, can authorize or prohibit the circulation of foreign coin. The one has no particle of spiritual jurisdiction; the other is the supreme head and governor of the national church! What answer shall we give to those who would persuade us that things so unlike resemble each other? The same that ought to be given to those who tell us that a government, the whole power of which would be in the hands of the elective and periodical servants of the people, is an aristocracy, a monarchy, and a despotism. Although Hamilton was comparing the United States President with The British Monarch and the Governor of New York (1788), the descriptions of Presidential character are very important to understand. Posted by bosskitty on July 22, 2007 Paragraph 26. It is important, likewise, that the habits of thinking in a free country should inspire caution, in those intrusted with its administration, to confine themselves within their respective constitutional spheres, avoiding in the exercise of the powers of one department to encroach upon another. The spirit of encroachment tends to consolidate the powers of all the departments in one, and thus to create, whatever the form of government, a real despotism. A just estimate of that love of power, and proneness to abuse it, which predominates in the human heart, is sufficient to satisfy us of the truth of this position. The necessity of reciprocal checks in the exercise of political power, by dividing and distributing it into different depositories, and constituting each the Guardian of the Public Weal against invasions by the others, has been evinced by experiments ancient and modern; some of them in our country and under our own eyes. To preserve them must be as necessary as to institute them. If, in the opinion of the people, the distribution or modification of the constitutional powers be in any particular wrong, let it be corrected by an amendment in the way, which the constitution designates. But let there be no change by usurpation; for, though this, in one instance, may be the instrument of good, it is the customary weapon by which free governments are destroyed. The precedent must always greatly overbalance in permanent evil any partial or transient benefit, which the use can at any time yield. [AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text version below transcribed directly from audio. (2)] Good evening, my fellow Americans. First, I should like to express my gratitude to the radio and television networks for the opportunities they have given me over the years to bring reports and messages to our nation. My special thanks go to them for the opportunity of addressing you this evening. Three days from now, after half century in the service of our country, I shall lay down the responsibilities of office as, in traditional and solemn ceremony, the authority of the Presidency is vested in my successor. This evening, I come to you with a message of leave-taking and farewell, and to share a few final thoughts with you, my countrymen. Like every other — Like every other citizen, I wish the new President, and all who will labor with him, Godspeed. I pray that the coming years will be blessed with peace and prosperity for all. Our people expect their President and the Congress to find essential agreement on issues of great moment, the wise resolution of which will better shape the future of the nation. My own relations with the Congress, which began on a remote and tenuous basis when, long ago, a member of the Senate appointed me to West Point, have since ranged to the intimate during the war and immediate post-war period, and finally to the mutually interdependent during these past eight years. In this final relationship, the Congress and the Administration have, on most vital issues, cooperated well, to serve the nation good, rather than mere partisanship, and so have assured that the business of the nation should go forward. So, my official relationship with the Congress ends in a feeling — on my part — of gratitude that we have been able to do so much together. We now stand ten years past the midpoint of a century that has witnessed four major wars among great nations. Three of these involved our own country. Despite these holocausts, America is today the strongest, the most influential, and most productive nation in the world. Understandably proud of this pre-eminence, we yet realize that America’s leadership and prestige depend, not merely upon our unmatched material progress, riches, and military strength, but on how we use our power in the interests of world peace and human betterment. Throughout America’s adventure in free government, our basic purposes have been to keep the peace, to foster progress in human achievement, and to enhance liberty, dignity, and integrity among peoples and among nations. To strive for less would be unworthy of a free and religious people. Any failure traceable to arrogance, or our lack of comprehension, or readiness to sacrifice would inflict upon us grievous hurt, both at home and abroad. Progress toward these noble goals is persistently threatened by the conflict now engulfing the world. It commands our whole attention, absorbs our very beings. We face a hostile ideology global in scope, atheistic in character, ruthless in purpose, and insiduous [insidious] in method. Unhappily, the danger it poses promises to be of indefinite duration. To meet it successfully, there is called for, not so much the emotional and transitory sacrifices of crisis, but rather those which enable us to carry forward steadily, surely, and without complaint the burdens of a prolonged and complex struggle with liberty the stake. Only thus shall we remain, despite every provocation, on our charted course toward permanent peace and human betterment. Crises there will continue to be. In meeting them, whether foreign or domestic, great or small, there is a recurring temptation to feel that some spectacular and costly action could become the miraculous solution to all current difficulties. A huge increase in newer elements of our defenses; development of unrealistic programs to cure every ill in agriculture; a dramatic expansion in basic and applied research — these and many other possibilities, each possibly promising in itself, may be suggested as the only way to the road we wish to travel. But each proposal must be weighed in the light of a broader consideration: the need to maintain balance in and among national programs, balance between the private and the public economy, balance between the cost and hoped for advantages, balance between the clearly necessary and the comfortably desirable, balance between our essential requirements as a nation and the duties imposed by the nation upon the individual, balance between actions of the moment and the national welfare of the future. Good judgment seeks balance and progress. Lack of it eventually finds imbalance and frustration. The record of many decades stands as proof that our people and their Government have, in the main, understood these truths and have responded to them well, in the face of threat and stress. But threats, new in kind or degree, constantly arise. Of these, I mention two only. A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction. Our military organization today bears little relation to that known of any of my predecessors in peacetime, or, indeed, by the fighting men of World War II or Korea. Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense. We have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security alone more than the net income of all United States cooperations — corporations. Now this conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence — economic, political, even spiritual — is felt in every city, every Statehouse, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet, we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources, and livelihood are all involved. So is the very structure of our society. In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together. Akin to, and largely responsible for the sweeping changes in our industrial-military posture, has been the technological revolution during recent decades. In this revolution, research has become central; it also becomes more formalized, complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the Federal government. Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been overshadowed by task forces of scientists in laboratories and testing fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research. Partly because of the huge costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity. For every old blackboard there are now hundreds of new electronic computers. The prospect of domination of the nation’s scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present — and is gravely to be regarded. Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite. It is the task of statesmanship to mold, to balance, and to integrate these and other forces, new and old, within the principles of our democratic system — ever aiming toward the supreme goals of our free society. Another factor in maintaining balance involves the element of time. As we peer into society’s future, we — you and I, and our government — must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering for our own ease and convenience the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow. During the long lane of the history yet to be written, America knows that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect. Such a confederation must be one of equals. The weakest must come to the conference table with the same confidence as do we, protected as we are by our moral, economic, and military strength. That table, though scarred by many fast frustrations — past frustrations, cannot be abandoned for the certain agony of disarmament — of the battlefield. Disarmament, with mutual honor and confidence, is a continuing imperative. Together we must learn how to compose differences, not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose. Because this need is so sharp and apparent, I confess that I lay down my official responsibilities in this field with a definite sense of disappointment. As one who has witnessed the horror and the lingering sadness of war, as one who knows that another war could utterly destroy this civilization which has been so slowly and painfully built over thousands of years, I wish I could say tonight that a lasting peace is in sight. Happily, I can say that war has been avoided. Steady progress toward our ultimate goal has been made. But so much remains to be done. As a private citizen, I shall never cease to do what little I can to help the world advance along that road. So, in this, my last good night to you as your President, I thank you for the many opportunities you have given me for public service in war and in peace. I trust in that — in that — in that service you find some things worthy. As for the rest of it, I know you will find ways to improve performance in the future. You and I, my fellow citizens, need to be strong in our faith that all nations, under God, will reach the goal of peace with justice. May we be ever unswerving in devotion to principle, confident but humble with power, diligent in pursuit of the Nations’ great goals. To all the peoples of the world, I once more give expression to America’s prayerful and continuing aspiration: We pray that peoples of all faiths, all races, all nations, may have their great human needs satisfied; that those now denied opportunity shall come to enjoy it to the full; that all who yearn for freedom may experience its few spiritual blessings. Those who have freedom will understand, also, its heavy responsibility; that all who are insensitive to the needs of others will learn charity; and that the sources — scourges of poverty, disease, and ignorance will be made [to] disappear from the earth; and that in the goodness of time, all peoples will come to live together in a peace guaranteed by the binding force of mutual respect and love. Now, on Friday noon, I am to become a private citizen. I am proud to do so. I look forward to it. Thank you, and good night.

Login / Register ORNo Account? Register here. Give the food lover on your list new skills Locavore holiday giving guide: 2012 edition Perhaps there is a special person on your gift list who loves food — good food, local food, organic food. But this person can’t afford to eat out every night in the city’s finest restaurants. So he or she has been trying to buy better-quality food on a budget and figure out how to cook it at home. You know what might make this person really happy? A cooking class. Even better, a cooking class that centers on preparing local food. Or a class that centers on producing your own food. You’ve got several choices. At Cooks Warehouse stores around Atlanta, you can sign up for all kinds of cooking classes—including some local-themed ones. On Jan. 19 at the Decatur store, my former AJC colleague Meridith Ford will show how to make butter, sour cream and fresh cheeses from locally available raw milk and local pasteurized milk. Once a month beginning Jan. 26 at the Midtown store, Laurie and Will Moore of Alabama-based Moore Farms and Friends CSA will teach a class on a different group of farm ingredients, starting with dairy (in February, they’ll cook with local meats, and in March, they’ll turn to spring vegetables). On Feb. 20 at the East Cobb, Elizabeth Weaver will teach a Southern cooking class, and on Feb. 27 in the same store, M.J. Conboy will show how to make a wintertime vegan meal. Both the Atlanta Botanical Garden and the Wylde Center (formerly Oakhurst Community Garden) have upcoming classes in beekeeping and edible gardening. In addition, Atlanta Botanical Garden is offering a class in jam making, while the Wylde Center has classes in growing mushrooms and raising chickens. These one-time classes range in price from about $15 to $50. For a lot of would-be locavores, I’m betting that my friend Minde Herbert’s Affordably Organic class is going to be a big draw. When the Herbert family business took a financial hit in 2008, Herbert realized that to continue to feed her family high-quality, chemical-free food, she was going to have to get creative with her budget and her cooking. In a five-week Emory Continuing Education program, she’ll share her methods for cutting food costs while maintaining excellent quality—including developing relationships with local farmers, finding the best deals, gardening in small spaces, preserving foods at peak season (when they cost the least), and spending your organic dollars wisely. “For me, buying local isn’t about reducing our carbon footprint,” she says. “It’s about being in control of our food supply. It’s about supporting a local farm, and another local family. It’s about creating relationships so you can buy good food at a price that makes sense for your family.” The class is priced to make sense, too: $150 for five 1 1/2-hour sessions. Any of these classes would make an excellent gift for a food lover, but don’t feel obligated to give away all the seats. You can sign up yourself for one of them, too. Know of any other metro-area classes with a local food theme? Feel free to share them to the comment field below.

Temporarily Out of Stock Honey Bee Hobbyist is a wonderful beginner's beekeeping book from Dr. Norman Gary, beekeeper, research entomologist , bee behavior expert and musician! A bee specialist for over a half a century, Dr. Gary not only has taught actors how to perform with thousands of bees, but has also taught thousands of students the biology of bees. In this book Dr Gary counsels the beginning beekeeper on all things honey bee related, from observing your first hive to harvesting your own honey. Dr Gary's passion for bees is palpable in this practical , easy to follow guide to beekeeping as a hobby. Softcover 175 pages. Ship wt 1lb.

Are you a mead lover? You know, that fermented beverage made with honey growing in popularity? If yes or if you have a vineyard, you will want to pay attention. Central Texas Bee Rescue is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving the honeybees and they are currently seeking out vineyards for their bee hives across central Texas. The honeybee is dying off at an alarming rate and this is no small problem since they pollinate more than 100 types of crops in the United States, from the almonds in your granola to the berries atop your favorite dessert. Why? That’s a hard question to answer. What can be done about it? Here’s what Central Texas Bee Rescue (CTBR) aka American Honeybee Protection Agency (AHBPA) is doing: - working with landowners, renters, and other people who have an unwanted bee population on their property - placing bees on properties that are interested in helping revitalize their flora and fauna - teaching classes and private lessons in beekeeping. - actively promoting legislation that will help keep the honeybees alive In Austin, Central Texas Bee Rescue (CTBR) helped the Austin City Council pass an ordinance reflecting the importance of feral honeybees and instructing pest control businesses to prioritize the removal and relocation of wild or abandoned bees over destruction. They are working with the Houston City Council’s “Quality Of Life” committee to do that in Houston. CTBR has removed hundreds of beehives from Austin, San Antonio, and surrounding areas. Recently they have formed a new crew in Houston and opened an apiary there. When a citizen is bothered by unwanted bees, they are removed alive and placed at an apiary. There they are rehabilitated and can go back to doing what they do best – make honey! CTBR has led classes in beekeeping and other agricultural sciences in two Austin Charter schools (grades 1-9) and the Austin Montessori School. They have also led workshops with Master Gardener Associations, libraries, and other institutions dedicated to education about the environment. They have noticed that beekeeping and caring for other animals has a positive effect on kids who grew up in the city and previously had no experience nurturing and caring. Through teaching classes, presentations in schools, libraries and private lessons, CTBR has furthered their mission of educating people about the importance of the honeybee and helped alleviate the fear that keeps bees and people at odds. Their adopt-a-hive program has placed bees on properties such as the W Hotel in Austin and The Circuit of the Americas F-1 Racetrack. They have land targeted for apiaries in Dallas, San Antonio, and Kerrville. Working on a donation basis, they are able to offer their removal service with only a suggested donation. Families who can’t afford to pay anything are taken care of with no regard to their financial situation. This is a particular benefit to situations involving low income families, the elderly, families with children, and individuals who are allergic to bee stings. How can you help? Central Texas Bee Rescue has 1,000 bee hives that they need to get established across Texas. Don’t let your vineyards miss out on the benefits of bees or the potential additional revenue that could come from establishing a partnership with Central Texas Bee Rescue. They are willing to split the proceeds from honey sales with the vineyard owners or set up a land lease agreement where the bees can be used to help boost the health of their property. If you are interested, please contact Central Texas Bee Rescue with the contact information on their website.

We May Have Some Queens Around The End Of The First Week Of September. Save £100 On Our Instrumental Insemination Course Book Before 31/12/2014 |Queens will be ready early May until late September 2014| We do not take any pre orders for Mated or Virgin queens All our Queens are reard in the UK we do not import or sell imported Queens We are based In Dumfries & Galloway Just over the border In Scotland Overwintered 6 Frame Nucs 1Kilo Package Bees with a Mated Queen Perfect for a Top Bar Hive Or Warre Hive British Mated & Virgin Queens Beginners beekeeping to the more advanced All our courses are based in Corsock Near Dumfries In Scotland We have courses runing most weekend with new course date being added all the time so if you see a course and the date don`t match your needs let me know and I will try my best to sort one out. We give full lifetime beekeeping support to all our customers even If your not a customer you can still give me a call for any support you need When you buy or come on one of our many courses your not on your own. You can give me a call any time up till 11pm 7 days aweek for any advice or information you may need Beekeeping Is easy but when things go wrong they can go really wrong and you can always get hold of me at home or on the mobile I don`t mind anyone calling even if you have never been a customer I`m only too happy to help! Being a member of the (BFA) You can rest assured all our stock not only meet but exceed all current guidelines for quality and are 100% healthy. All our Queens are reared and mated in the UK we do not import any queens. To insure all are of the best quality we leave the queens in the mating hives for a minimum of 3 weeks so they can develop We run Instamental Insemination Courses every year we run the only courses for II in the UK. We supply everything you need to complete the course. Booking early is advisable as courses are limited to 2 or 3 students.

If you're a Green City Market regular or frequent the Logan Square or Oak Park farmer's markets, you've probably seen the Chicago Honey Co-op's products. Perhaps you've tasted their honey and know it's some of the tastiest around. What you may not know is that the organization provides jobs for the underemployed and practices chemical-free, sustainable agriculture from an unassuming lot on the city's west side. In addition to honey, the co-op offers a variety of candles and body products, as well as beeswax-dipped pine cone firestarters. Its products are also available online and at several Chicago retailers. It was featured in "Every Third Bite," a short film about Colony Collapse Disorder – the abrupt disappearance of worker bees – and local beekeepers who are working to keep the practice alive. On Thursday, Director Michael Thompson, with staff from Millennium Park's Lurie Garden, will give a free lecture entitled "Urban Beekeeping: From the Rooftops to the West Side" at the Cultural Center (78 E. Washington). The event starts at 6 p.m. and is sponsored by Slow Food Chicago. Related: Hard Honey to Go: Honibe Honey Drops (Images: Chicago Honey Co-op)

Posts filed under ‘Food and Art’ For foodies who can’t stop thinking about food, this visual treat is a must: an exhibition of food photography at the Robert Mann Gallery in Chelsea. “Food for Thought: A Group Exhibition,” showcases some 30 color and vintage black-and-white photographs from 1912 to 2010, several by well-known artists, such as Man Ray. The exhibition features many still lifes — both classical and modern — and revealing portraits of people either in kitchens or at dinner tables. Two images, “Lemons and Pomegranates” and “Figs and Morning Glories” by Paulette Tavormina, are visual delights that reveal the fruit — inside and outside — in glorious detail. Another personal favorite, the oldest in the collection, is a 1912 platinum print of grape clusters by Edwin Hale Lincoln – it reminded me of my grandfather’s vineyard in Portugal. The exhibition will run through May 14. (The Robert Mann Gallery is located at 210 11th Avenue at 24th Street. It is open Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.) Giant, fanciful sculptures built entirely with cans of food have once again invaded the Winter Garden in the World Financial Center. This year’s “canstructions” include a pair of Russian nesting dolls, Mr. Potato Head, and even King Kong. The sculptures – on display through Nov. 22 – are part of Canstruction, an international charity competition to raise public awareness of hunger. The winning BabushCAN sculpture – built with 3,472 cans of tuna, pink beans, green beans and peaches in pear juice – notes that “object within object, can on top of can, we’re here for a healthy cause.” A notable sculpture of an overturned cup, entitled “Cups Can Only Spill,” alludes to the world’s limited resources. “We never know the worth of water till the well runs dry,” the caption on the sculpture reads. The sculpture won an honorable mention. Once the exhibit closes, the thousands of cans of food used to create the sculptures will be donated to City Harvest for distribution to food pantries. The structures are estimated to provide enough food to feed nearly 70,000 hungry New Yorkers, according to the Society of Design Administration, a trade association and one of the organizations that helped organize the New York City competition. The Canstruction competition and exhibition has been held in New York City for 18 years. The sculptures will be on view in the Winter Garden through Nov. 22 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (until 5 p.m. on the last day). Ever wonder how graphic design influences your food decisions? Alexander Tochilovsky, curator of “Appetite,” an exhibition at 41 Cooper Gallery at The Cooper Union, has. “We consume things visually before we consume them physically,” he writes in the introduction to “Appetite.” The exhibition explores graphic design in food packaging, supermarkets and eateries ranging from restaurants and diners to food trucks and carts. Viewers learn the provenance of the mysterious pigeon that often appears in the branding of Marlow & Sons Restaurant, the popular café and restaurant in Williamsburgh, Brooklyn. The pigeon serves as “sort of an underdog icon” that alludes to the restaurant’s humble start in a then depressed neighborhood that had a “seedy bodega around the corner which always had chickens out front.” Most impressive of all the graphic design presented was the least adorned: the nutritional label that now appears on all packaged food. The simple label made up of black lines, columns and asterisked notations synthesizes 4,000 pages of regulations. It’s the Rubik’s Cube of graphic design. “Appetite,” which opened Sept. 14, runs through Oct. 9. Wrap-up of a Year’s Worth of Blogging: Power of the People and a Politician Propel New York Local Food Movement in 2009 Sheer public support for local food and small farms made 2009 a banner year for New York City locavores. Farmers markets and community gardens flourished, and new urban farms emerged, including the city’s first rooftop farm — a 6,000-square-foot site that drew scores of eager volunteers each Sunday throughout the 2009 growing season. The local food movement had the power of the people behind it, and gained extra momentum, thanks to the power of a colorful and forceful politician: Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. “New York City must be front and center in the international debate over food,” Stringer told some 1,000 foodies at a conference earlier this month at New York University. He proposed forming a New York City Department of Food and Markets that would report directly to the mayor and pushed for a more regional food supply system. “Food policy will be a top priority for my office,” he rallied the crowd of urban gardeners, nutritionists, chefs, teachers, civic leaders, community activists and others with a stake in food and farm policy. The conference, which sold out within hours of its announcement, came only days after New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn launched “FoodWorks New York,” an initiative to analyze the city’s food system and tap its potential to create jobs by working with local farmers. New York locavores found more than champions in positions to shake things up. They also discovered what could turn out to be a symbol for their movement: the city’s heirloom apple, the Newtown-Pippin. The green-yellow apples originated on a farm in Maspeth, Queens, in the 1700s and became popular throughout the country. Now a campaign is underway to reintroduce the apple tree in parks and gardens citywide and even name the Newtown-Pippin the city’s official apple. Without a doubt, 2009 gave the local food movement a big boost. Here’s a look back at some blog posts that chronicle turning points for advocates of a more localized food system: - Report Champions Local Farmers: Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer releases a report calling for a “radical overhaul” of New York City’s food system. The report makes several recommendations that would make it easier for local farmers to sell their produce in New York City, including requiring government food buyers to purchase a certain percentage of their food from farmers in the city’s foodshed. - New York Urban Farmers Draw Large Crowd: A panel discussion on urban farming draws a huge crowd of local food enthusiasts and entrepreneurs. Participants hear from a Brooklyn-based indoor grower of wheatgrass and sprouts who “moved his farm to the city” from upstate New York “to be closer to his customers.” A few weeks later, the keynote speaker at a conference on community supported agriculture — upstate farmer Cheryl Rogowski — noted that “farmers are rock stars” and that “it’s never been a more challenging or exciting time to be farmers than now.” Not so fast, I say, in this post. An unrepentant doubting Thomas, I question what many are calling a U.S. “food revolution.” - Farmers in Training: This post profiles Michael Grady Robertson, the farm supervisor of the Queens County Farm Museum, and the opportunities the farm provides for breaking in would-be farmers. - Battalion of Volunteer Bee Keepers Invade City Parks and Gardens: Local papers and blogs (including this one) covered efforts to legalize beekeeping in New York City. Less well-covered was the Great Pollinator Project, a citywide effort to better understand and raise awareness of the importance of city bees. The blog post describes my participation in the project. - The Greening of City Rooftops: Farming on rooftops may become a hot new trend in New York City. The post reflects on the development of green roofs in the last two years and where they’re likely to go. In this post, urban farming leaps ahead with visionary Dr. Dickson Despommier’s notion of a “vertical farm,” one in which crops grow indoors in multi-story buildings. - Phoenix Community Gardens Brings Neighbors Together: This account of a refurbished community garden in Brooklyn peers into the lives of the people who garden there. There are other posts on urban gardeners, including this one about Karen Washington, founder of the Garden of Happiness, and this one about Abu Talib, director of Taqwa Community Garden. There’s also an account here of “wild man” Joe Gonzalez, a backyard gardener and community leader. - What Price Milk?: The troubles facing today’s dairy farms recall the 1930s when dairymen were getting a raw deal on the price of milk. They, too, we going bankrupt, even as consumer milk prices were going through the roof. The turbulent time in New York milk history is documented in the online exhibit New York Bounty describes in the post. - Visions of Urban Farmland for the Grand Concourse: A proposal to transform the Grand Concourse, a nine-lane motorway in the Bronx, into four miles of contiguous urban farmland won second place in a global competition to remake the 100-year-old thoroughfare. Farming inspired other artists in 2009. In September, artist Leah Gauthier celebrated the close of a five-borough micro-farm installation consisting of modest growing spaces donated by New Yorkers. In return for the spaces, Gauthier became a “sharecropper,” paying donors with a portion of the produce she grew on individual locations for the season. It’s the ultimate high-concept art project. - The Nature Nut: I introduced former organic farmer and certified holistic health counselor Susana Correia as New York Bounty’s resident expert on organic farming and nutrition counseling. The “Nature Nut” received and answered several questions throughout the year, and is waiting for more. Have questions about what to grow in your community garden or your roof or terrace or even in your kitchen? Questions about nutrition? Try asking the Nature Nut. She’ll know. It’s been challenging keeping up with all that’s happening in urban agriculture in New York City, but I’ve had quite a bit of fun. One day, though, was the highlight of the year – the day my blog got noticed. In April, New York Bounty was listed in the information section of the Manhattan User’s Guide, a daily e-mail that keeps readers on top of the city. Here’s how MUG described New York Bounty: “With refreshingly few bells and whistles, thoughtful commentary on food, health, and the environment, particularly the ways in which urbanites are trying to reconnect with the good earth.” The praise sent me over the moon — at least for a day or two. It’s going to be hard to live up to the description, but I’m sure going to try, every single day of 2010 and beyond… Happy New Year, everyone! The Grand Concourse in the Bronx was supposed to be the city’s Champs Élysées. Instead, it turned into a nine-lane motorway. The 100-year-old boulevard may be in for a makeover though. Nearly 200 proposals for the Grand Concourse flooded the Bronx Museum of the Arts in response to the museum’s call for ideas as part of a global competition jointly sponsored with the Design Trust for Public Space. Guess which idea placed second? One called Agricultural Urbanism, a proposal that would transform the concourse into four miles of contiguous urban farmland and public open space. The envisaged stretch of land would produce more than 500,000 pounds of organic produce, with water harvested from two million square feet of green roofs. The six other finalists proposed plans that featured everything from windmills to tree farms and agricultural greenhouses. Animations, renderings, models and interactive installations of the top seven proposals are on view at the Bronx Museum of the Arts through Jan. 3, 2010, as part of the “Intersections: Grand Concourse Beyond 100” exhibition. Click here to see some of the renderings and learn about each of the proposals. A piggy bank. A pumpkin. A dove. The three giant sculptures — on display among dozens at the World Financial Center through Monday — are made entirely from food cans. Thousands of them. The “canstructions” are part of an annual competition to draw attention to the problem of hunger in America. With a growing number of Americans cutting back on food or skipping meals due to restricted budgets, the sculptures resonate more than ever. Just this week, the Agriculture Department reported an increase in the number of American households lacking access to adequate food. It reported that 49 million Americans are “food insecure,” meaning they don’t have enough to eat. That’s up from 36 million hungry Americans last year. Many of the canstructions tried to strike a hopeful chord. The creators of the winning piggy bank sculpture—made with 3,024 tuna and salmon cans—noted that the piggy bank served as “humble reminder that with a little effort from a lot of people we can help feed many.” A canstruction of the “very hungry caterpillar” in the popular children’s book reflected on the caterpillar’s metamorphosis, using it as a metaphor for hunger. The caterpillar took an astounding 9,168 tuna cans to build. It was a very hungry caterpillar indeed. My personal favorites revolved around Thanksgiving. There was Jack the PumpCAN, a 3,000-can jack-o-lantern whose lantern “glowed as a beacon of hope” and “warded off the demons of hunger.” And there was a slice of pumpCAN pie complete with a dollop of cream. The giant slice was made with 2,580 cans of baked beans, sweet corn and lots of other goodies. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. For an account of last year’s Canstruction competition, please click here. In June, artist Leah Gauthier drove from Indiana to New York City — 300 seedlings in tow — to initiate a public art project that called upon New Yorkers to do an unusual thing: donate spaces to grow the seedlings and be part of a living, breathing micro-farming installation that the artist conceived and called “Sharecropper.” The response was stronger than she ever expected. More than 100 New Yorkers responded to her call for space donors and volunteers. Gauthier soon had a far-flung, five-borough micro farm consisting of small bits of land in gardens and backyards, as well as grittier growing spaces like fire escapes and concrete alleys. She amassed 17 sites in all. The plan, explained the artist, was to involve as many different people as possible in growing food in as many different urban spaces as possible. She made an offer that was hard to refuse. In return for donated spaces, she would be a “sharecropper,” paying donors with a portion of the produce she grew on individual locations for the season. “I was interested in this project so even a city gal with a brown thumb like myself could do some exciting farming,” wrote Rachel Dahill-Fuchel in an e-mail message. She donated a 20-square-foot section of her concrete alley on the Upper West Side, where 25 planters were planted with a variety of peppers. Though donors didn’t need to lift a finger, most wanted to learn how to garden and grow food, said Gauthier. Dahill-Fuchel, for example, often watered and even “talked to the peppers.” Dahill-Fuchel explained that she wanted her children, ages 9 and 14, to experience the joy of planting and harvesting. “As city folk, it is too easy to forget where our food comes from and what is naturally required for food to grow and thrive,” she wrote. In addition to the donors, Gauthier developed a loyal group of some 10 volunteers who helped set up the sites and filled in whenever the artist, who worked a full-time job as a web designer, was not available. When deciding what and how much to grow, Gauthier considered what would be manageable for the donors. She didn’t want to overwhelm them with tasks that might be required in her absence, like watering plants. She made sure that watering wouldn’t take more than 10 to 15 minutes. “Giving someone a garden is like giving them a puppy,” said Gauthier. “I wanted to make sure that it’s not too much of a burden.” Each site was dedicated to a different crop. Not all were equally productive. Pumpkins planted in the working garden at Lefferts Historic House in Prospect Park were coming in like a “shop of horrors,” said Gauthier. Dahill-Fuchel’s concrete alley brought in a bumper crop of peppers, while a space in Queens produced plentiful tomatoes, free thankfully of late blight. The roof atop EyeBeam, an artists’ residency in Chelsea, produced a fair share of melons. It wasn’t easy covering 17 sites in five boroughs. Gauthier developed three routes that helped her make her gardening rounds. One took from her from Williamsburg to Staten Island to the Upper West Side to Chelsea, a route that required all forms of public transportation, including the Staten Island Ferry. Gauthier estimates it took her about five hours to make her rounds each day. “It was challenging but also very rewarding,” said Gauthier. She explained that as arduous as it was to manage the micro farm, she got to know the landscape and the plants in an intimate way by visiting every day. Sharecropper didn’t bear the most fruitful harvest, Gauthier admits. But that, she said, wasn’t the goal. The goal was to bring people together and “re-incorporate agrarian sensibilities and simplicity into modern life.” On that score, Sharecropper did great. “As an art piece,” she said, “it was very successful.” To learn more about Sharecropper, click here. Crops that were harvested as part of Sharecropper will be featured this weekend at Lefferts Historic House and at Snug Harbor Cultural Center. Here’s a round-up of interesting articles on food- and farm-related issues that recently appeared in the papers: Is a New Food Policy on His List? This article tries to gauge how much President-elect Barack Obama will try to reform the food system in America. Given the gravity of the financial crisis, food reform advocates are trying to be realistic about what can be achieved. Miro’s Rich Harvest: Joan Miro lived in Paris but his heart was in the countryside of Spain’s Catalonia region, where the famous abstract painter grew up. Miro’s love of farms is reflected in “The Farm,” a masterpiece that took him more than nine months to paint. Miro aimed to embody all that “he loved about the country” in the painting and all that he had learned artistically up to that point. The painting is deceptively simple, with details—like roosters and rabbits—that are easily missed. Click and see if you can find them. Forest Plan in Brazil Bears the Traces of an Activist’s Vision: Chico Mendes, a Brazilian activist slain for his attempts to save the Amazon rain forest, may not have died in vain. Brazil — one of the world’s top emitters of greenhouse gases, according to the article — this month introduced targets for reducing deforestation in the country by 72 percent by 2017. The burning of forests to clear land for farming and ranching accounts for 75 percent of Brazil’s carbon dioxide emissions. The timing for the initiative probably couldn’t be better, given the global recession. The demand for food and agricultural goods ebbs during recessionary times. In Zimbabwe, Survival Lies in Scavenging: This story focuses primarily on the political reasons for the sorry state of affairs in hunger-stricken Zimbabwe. I picked it because it alludes to farm policy issues that likely contributed to the disaster. The article mentions that President Mugabe’s war thugs seized “mechanized, white-owned commercial farms.” This hurt small farmers who could no longer afford to buy higher-priced hybrid seed and fertilizer. Because large-scale farmers had economies of scale, prices for these agriculture products were lower and therefore more affordable to small farmers. The role of commercial farms in the breakdown of Zimbabwe would be interesting to explore. Wheat Rises in Week of MGE Floor’s Adieu: Will Jack Frost kill the winter wheat crop in the Plains and raise commodity prices? That was the question before traders last Friday as they bought and sold futures contracts on wheat. Overall traders were bullish, with wheat prices rising on the nation’s three commodities exchanges – the Kansas City Board of Trade, the Chicago Board of Trade, and the Minneapolis Grain Exchange. So, how much was a bushel of wheat going for? Anywhere from $5.63 to $6.25. Scabby the Rat usually rats on companies that engage in bad labor behavior. The giant inflatable rodent — the mascot unions use to shame businesses — shows up uninvited at entrances to corporate buildings, signaling worker strikes or other labor trouble. Now the dreaded rat is taking on another villain: It’s calling a strike against hunger. A sculpture of Scabby the Rat is one of the 22 exhibited at the Winter Garden in the World Financial Center. The 22 sculptures, made entirely of food cans, are part of Canstruction, a design competition dreamed up by the Society of Design Administration, a trade association, as a way to draw attention to the problem of hunger in America. The “canstructions” do that in spades. The sculptures imaginatively use everyday objects, symbols and mascots like Scabby to make pointed statements about hunger. One sculpture of a bridge — called “Bridging the Hunger Gap” — pointed out that 38 million Americans live in — or on the edge of — hunger and represented “the gap between those in this country who eat like kings and those who can’t afford to fill up their plate at dinnertime.” Another sculpture of a hot-air balloon — cleverly called “Up, Up and Buffet” — symbolized the American “Can Do spirit” and “testing limits and defying gravity.” “The Seafarer” — a sailboat made of 3,000 cans of tuna — was poetic. Here’s how the contestants explained their sculpture: “With the main up, the spinnaker out and wind at her back, we’re racing to beat hunger.” All of the canned food used to create the sculptures will be donated to City Harvest for distribution to emergency feeding programs. The competition has been held in cities throughout North America for 16 years. The “can-ucopia” of visual treats will be on view until Dec. 2, 2008, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eighteen of them will be on view in the Courtyard Gallery of the World Financial Center until Dec. 8, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Rural farms have long been depicted in paintings and art, but now urban farms are beginning to get their due. To liven up its summer fun “Warm-Up” parties, the Museum of Modern Art’s P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center in Long Island City fashioned its courtyard into an urban farm. Urban Farm 1 – the official name of the courtyard installation – draws upon the concept of a flying carpet and is made up of cardboard tubes, each filled with different vegetables, everything from beets and spinach to kale and cucumbers. What does it all mean? It’s open to interpretation, but for me the installation was filled with messages about playfulness and imagining or recapturing a fading world. Here’s how the architects of the installation described their work: “P.F. 1 is an architectural and urban manifesto to engage play and reinvent our cities, and our world, once again.” In a poster on one of the courtyard walls, the museum’s curator put it this way: “In our post-industrial age of information, customization and individual expression, the most exciting and promising developments are no longer those of mass production but of local interventions.” Urban Farm 1 points out that those interventions need to begin in cities, the “laboratories of experimentation.” Whatever interpretation one walks away with, one thing seems clear: urban farms will be getting more attention and play a bigger role in food production in the future.

Build a Top Bar Hive Tbhs are the ultimate do-it-yourself hive for a non-commercial beekeeper. They: - can be built from almost any local building material. - require few construction tools or skills. - can be designed to fit unique beekeeper needs. - cost almost nothing to build. - can be easily modified or scrapped. Since a tbh’s volume and shape are fixed, it’s important that a tbh is evaluated for suitability before committing to a design. And it’s important to field test any design for suitability as experience is the best teacher. It takes much beekeeping experience to design and build a optimal tbh. Fortunately, a fully adequate and functional tbh can be easily build by just about anyone regardless of their experience. Before building or buying a tbh, a beekeeper must determine it’s suitability. A beekeeper should: - list the bee’s needs. - list the beekeeper’s limitations and needs. Everything is local as different bees, climates, and management practices dictate different needs. And different needs result in different requirements for a tbh. Tbhs are limited by their shape and volume which is fixed by their design: - a tbh that’s too small for a beekeeper’s management style will require frequent working. - a too small tbh might not have enough room for sufficient winter stores. - follower boards can be used to reduce a large tbhs volume. But a too large tbh wastes material and cost more than they should. - a tbh that’s too short could overwinter poorly. - a tbh that’s too tall might not produce harvest-able honey on short, marginal nectar flows. - a too tall tbh might not handle high summer temperatures without comb failure. So, keep your lists handy and compare all tbh designs to them. There’s simply no single design that is best for everyone. Bees are very adaptable and can make just about any sufficiently large cavity work. Not so for the beekeeper. So always field test a tbh design before committing to a single design on a large scale. Sometimes a minor design change can make a lot of difference in how they are managed. The bees need a cavity that: - is large enough to accommodate both bees and food resources. - moderates the broodnest environment from climate and weather. - and is defensible. Bees are adaptable creatures with minimal shelter requirements. They need a suitable cavity to over winter in: - a south facing entrance. - 3 meters to 5 meters above the ground. - at least 25 liters volume. - 40 liters to 60 liters average volume. - a 20 to 40 square centimeter entrance. - an entrance at bottom of cavity. - a 4 centimeter maximum entrance diameter. - subtropical climate bees prefer smaller cavities of 30 liters. - German bees prefer 60 liter cavities. - Africanized honeybees prefer smaller cavities of 22 liters. - in the hottest areas bees often forsake a cavity for a nest in an open, shady, sheltered place. Mark Winston’s “The Biology of the Honey Bee” and Tom Seeley’s “The Wisdom of the Hive” are two great books to read about the bee’s needs. The shape of the cavity is also important. In a temperate climate, with a few very intense nectar flows, taller comb and a shorter hive length works better. The bees can backfill a larger broodnest before storing surplus honey. That insures the best possible conditions for survival during a bad season. And the cluster is in a more compact shape resulting in better over wintering. In warmer locales, with more frequent but less intense flows, a longer top bar hive with a shorter combs is more functional. The shorter combs allow the beekeeper to harvest surplus honey, which might be inaccessible if stored only in taller broodnest combs. A cluster is a long, shallow box would have more surface area which might be easier to cool during the hottest times of the year. Beyond what the bees need, a tbh must meet a beekeeper’s needs. After all, it’s the beekeeper who needs the beehive and not the bees. They could easily find a suitable cavity and go to it on their own. But then we would have to climb that tree or cliff to get them. And it’s just much more convenient and safer to bring the bees to the beekeeper, rather than the beekeeper to the bees Extra hive space allows more flexibility for hive management. It: - decreases the need for frequent inspections. - provides a convenient space to feed or split a nucleus. - makes a hive easier to work. - and can be reduced using a follower board. A beekeeper should also consider his: - beekeeping focus. - construction skills/tools. - construction materials. - migratory requirements. - management style. - scale of operation. - conventional equipment integration. For example a migratory, extensively managed, large-scale, commercial beekeeper could value: - stack ability. - optimum conventional material use. - enough volume for maximum flexibility. - minimum hive cost/unit of production. An organic gardener, needing a few hives for pollination, might value: Ranging from the rustic to the ornate, tbhs have been constructed out of: - steel barrels. - recycled water heaters. - plastic food grade barrels. - old refrigerators. - ammunition cases. So, what would your tbh look like? I bet it would be a beauty. And I know it would be the best tbh ever built. Because it would give you more satisfaction than any other hive. And it would be made especially for you and your bee’s needs. Here are a few of my thoughts on building the: - Hive Body – criteria and components. - Top Bars – criteria and examples. - Cover – criteria and examples. - Accessories – some useful additions. Want to start with a tbh plan? Here are a few tbh plans of my own: - Tanzanian Tbh – square sided tbh that accommodates frames. - Kenyan Tbh – a slope sided tbh that accommodates frames. - Multipurpose Tbh – a bottom support deep frame/topbar hive. - Construction Techniques – how I build them. Finally, don’t sweat the small stuff. It takes much experience to design and build an optimal tbh. But the bees really don’t need an optimal hive. Look at what they naturally choose and how easily their needs are met. Optimizing a tbh really has more to do with the beekeeper’s needs than it does the bees. And I’ve found that a beekeeper’s need are constantly changing. - decide on a design. - make sure it’s big enough. - be safe and have much fun building it. - then make it work for you and the bees. - share your joy and fun with others.

presented by IberiaBank at 6 p.m. April 22, is an event for the over 21 crowd to benefit Discover Science - the Exploreum’s summer program with the Mobile Housing Board and its partner agencies for underserved children. Come out and enjoy a night of fun and live entertainment from Forbes Sirmon as the Exploreum sends off the dinosaurs Gulf Coast style. Cost is $20 for an individual or $35 for a couple. Tickets will be $25/person at the door, advanced purchase is encouraged. The Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center is located at 65 Government Street. A ticket includes the Exploreum’s exhibits, all-you-can-eat crawfish and two beers. Catering will be provided by Camille’s and Craver and Hartman Seafood Boils. Crawfish in the Courtyard is the 2nd Dinos After Dark event hosted by the Exploreum’s Junior Advisory Board. For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.Exploreum.com or call 251-208-6887. EARTH DAYOur first Earth Day Mobile and Farmers Market.to celebrate Earth Day and promote reduce, reuse, recycle April 22 from 11a.m. until 2 p.m. on the campus of Springhill Medical Center 3719 Dauphin Street. Over 20 exhibitors, plus a farmers market with fresh produce for sale.Entertainment by the Broken Souls and Serenity Singers. Food available for sale. Event is free and open to the public. Activities for children. Sponsored by Springhill Medical Center Dietary Department. For more information contact Terri McGhee, Rick Diaz, or Glenn Dutton at any of the following numbers; 251-460-5264, 460-5263. MARC (Mobile Association for Retarded Citizens) OPEN HOUSE 10 a.m. April 21. Attendees will get to see their new Computer Lab at the Fred Delchamps Center, at 2401 Gordon Smith Drive. This computer lab will assist persons with cognitive, intellectual and developmental disabilities with gaining new life and communication skills. CRAWFISH IN THE COURTYARD presented by IberiaBank at 6 p.m. April 22, is an event for the over 21 crowd to benefit Discover Science - the Exploreum’s summer program with the Mobile Housing Board and its partner agencies for underserved children. Come out and enjoy a night of fun and live entertainment from Forbes Sirmon as the Exploreum sends off the dinosaurs Gulf Coast style. Cost is $20 for an individual or $35 for a couple. Tickets will be $25/person at the door, advanced purchase is encouraged. The Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center is located at 65 Government Street. A ticket includes the Exploreum’s exhibits, all-you-can-eat crawfish and two beers. Catering will be provided by Camille’s and Craver and Hartman Seafood Boils. Crawfish in the Courtyard is the 2nd Dinos After Dark event hosted by the Exploreum’s Junior Advisory Board. For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.Exploreum.com or call 251-208-6887. RUN FOR THE ROSES Pre Kentucky Derby Cocktail Party and Wine Tasting will be held from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. April 22 at Taste Wine Bar Midtown, 2524 Old Shell Road. Enjoy an exciting evening of Derby games and trivia and shop in the Derby Boutique. Light hors d’oeuvres and wine will be served. The cost to attend is $20 per person. Tickets are being sold in advance and or will be available at the door. All proceeds will benefit GRCMA, funding childcare scholarships and early literacy programs. For more information or to make reservations, call 251-473-1060, ext. 102. BOOKSIGNING & READING by Todd Johnson, author of "The Sweet By and By" at Page & Palette in Fairhope 6 p.m. April 22 at 32 South Section Street, Fairhope. MYASTHENIA GRAVIS SUPPORT GROUP Baldwin County meeting 10 a.m. April 22 at Thomas Medical Center in Daphne (old Wal-Mart). Myasthenia Gravis Expert will be available for questions & answers. Also, plans for future meeting dates, places, and topics will be discussed. Everyone with an interest in this condition is encouraged to attend. Call Angie Waters at 251-937-4433. MOBILE’S FIFTH COFFEEHOUSE EVENT Could you forgive a person who murdered your family? This is the question faced by the subjects of As We Forgive, the 2008 Student Academy Award-winning documentary about two Rwandan women on a journey to reconcile with the neighbors who slaughtered their families during the 1994 genocide. HouseBlend Coffeehouse will present As We Forgive on Friday, April 23, from 7-9:30 p.m. at Christ Anglican Church, 3275 Halls Mill Road in Mobile. Special music will precede the film. Admission is free as well as lots of "Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee." For more information, call 251-476-7719. Information about the film can be found at: http://www.asweforgivemovie.com. THE LULA WASHINGTON DANCE THEATER (Opening Night Concert Performance) – AVATAR Choreographer and her world renowned Los Angeles based dance company present a full concert performance at the new Davidson High School Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. April 23. For information, call 251-533-5726. Seating is limited. $10 admission. Also, Group/Family Interactive Performance 2 p.m. matinee April 24 at Davidson High School Auditorium. This show is limited to groups of four or more. For information, call 251-533-5726. Seating is limited. $5 admission. RELAY FOR LIFE EVENTS IN MOBILE AND BALDWIN COUNTIES April 23: Relay For Life of Citronelle, Citronelle High School, Relay For Life of South Baldwin County, Heritage Park in Foley. April 24: Relay For Life of North Mobile, Satsuma High School. April 30: Relay For Life of Metro Mobile at the University of South Alabama track, Relay For Life of North Baldwin County, Baldwin County High School Football Field, Relay For Life of the Eastern Shore, Daphne Middle School. May 1: Relay For Life of the Alabama Gulf Coast, Orange Beach Sportsplex. May 7: Relay For Life of Semmes, Mary G. Montgomery High School, Relay For Life of South Mobile, Theodore High School. May 14: Relay For Life of Prichard, Prichard Stadium. For information about events in Mobile County, call 251-344-9858; for Baldwin County, call 251-928-8650. For details about Relay For Life or how to form a team, call 1-800-227-2345 or visit www.relayforlife.org. 13TH ANNUAL UNIVERSITY OF MOBILE GOLF CLASSIC GOLF TOURNAMENT will be held April 30 at Rock Creek Golf Club in Fairhope. Registration is being accepted through April 23 for this four person scramble presented by Catfish Junction. All proceeds benefit University of Mobile athletic programs. Free golf shirts will be distributed the day of the event to those who attend. Teams will sign in beginning at 11:30 a.m. The tournament will begin with a shotgun start at 1 p.m. Dinner and team awards will be presented at 5 p.m. For details on individual, team and sponsorship registration, call Kristin Oliver at 251 442-2237 or email: [email protected]. FI(GH)T FOR THE CURE Step into the ring with Wacoal to help knockout breast cancer with Fi(GH)t for the Cure from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. April 23 at Belk in Bel Air Mall, Mobile. Receive a complimentary bra fitting from a Wacoal fit specialist and sign up to receive a monthly e-mail reminder to do a self breast exam. For every woman that participates, Wacoal will donate $2 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure for breast cancer research and community health programs. Wacoal will also donate an additional $2 for every Wacoal bra, shapewear piece or b.tempt’d bra purchased at these events. Call 251-470-5400. PICNIC IN THE PARK DAY Gov. Bob Riley has declared April 24 "Picnic in the Park Day." This family-oriented event is an excellent opportunity to learn what Alabama State Parks have to offer. The public is encouraged to visit one of the participating state parks and bring along a picnic to enjoy with your family. Picnic in the Park Day open house events and specials south Alabama: Gulf State Park in Baldwin County: Golf course will offer a free bucket of balls, one bucket per person. Nature center will have a nature walk, nature time and a movie or slide show. Sightseeing charge will be waived at the Gulf State Park Pier. One cottage will be open for the public to view, refreshments served from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Meaher State Park in Mobile County: Free admission for the day. Staff will be available throughout the park to answer questions. For a full list of "Picnic in the Park Day" specials and activities visit www.alapark.com/specials/picnic.cfm. THE MOBILE ARTHRITIS WALK AND FAMILY FUN DAY the Arthritis Foundation’s key fundraiser along the Gulf Coast, will take place April 24 at Camp Grace, 11081 Wanda Drive just off Eliza Jordan Road in Mobile. Walkers can choose from a one-mile or three-mile route, or can participate in a Tai Chi demonstration if they cannot complete the walk. This year’s post-walk entertainment includes Troy Brannon and Mobile’s own blues legend Hank Becker. Activities for walkers and families include fishing, canoeing and boating, games and prizes, pony rides and inflatables. The Shed will be on hand with barbecue and all the fixings at the facility. The Arthritis Walk will begin at 9 a.m. Registration and activities open at 8 a.m. There is still time to form a team and join the movement. To register and find more information visit www.2010arthritiswalkmobile.kintera.org or call 639-9722. EARTH DAY MOBILE BAY 2010 will take place on Saturday, April 24 at the Fairhope Pier Park from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. This is a free family oriented event to celebrate,become more educated and learn how to be better stewards of the earth. There will be live music, vendors, exhibitors, a blessing of the animals at 4 p.m. and lots of interactive learning opportunities for children and adults. Free parking will be located at the parking lots of Big Lots and Winn-Dixie with free shuttle service available to and from the pier. Louis Franklin and his band Woodshed; and Christopher Spies are two of the entertainers who will be providing live music throughout the day. SPRING GREEN FESTIVAL Celebrate Alabama history and the conservation of our planet with the Museum of Mobile Saturday, April 24. The Museum is partnering with Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Five Rivers, Keep Mobile Beautiful and Mobile BayKeeper to host "Spring Green Festival." The free festival will honor George Washington Carver’s contributions to environmental science and conservation. Local businesses and individuals that participate in ecologically friendly activities are invited to join the festival. Royal Street will be barricaded between Government and Church Streets for a block of eco-friendly fanfare. Cathedral Square Market Vendors will be making their seasonal debut. Keep Mobile Beautiful will be shredding sensitive personal documents. Each person can bring two letter-sized cases of documents. The Estuarium at Dauphin Island Sea Lab will be providing hands-on activities demonstrating the effects of litter and marine debris on coastal watershed flow. Green Solutions will be showcasing local businesses that provide eco-friendly alternatives. Earth Resources will give out information on recycling pick-up services. The Museum of Mobile, at 111 Royal Street, will be open to the public to view the Carver exhibit. Call 251-208-7569 or www.museumofmobile.com. CATFISH CHASE 5K & 1-MILE FUN RUN 8 a.m. April 24 at 32200 Jimmy Faulkner Drive in Spanish Fort to raise funds for members of Providence United Methodist Church’s Relay for Life team. The family-friendly event includes a 1-Mile Fun Run. Catfish nuggets donated by Lulu’s Restaurant available after the race. Online registration www.active.com, keyword "Catfish Chase," or downloaded at www.providencemethodist.org. Entry forms are available at the church. Entry fees for those who pre-register or register the day of the race from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. are $20 for ages 12 and up, including a T-shirt and $15 for those 12 and under. Race day registration $18 and $8 for ages 12 and under. Police, firefighters and active military personnel free. The 1-mile Fun Run is free to runners registered for the 5K and $7 for others. www.providencemethodist.org 251-626-2510. "A NIGHT TO REMEMBER BEYOND BELIEF" will take place at 5 p.m. April 24 in the gymnasium of St. Pius X Catholic School, 217 S. Sage Ave. in Mobile. Enjoy hors d'oeuvres and adult beverages throughout the evening and the live and silent auctions that are planned. Items to be auctioned will include home decor items, golf packages and summer camps for kids as well as birthday packages at Paint Party Studios, Knot Just Beads, Cream & Sugar and others. Proceeds from the event will benefit the school. Tickets prices are $20 in advance, $25 at the door and $15 for people 65 years of age and older. For ticket information, call Karen Charnock at 251-605-5096 or email: [email protected]. MOBILE MYSTERY DINNERS "The Case of the Maple Tree Murder!!" April 24 at the Bienville Club, 107 St. Francis St. on the 34th floor overlooking the city and Mobile Bay. Call 251-479-3212 for required reservations. Doors open at 6 p.m. for a cash bar until 6:45 p.m. if you would like a drink before the play. Cost: $57 per person includes an unlimited wine bar, a delicious catered meal and two hours of hilarity. Visit: www.mobilemysterydinners.com. TAI CHI, GLOBAL HEALTH AND HEALING EVENT which will unfold across the planet on Saturday, April 24 9 - 11 a.m. Cathedral Square, Dauphin Street @ North Claiborne worldwide. Beginning in New Zealand, this event will spread time zone by time zone across the globe through the U.S. and over 60 countries across 6 continents. This health and healing wave will not only be a spectacular visual site but also an opportunity to promote peace and wellness worldwide. More info: Shaolin Institute –Susan Chan, 251.662.3225, www.shaolin-world.net ASSISTANCE LEAGUE OF MOBILE'S FASHION SHOW will be held at 10:30 a.m. April 24 at Corpus Christi Community Center near Hillcrest Road and Airport Blvd. The event will include brunch and a showing of the latest fashions from Belk Department Store in Colonial Mall Bel Air. Proceeds will help fund the group's many community service programs. For tickets or membership information, call Jo Anne McKnight at 251-634-3888. "SOUNDS OF SPRING FROM THE HILL" CONCERT presented by The Fine & Performing Arts Department of Spring Hill College, will be held Sunday, April 25 at 4 p.m. at St. Joseph Chapel on the campus of Spring Hill College featuring a variety of sacred, classical and secular favorites under the direction of Terry D. Maddox, M.M. Free, open to the public. Call 251-432-1749 or email [email protected]. JAZZ VESPERS at Aimwell Baptist Church located at 500 Earle St. 6 p.m. April 25. The service is open to the public and features some of Mobile’s acclaimed musicians, Theodore Arthur, Jeffrey Rodgers, Joseph Mitchell, B. Mar’Shon, Lee Barren, Harry Anderson, Vincent White, and the Aimwell Baptist Church choir. Terrence Mixon is Minister of Music. A brief reception follows the vesper. Rev. Michael Jackson, Pastor. For more information call 478-9864 or email: [email protected]. PIANO CONCERT featuring pianist Andrew Atkinson will be held Sunday April 25 at 2.30 p.m. at Bernheim Hall in the Main Library on Government Street, Mobile. Proceeds will benefit Saint Matthew's Church, located on Overlook Road. No tickets will be needed. Donations will be received at the door. For information, call the Rev. Dennis Brown at 251-680-3181. THE 63RD ANNUAL LAWN PARTY FOR OUR LADY OF LOURDES PARISH, will be held from noon - 4 p.m. April 25 at 1621 Boykin Blvd. in Mobile. Included in the fun and fellowship will be children's games and activities, a country store, silent auction, plant sale and sweet shop. The food court will feature smoked chicken dinners, barbecue pork dinners, smoked ribs, gumbo, hamburgers, hot dogs and Polish sausage. In addition, orders may be placed for smoked Boston butts, $25 each, by calling 251-375-4844. Entertainment will include "Elvis is in the Building" from noon to 1:45 p.m. and Deluxe Leisure King from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Prizes of $1,000, $500 and $250 will be given away. For information, call 251-479-9885. THE 5TH-ANNUAL UNITY WALK COMMUNITY EVENT will have a planning meeting at 7 p.m. April 26 at Hampton Inn Hotel on Royal Street, downtown Mobile. For details, call Patricia Pittman 251-442-5393, email: [email protected] or Carrie R. Coats at 251-679-2099, email: [email protected]. Donations may be sent to: Kingdom Covenant Connections, Inc., P.O. Box 11063 Chickasaw, AL 36671, website: www.kingdomcovenantconnections.com or call 251-679-2099. Volunteer opportunities: food servers, security, seating, parking, clean-up, booth setup, church contacts, sound equipment, talent support, fundraisers, sponsor contacts, promotion team, decorators and sign-in. Kingdom Covenant is a non-profit Christian organization. Churches encouraged. THE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE IS CELEBRATING ENDANGERED SPECIES DAY by allowing students to learn about threatened and endangered plants, fish, and animals through art. The Service is hosting a statewide art contest open to all students in public, private or home schools. To enter, the student will draw or color a picture of a species listed as threatened or endangered in the state of Alabama. Judges will pick 13 winners throughout the state. The winners will be broken down into one winner per grade, beginning with grade one and ending with grade twelve. Each winner’s artwork will represent a month on our Endangered Species Day Calendar. The overall state winner’s artwork will be the calendar’s cover. The overall winner’s classroom will also be given a gift card for biology classroom supplies, and have his or her artwork framed with a plaque. Rules: artwork must depict a threatened or endangered species in the state of Alabama. The size of the artwork must be 8.5 x 11 and less than ¼ inch thick. Entries should not be matted, mounted, laminated, framed or folded. The artwork must be original. Entrants may rely on photographs or published images as guides. But the art work must be the participant’s own creation. Entries must be postmarked by May 5, 2010. Submit entries to: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, ATTN: Endangered Species Art Calendar Contest, 1208-B Main St., Daphne, AL 36526. Entries will become property of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and be used for educational purposes. Only the 13 winners will have their artwork returned. Questions? Call Denise Rowell, public affairs officer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Alabama Field Office. 251-441-6630 or email: [email protected]. RELAY IDOL TALENT SEARCH: Relay for Life South Mobile County is having their 4th Annual Relay Idol Talent Search at 10 a.m. May 1 at the Tillman’s Corner Community Center, 5055 Carol Plantation Road in Mobile. Guests will be charged $3 at the door. First prize, valued at $1,000 has been donated by Gospel Sounds Studio of Saraland. The winner will get eight hours of recording time – 10 song Demo of pre-recorded sound track voice-over and 50 CD’s with two-color front/back panels. Any time over eight hours will cost $20 per hour/same day, all other time is $25/hour. The winner of the event can take up to six months to edit, record, mix and finalize. The top three winners will receive a plaque. Checks may be made payable to the American Cancer Society, 8531 Vintage Woods Drive, Mobile, AL 36619. For more information, call Theresa Orrell at 251-666-2010 or Chris Whiteley at 251-490-4115. Register on-line at www.relayforlife.org/southmobile. THE 50+ SENIORS CLUB will hold their next meeting at 10 a.m. April 27 at St. Philip Neri Community Center, located on DIP and Laurendine Road. Meetings are always held on the last Tuesday of the month and consist of business, a guest speaker of interest to the group and lunch. Call 251-957-6216 or 251-802-4277. ANNUAL 31 CENT SCOOP NIGHT by Baskin-Robbins 5 – 10 p.m. April 28 at all Baskin-Robbins locations nationwide including 3071 Dauphin St. and 700 Schillinger Road S. in Mobile. During the event, the iconic ice cream brand will thank its loyal customers by reducing the price of all 2.5 oz. ice cream scoops to just 31 cents. In addition, the Dunkin’ Donuts & Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation will make a $100,000 donation to the National Fallen Firefightres Foundation, recognizing fallen fire heroes and their families. Select Baskin-Robbins shops will invite their local fire departments to collect donations and scoop ice cream. 8TH ANNUAL SAL LUNCHEON & AWARDS CEREMONY presented by The Women’s Business Center Inc. 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. April 29 at Heron Lakes Country Club, 3851 Government Blvd. Guest speaker will be Sheila Hodges, Meyer Real Estate. Individual tickets $40, tables $400. Reservations by April 26 visit http://www.womenbiz.biz/calendar.htm or call 251-660-2725. Sponsorships available. "PROJECT BROADWAY," a revue of Broadway songs from the early 1900s to the present, will be presented by the Spanish Fort/Daphne High School Choral Department. The concert, which includes dinner (BBQ pulled pork), will be on April 29 at East Pointe Baptist Church in Spanish Fort. The cost is $5. Dinner will be served at 6:00 PM and the concert will begin at 7:00. To make your reservation, see any Spanish Fort or Daphne Choral Student or send an email to [email protected], including your name and number of tickets required. TRASH TO TREASURE The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer is having its annual May Extravaganza from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. May 1 at 7125 Hitt Road. The Trash Treasure sale will begin at 7 a.m. BBQ lunches for $7 will be served from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and may be eaten there or taken out. Other events include a bake sale, health screenings, kids corner, animal adoptions, vendors and a bluegrass band. For more information, call 251-639-1948 or visit www.redeemerepiscopal.org. ‘AS TIME GOES BY A NIGHT IN CASABLANCA’ St. Mary Catholic School will hold its 21st annual Casino Night on May 1 at 6 p.m. Step back in time to the romantic 1940’s and join Bogie and Bergman for a Moroccan evening featuring live and silent auctions, games with celebrity hosts, entertainment, 1940s and 1950s hits by Matthew Still and Carey Dekle and food and fun to surround the theme. Silent auction, live auction, celebrity guests. Admission is $25 in advance or $30 per person at the door for the Bogie Ticket. Seniors ages 65 and older are $25. Red Carpet Pass tickets are available for $100 each and admit two adults (only 300 of these are available). Admission tickets include heavy hors d’oeuvres, beverages, chips for games, and entrance into Casino Night’s "As Time Goes By!" The evening’s fare will be presented by Naman’s Catering who will be joined by "Taste of Mobile" sponsors, featuring local chefs and caterers. The event is for adults only, minimum age of 21. For more information or advance tickets, call 251-433-9904 or visit www.stmarymobile.org. St. Mary Catholic School is located at 107 N. Lafayette St. at the corner of Lafayette and Old Shell Road. The 3rd Annual "Dauphin Island Arts Festival", a juried art show sponsored by the DI Chamber of Commerce will be May 1st, 9-5 and May 2nd, 9-4 with art, food & entertainment TANNER WILLIAMS HERITAGE-MAY DAY will be Saturday, May 1 starting at 9 a.m. with a parade, followed by the May Day Queen's coronation and other events. All Tanner Williams School Alumni are encouraged to attend. For more information contact Patsy Fincher at 251-649-7005. CRIME WRITER ACE ATKINS 4 - 6 p.m. May 1 at Page & Palette Bookstore, 32 S. Section Street, Fairhope. To sign copies of his latest book, Infamous. 24th ANNUAL REUNION OF MOBILE COUNTRY MUSIC ASSOCIATION (MCMA) is Saturday, May 1 beginning at 10:30 a.m. at the MCMA Concert Hall, 310 S. Craft Street in Chickasaw.On the agenda from 10:30 a.m. until noon is music by the MCMA staff band and singers, then a covered-dish lunch, at $5 a plate, from noon ‘til p.m. Awards will be presented from 1-1:30 p.m. music with the Heltons of Foley for the next hour and finally, Open Mic from 2:30 until 4 p.m. For additional information, visit www.mobilecountrymusic.com or call Marshall Fillingim, 251-457-0762. ¶ BELK CHARITY SALE Get your tickets now for the special four-hour Belk Charity Sale set for May 1 from 6-10 a.m. Tickets are $5 each. Proceeds from the sale will benefit your favorite participating local charity. For a list of charities, contact the store. Participants in the sale will receive $5 off their first regular purchase. Belk stores are in Springdale and Bel Air Malls in Mobile and in the Eastern Shore Center in Spanish Fort. For more details or to purchase tickets, call 251-476-7171. TOPS (take off pounds sensibly) 12 chapters in and around Mobile/Baldwin counties. Call Christine Whitely at 251-634-8467. MIDTOWN OPTIMIST'S Lunch is served from noon - 1 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 3051 Pleasant Valley Road. Information and reservations: 251-479-1666 or 251-295-5339. MALBIS MEMORIAL CHURCH Mr. Efthemios (Makis) Foropoulos, from the island of Patmos, Greece, a graduate of the Patmian Seminary School, and a Proto Psaltis (No. 1 Chanter) of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Atlanta, will be available to individuals and especially groups from all faiths to offer a talk on the Orthodox Church established in 33 A.D., as well as ecclesiastical Christian history. These talks will take place bi-monthly throughout the year on Saturdays at 1:30 p.m. at the Malbis Memorial Church, 29300 Ala. 181, Daphne. Arrangements may be made in advance by e-mail to [email protected] or call 251-626-3369. "A CHANCE TO CUT, A CHANCE TO CURE" a collection of surgical instruments from the 20th century including recent laparoscopic instruments, through June at 1664 Springhill Ave., Midtown. Admission: $5 adults; $4 seniors and students; $3 for ages 11 and younger. Group rates available. Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. Info, 251-415-1109 or Web: www.mobilemedicalmuseum.com. SUMMER MUSIC CAMP the University of Mobile Center for Performing Arts has opened registration for its 17th annual Summer Music Camp taking place June 14-18, in Martin Hall on the University of Mobile campus. Registration deadline: June 1. Cost: $165 for junior camp (grades 4-7) and $185 for senior class (grades 8-12). A $25 additional registration fee is required. Instruction in all instruments, including voice, is offered. Participating students are required to have completed a minimum of one year of disciplined study in music and submit a recommendation by their music teacher. Both full-tuition and partial-tuition scholarships are available by audition, which must include two pieces of contrasting style, demonstration of technical ability and a short interview. Registration deadline for scholarship auditions is May 13. Auditions will be held May 20 in Martin Hall. For more information or to register, contact Barbara Laurendine, camp director, at 251-442-2402. EXPLOREUM: The Bob the Builder's Project: Build It traveling exhibit has opened at the Exploreum. Sponsored locally by Heritage Homes, Lowe's and Publix, this 2,000-square-foot exhibit replicates elements from Bob the Builder's world, inspiring teamwork, inviting inspiration and bringing environmentally friendly building themes to life for children and their families. The Exploreum is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon until 5 p.m. For more information on the Gulf Coast Exploreum, visit www.exploreum.com. SALVATION ARMY NORTHSIDE FOOD PANTRY: open 1-3 p.m. Thursdays at 31 U.S. 43 S. in Saraland. Requirements: one visit every 90 days; must be a resident of North Mobile county; must have a current valid drivers license and a signed Social Security card for each person. Call 251-675-1952. MOBILE BOTANICAL GARDENS: is seeking volunteers. Involvement opportunities include plant sales, Gallery of Gardens tours, educational programs, tour guide, greenhouse worker or grounds worker. For information, visit www.mobilebotanicalgardens.org or call the office, 251-342-0555, regarding membership levels and benefits. GALLERY OF GARDENS Friday, May 14 and Saturday, May 15 from 9 a.m. -5 p.m. at Mobile Botanical Gardens. A self-guided tour of nine private gardens. Garden diversity is the theme each year. We want to show the different styles of gardening and the plants that make Mobile a horticultural adventure. Tickets: $15 per person in advance, $20 per person day of the tour. Call 251-342-0555 or visit www.mobilebotanicalgardems.org. ANDY ANDREWS PRESENTATION AND FUNDRAISER Wednesday May 5 at the Arthur Outlaw Convention Center, 1 Water Street in Mobile. Registration and continental breakfast will begin at 7 a.m. prior to the presentation from 8 –10 a.m. Proceeds from the event will benefit Prichard Preparatory School. For more information, call Principal Rosalie Howley 251-753-2873 or Angie Hannah 251-454-3583. Or visit his web site at http://www.andyandrews.com/speaking/book-andy/. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS: If you want to stop drinking, we can help. Find meetings in Mobile area at www.mobileaa.org or call 251-479-9994. AL-ANON FAMILY GROUP: meets 5:30 p.m. Mondays at the Spring Hill Baptist Activities Center, Room 235 for families and friends of those with drinking problems and for Adult Children of Alcoholics. Call 251-639-5858. PIRATES: An exhibition providing a historic account of some of the more famous pirates of Florida's East Coast is open now at the Museum of Mobile, 111 Royal St. Hours: Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for students, and free for children under 6. Call 251-208-7569. BOOKSIGNING Author George Bishop will sign copies of his new book, "Letter to My Daughter" 2 – 4 p.m. May 8 at Page & Palette Bookstore, 32 S. Section St., Fairhope. CORKS IN THE COURTYARD the newest fundraiser benefitting Senior Citizens Services and the Via programs. Live music by Roman Street, wine tasting, heavy hors d’oeuvres and the opportunity to mix and mingle. It will be held at The Wine Loft, 9 Du Rhu Drive in Mobile from 5:30 until 8 p.m. Before May 3, tickets are only $25 – and after that date, they are $35. For more information 251-470-5237 or visit www.viamobile.org . PHOTO CONTEST The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program is pleased to announce its first annual Photo Contest, with winning entries to be published in the Fall 2010 issue of Alabama Current Connection, the semi-annual newsletter of the MBNEP and ADCNR, State Lands, Coastal Section. The contest is open to any amateur photographer. All photos must be high resolution images taken in the Mobile Bay watershed. Photographers may enter up to ten photos. Photos may be submitted in the following categories: Water Quality—May include positive or negative themes related to water quality in Mobile Bay Living Resources—Native plants and animals Habitat—Natural scenery showcasing habitats in the Mobile Bay estuary Human Uses—Human interaction with the environment, may include tourism, development, and recreation-themed photos. The deadline for entering the contest will be May 17 at 5 p.m. ET. For contest rules, visit www.mobilebaynep.com. For more information contact the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program office at 251-431-6409. DIVORCECARE, A weekly seminar and support group for people who are separated or divorced, 4-5:30 p.m., Woodridge Baptist Church, 2700 Schillinger Road S., room D-223. Childcare provided. 251-633-6000 or www.woodridgebc.com. ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF SEMMES SCHOOL INC. meet at 3 p.m. the last Sunday of each month at Semmes Heritage Park, 3871 Wulff Road. Call 251-649-0270 or 251-649-1647. MOBILE RACING PIGEON CLUB meets on the first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. Call Tom at 251-649-4652 or 251-454-4280. COUNTRY LINE DANCING 7:30-9 p.m. Mondays; all ages; Our Savior Catholic Church, 1801 S. Cody Road. Call 251-633-6152. BLANK PAGE, a group of Bay area writers, is looking for developing writers for a critique group. Blank Page meets 7 p.m. on the first Monday of the month at Panera Bread Company at the Eastern Shore Center and on the third Monday at Carpe Diem Coffee Shop in Mobile. Members are all ages and are open to writers of fiction, poetry, plays and anything in between. Visit www.blankpage.info or contact Meredith at [email protected] or Frank at [email protected]. DOWNTOWN TOASTMASTERS Mondays noon - 1 p.m. at the Bienville Club. Call 251-610-2216. NAMI The National Alliance On Mental Illness, has started a monthly Support Group for family and friends of persons diagnosed with a mental Illness. It will take place every 3rd Monday of the month, 6-7 p.m. in the Activity Center of Springhill Baptist Church, 11 S. McGregor Ave., Rm 222. It is designed to help families cope with and share insights, problems and concerns they may have in dealing with a loved one who may be struggling with depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or any other mental illness. This group is based on respect, understanding, encouragement and hope. The NAMI National format is used and there is no charge. The next meeting is April 19. For more information, call Connie Ewing – 251-438-2444 or Diane Kent – 251-591-8021, or go to www.NAMIMOBILE.org. USTOO the prostate cancer survivor and support group, meets from 7 - 8:15 p.m. on the first Monday of every month at Gerald Wallace Auditorium/Springhill Meml Medical Center; usually with a topic of interest in dealing with Prostate Cancer. For More Information contact Duane Kent, Chapter Leader; 251-591-8557(C) 251-639-7274(O); 251-645-4404(H), [email protected] or www.ustoomobile.org. AARP: AZALEA CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF RETIRED PERSONS, 6:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month, Tillman's Corner Community Center, 5055 Carol Plantation Road. Call 251-666-1820. AZALEA CITY KIWANIS noon Tuesdays; Carraba's Restaurant, 3917 Airport Blvd.; 251-607-7655. THE AZALEA CITY HARMONY CHORUS OF SWEET ADELINES, 7 p.m. Tuesdays at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Airport Boulevard and Sage Avenue. Call 251-380-0579 or 251-666-2557. B-SHARP PLUS SQUARE DANCE CLUB 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays; Azalea Hall on Bourne Road. Call 251-666-0271. CIRCLE OF LOVE meets at 6 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month in the choir room at First Baptist North Mobile, 1255 Industrial Parkway, Saraland. Meetings include a guest speaker and are open to those considering adoption, parents involved in the adoption process and post-adoptive families. Call Teresa Persons at 251-679-0535 or Renee Vaughn at 251-679-4660. CLOGGING CLASSES 6:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays or Thursdays; beginner clogging classes, all ages; One Step Ahead Studio, 3998 Dozier Lane, Tillman's Corner; $5 per lesson; 251-666-5436. HOMEOWNERS HURRICANE INSURANCE INITIATIVE (HHII) a part of All Churches Together (ACT II) Mobile locations: meets at 7 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month. Way of Life Community Church, 1760 Riverside Dr.; South Brookley UMC, 3755 Dauphin Island Pkwy. South Baldwin locations: Third Tuesdays: St. Peter's Episcopal, 6270 Co. Rd 10; St John's the Evangelist, Rt. 59 in Robertsdale. Eastern Shore locations: meets at 7 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of every month. Eastern Shore Presbyterian, 23050 Hwy 98, Fairhope; Christ the King Catholic Church, 1601 Main St. Daphne. Other events: Call 928-3430 or 895-3902 to add your name to the next community-organizing workshop according to PICO (People Improving Communities through Organizing). HONDA GOLD WING MOTORCYCLE OWNERS Come and join the fun-loving members of the Gold Wing Road Riders Association Chapter "A" (since 1982). Contact Bill Long at 251-649-0003 or e-mail [email protected]; or call Jack Perkins at 251-675-9704 or e-mail [email protected]. THE CITRONELLE KIWANIS CLUB meets at noon every Tuesday at the Iron Skillet Restaurant on Hwy. 45. The public is invited. Call 251-866-0544. THE 50+ CLUB meets on the last Tuesday of the month 10 a.m. Jan. 26 at St. Philip Neri Community Center located at the corner of D.I.P. and Laurendine Road. All senior citizens are invited. Call 251-957-6216 or 802-4277. The club goes by bus once a month to a casino, for information on this trip call 251-973-0416. HIV/AIDS SUPPORT GROUP, 6 p.m. Tuesday. HIV/AIDS men only. Strictly confidential. Call John Gordon at 251-471-5277, ext. 25 for location. INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE SCHOOL, 6:30-8 p.m., Spring Hill Baptist Church, 2 S. McGregor Ave. Free. Register at any class meeting. Call 251-649-4838. INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE SCHOOL, 2-3:30 p.m. at Emmanuel Baptist Church, 5601 Zeigler Blvd. Free. Register at any class. Call 251-649-4838. THE LADIES OF CHARITY will no longer meet on the first Tuesday of each month, but instead will meet on the first Tuesday of October, December, March and May and St. Mary's Home on Moffat Road at 10 a.m. For information call Pat Cannon at 660-8856. THE LA HIKERS meet the first Tuesday of every month at the 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center in Spanish Fort at 6 p.m. Each meeting features a guest and interesting discussion of hiking, backpacking, and trail building projects along Alabama's Gulf Coast. You do not have to be a member of the Alabama Hiking Trail Society to attend! The meetings are free and open to everyone. Contact Joe Cuhaj for more information at 251-533-1812 or visit us online at lahiker.blogspot.com. MOBILE BAY GROUP SIERRA CLUB'S monthly meeting location and date have changed. Join us at 5 Rivers Delta Center, 30945 Five Rivers Blvd. on the Causeway, on the first Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. On March 2, the speaker will be Jim Felder, executive director of the Alabama Scenic River Trail. His presentation will show the ongoing creation of the 631-mile trail for boaters and paddlers from the northeast corner of Alabama to Fort Morgan at the mouth of Mobile Bay. He will talk about the recreational use of the rivers and streams of Alabama and report on efforts to improve public access to the shorelines along this route. The public is invited and there is no admission charge. For more information, contact 702-496-5050 or e-mail [email protected]. SEWING FOR SAV-A-LIFE meets at Dauphin Way Baptist Church 3661 Dauphin Street, Room 144 The group meets from 1-3 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month in Room 144 at the church. NEW MOBILIANS Meet on the first Wednesday of every month - 11 a.m. social hour, followed by luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for women of all ages new to Mobile. The next luncheon will be held on Oct. 7 at the West Mobile Regional Public Library. Call Karin Zimmerman at 251-639-9081 or Fay Simmons at 251-660-0515 reservations or visit: www.newmobilians.org. INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE SCHOOL, 9:30-11:30 a.m., First Baptist Church of Tillman's Corner, 5660 Three Notch Road, Theodore. Free. Register at any class meeting. Call 251-649-4838. KIWANIS CLUB OF AIRPORT-METRO, 11:30 a.m., Wintzell's Oyster House, 6700 Airport Blvd. Call 251-633-1367. DOWNTOWN TOASTMASTERS, a weekly meeting to enhance public speaking abilities. Noon, fourth floor, Lee Room, International Trade Club, 250 N. Water St. Call Davy Brasfield, 251-690-3276. FORT CONDE KIWANIS CLUB, noon in the Thompson Room, International Trade Club, 250 N. Water St. Call 251-209-7099. CRICHTON OPTIMIST CLUB, noon, Knights of Columbus Council 666 Hall, 3051 Pleasant Valley Road. Anyone interested in becoming a member is invited to the meetings. Call Dick Hylton at 251-422-9723 or e-mail [email protected]. PARENTING SKILLS CLASSES, 12:30-2:30 p.m., Exchange Club Family Center, 3101 International Drive, Suite 701. Free. Call 251-479-5700 to reserve seat and child care. MOTORCYCLE DINNER RIDE, 7 p.m. Gold Wing Road Riders Association, Chapter "W." For information on where to meet and ride, call David Sumerlin at 251-973-0460 or 251-455-7125. DIVORCECARE, a weekly support group for separated and divorced people, meets 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesdays at Moffett Road Assembly of God, 6159 Moffett Road. Call 251-649-3502 or [email protected]. BLANK PAGE, a new bay-area writers group, is looking for developing writers for a critique group. Open to members of all ages and writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, plays and anything in between. Blank Page meets twice a month on Thursday nights, once on the Eastern Shore and once in Mobile. Visit www.blankppage.info or call 251-626-7204. CAMERA SOUTH a nonprofit organization that provides a platform for photographers of all levels to work together to further the art and business of photography. Usually first Thursday 7 p.m.; second Thursday in January and July at the University of South Alabama, Library, auditorium. Membership: individuals/ $25; families/ $30; students/ $20. [email protected]/ www.camerasouth.org. CLOGGING AT VIA! CENTER, 1717 Dauphin St.; all ages; Thursday: Beginners, 6-7 p.m., Intermediate and higher, 7-9 p.m. Call 251-633-7682. INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE SCHOOL, 6:30-8 p.m., Springhill Baptist Church, 2 S. McGregor Ave. Free. Register at any class meeting. Call 251-649-4838. INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE SCHOOL, 9:30-11:30 a.m., First Baptist Church of Tillman's Corner, 5660 Three Notch Road , Theodore. Free. Register at any class meeting. Call 251-649-4838. THE DELTA MEN OF NORTH MOBILE COUNTY rehearse 6:30-8 p.m. Thursdays at Satsuma United Methodist Church, 58 W. Bayou Ave., Satsuma. This nonprofit group is dedicated to quartet-style singing of classic Southern gospel songs. New members accepted. Does not meet on holidays. Call Paul Betros at 251-675-1979. PARENTING SKILLS CLASSES, 9:30-11:30 a.m., Exchange Club Family Center, 3101 International Drive, Suite 701. Free classes and child care with reservations. Call 251-479-5700. BAYWAY TOASTMASTERS, 11:30 a.m., 109 St. Joseph St. To visit, call Henry Battaglia at 251-694-4066 NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) sponsors a support group for family members of those suffering from mental illness the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Dauphin Way United Methodist Church, 1507 Dauphin Street in the Family Life Center. For information, call Connie at 251-438-2444. MOBILE TOASTMASTERS meet first and third Thursdays 6 - 7 p.m. at USA Women's and Children's Hospital. Call 251-610-2216. MOMS' SUPPORT GROUP, 1-2:30 p.m., Exchange Club Family Center, 3101 International Drive, Suite 701. Call 251-479-5700. MOBILE BRIDGE CLUB, 2 p.m., South Alabama Bridge Association, 1510 University Blvd. 251-666-2147. Duplicate game instruction. You do not need a partner to play. GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS, 7:30 p.m. Bradford Health Services, 1000 Hillcrest Road, Suite 304. 251-633-0900. DIVORCECARE, A weekly seminar and support group for people who are separated or divorced, 4-5:30 p.m. Childcare provided. Woodridge Baptist Church, 2700 Schillinger Road S., Room D-223. 251-633-6000 or www.woodridgebc.com. INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE SCHOOL, 2-3:30 p.m., Emmanuel Baptist Church, 5601 Zeigler Blvd. Free. Register at any class. Call 251-649-4838. MEETING: THE CATHEDRAL SQUARE GALLERY PHOTOGRAPHY SALON: Discussion of the photographic image as art, equipment, techniques, and whatever else participants want to talk about. Second & fourth Fri, noon - 1:30 PM. Cathedral Square Gallery (612 Dauphin St) 251-209-0064/ www.michaelmastro.com. SAA (Sex Addicts Anonymous) 5:30 p.m. Fridays at Common Ground 8162 Well Road, Daphne. S-Anon is a 12-Step fellowship dedicated to helping those affected by the sexual addiction of a family member or friend. call Donna O. at 251-947-8411 for more information. DANCES AT VIA! CENTER, 1717 Dauphin St. tea dance 1-4 p.m. first Fridays, $5; cabaret dance 7-10 p.m. third Fridays, $5; 251-478-3311. DAVID MINER BALLROOM DANCESPORT ACADEMY: Swing, salsa, Latin and ballroom dance lessons, Monday through Thursday. Private lessons by appointment. Dance parties, 8 p.m. every Friday and Saturday. Buffet dinner, 7 p.m. Sundays. 262 Azalea Road behind Bojangles, call 251-343-3339 or visit www.davidminerballroom.com for dance schedules. MOBILE COUNTY BEEKEEPERS meet on the second Saturday of each month at 10 a.m. until noon at Wilmer Hall Children's Home Chapel, 3811 Old Shell Road. Meetings are open to anyone interested in beekeeping. Call 251-675-9129 or 251-865-3137. HARMONY BAPTIST CHURCH MOVIE NIGHT, on the second Saturday of every month at 6 p.m. at 2335 Firetower Road, near the corner of Howell's Ferry Road and Firetower Road in Semmes. Call Pastor Troy Bland at 251-604-9379. ALABAMA STATE DEFENSE FORCE: 8 a.m. second Saturday; Fort Hardeman/McLaughlin, 720 Museum Drive; for military veterans and no-prior service individuals who wish to serve community and region. Call 251-661-9258. P-FLAG, (Parents, Families, Friends of Lesbians and Gays) meets on the second Saturday of each month for support and education for gays and lesbians and their families. 10:30 a.m. Nov. 14 at All Saints Church, 151 S. Ann St. Call 251-767-8362 or 251-438-9381. (E-mail Bay Watch notices to [email protected], or mail to Press-Register, c/o Bay Watch, P.O. Box 2488, Mobile, AL 36652; fax 219-5799, c/o Bay Watch. Please include your name and telephone number.)

The mite Varroa destructor is an economically devastating ectoparasite of the Western Honeybee (Apis mellifera). It was originally known only from Apis cerana (which is found in southern and eastern Asia), but expanded its host range to include A. mellifera during the first half of the 20th century, spreading rapidly around the world, and is currently considered the single greatest threat to apiculture. Varroa mites have been considered a problem for beekeeping since around the late 1960s; by the 1970s, they had reached Western Europe and South America and by the 1980s they had reached the United States. On A. cerana, both V. jacobsoni and V. destructor apparently only parasitize drone (i.e., male) brood, whereas, for unknown reasons, the two mtDNA lineages of V. destructor that are capable of reproducing on A. mellifera utilize both drone and worker brood. (Rosenkranz et al. 2010 and references therein) Today, it can be safely assumed that all honey bee colonies within the mite’s range harbor varroa mites. As a consequence of mite infestation, dramatic colony losses have repeatedly occurred in affected countries (vanEngelsdorp and Meixner 2010 and references therein). Rosenkranz et al. (2010) review the morphology and reproductive systems of Varroa mites. These mites show a distinct sexual dimorphism in body form and males are smaller in all developmental stages and have proportionally longer legs than females. Varroa destructor resembles V. jacobsoni, with which it was confused until the end of the 20th century. Relative to V. jacobsoni, V. destructor is significantly larger and differs substantially with respect to mtDNA COI sequence, as well as at other genetic loci investigated. Varroa jacobsoni is rarely found on A. mellifera. Only a couple of lineages of V. destructor appear to have shifted hosts from A. cerana to A. mellifera. Varroa destructor now occurs nearly everywhere A. mellifera is found, but as of 2010 it had not yet been detected in Australia. Deformed Wing virus is spread by Varroa destructor Other: major host/prey Virus / infection vector Kakugo virus is spread by Varroa destructor Animal / parasite / ectoparasite / blood sucker Varroa destructor sucks the blood of pupa of Apis mellifera Life History and Behavior Varroa destructor lacks a free-living stage, being totally dependent on its honeybee host. There are two distinct phases in the life cycle of females: A phoretic phase on adult bees (during which the mite is transported by its host) and a reproductive phase within the sealed drone and worker brood cells. Males and nymphs are found only within the sealed brood cells in which bees are developing. The mites suck substantial amounts of hemolymph ("blood") from both adult bees and from the developing bees within the sealed brood cells. Shortly after leaving the brood cell on a young bee, the mites preferentially infest nurse bees for transport to the brood cells. Freshly hatched infested bees are less attractive than older ones and the middle-aged nurse bees are the most infested group of adult bees in breeding colonies. Drone brood are infested at a much higher rate than worker brood. Efforts to identify cues used by varroa females that cause them to switch from bees to brood, which might be used to develop an effective varroa trapping system, have so far been largely unsuccessful (Rosenkranz et al. 2010 and references therein). Once inside a 5th instar honeybee larva brood cell and several hours after it has been capped, the female Varroa mite begins to suck hemolymph ("blood") from the larva. Within a few hours, internal egg development is initiated and about 70 hours after the cell is capped, the mite lays her first egg. This first egg is normally unfertilized (females store sperm internally and are able to control whether or not an egg is fertilized). Like honeybees themselves, Varroa mites have a haplo-diploid sex determination system in which unfertilized (and hence haploid, i.e., with a single set of chromosomes) eggs develop into males and fertilized (and hence diploid, i.e., with two sets of chromosomes) eggs develop into females. The first egg is typically unfertilized and develops into a haploid male, while subsequent eggs are fertilized (and therefore female) and laid in 30 hour intervals. Up to five eggs in worker brood and up to six eggs in drone brood are considered typical. (Rosenkranz et al. 2010 and references therein) Varroa mites become sexually mature immediately after the last molt. Males reach maturity before the females and wait for the first adult female, which molts to adulthood some 20 hours later. Before copulation starts, the male cleans his chelicerae (fang-like mouthparts characteristic of mites, spiders and relatives). He touches the female with his first pair of legs and climbs onto her back. He then slips around to her underside, a repositioning that is often facilitated by the female raising her body. In this "belly-to-belly" position, the male locates the female's gonopores (which are distinct from the genital opening through which the eggs are deposited). He then takes the spermatophore out of his genital opening and transfers it into the gonopore of the female using his chelicerae. Multiple mating is common until the next female is mature and available. (Rosenkranz et al. 2010 and references therein) From hatching out of the egg until the adult molt, developmental time is about 5.8 and 6.6 days for female and male mites, respectively. The mother mite creates a hole in the cuticle of the pupa for the nymphs to feed through. This behavior is part of ‘‘parental care” and necessary because the soft chelicerae of the nymphal stages cannot perforate the pupal cuticle and the male’s chelicerae are modified for sperm transfer. (Rosenkranz et al. 2010 and references therein). Evolution and Systematics Systematics and Taxonomy The genus Varroa includes at least four species of obligate ectoparasitic mites. Varroa jacobsoni was described from Java in 1904 as a parasite of Apis cerana and has a wide distribution on this bee throughout Asia and on A. nigrocincta in Indonesia. Varroa underwoodi was first described from A. cerana in Nepal in 1987. Varroa rindereri was described from Apis koschevnikovi in Borneo in 1996. Varroa destructor was described from both A. cerana (its original host) and A. mellifera (a new host) in 2000; prior to its recognition, V. destructor was mistakenly lumped together with V. jacobsoni and most literature referring to V. jacobsoni prior to 2000 probably refers to the species now known as V. destructor. (Anderson and Trueman 2000; Rosenkranz et al. 2010 and references therein) Oldroyd (1999) discusses aspects of the evolution of the varroa mite-honeybee association and notes that A. mellifera is the only Apis species believed to have escaped natural parasitism. Only two of several known mitochondrial haplotypes of Varroa destructor have been found to be capable of reproducing on Apis mellifera (the others being limited to V. destructor's original host, A. cerana). Solignac et al. (2005) analyzed microsatellite markers and mtDNA of V. destructor from 45 populations in 17 countries. They found that the two V. destructor halotypes on A. mellifera also have characteristic and diagnistic alleles at numerous microsatellite loci. They also found genetic evidence suggesting that there has been at least one host transfer from A. mellifera back to A. cerana. Molecular Biology and Genetics Barcode data: Varroa destructor There are 3 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank. Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species. See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences. -- end -- Download FASTA File Statistics of barcoding coverage: Varroa destructor Public Records: 35 Specimens with Barcodes: 35 Species With Barcodes: 1 Relevance to Humans and Ecosystems Varroa destructor has a variety of negative impacts on honeybees (and, therefore, on human apiculture). The loss of hemolymph during development within the brood cell significantly decreases the weight of the hatching bee, which has a variety of downstream effects such as shortened lifespan of workers. This mite is also a vector for a variety of honeybee viruses, such as Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) and Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV) (vanEngelsdorp and Meixner 2010 and references therein). There is strong suspicion that V. destructor plays a significant role in Colony Collapse Disorder (Schäfer et al. 2010), having a synergistic effect in combination with other causes such as other pathogens, environmental factors, and stressful colony management practices. Some feral, unmanaged A. mellifera populations appear to have evolved a degree of resistance to varroa mites, after initial sharp declines, through natural selection and there is some hope that studying these examples could provide valuable insights that could be applied to managed colonies. (Rosenkranz et al. 2010 and references therein) On the other hand, a number of authors have noted that the level of mite infestation that causes significant colony damage appears to have decreased over time in at least some areas (vanEngelsdorp and Meixner 2010 and references therein). Clearly, the host-parasite relationship is complex and may vary through space and time as it evolves. Cook et al. (2007) estimated that preventing Varroa destructor from establishing in Australia over the next 30 years would avoid costs of between 16 million and 40 million dollars (U.S.) per year. Varroa destructor can only reproduce in a honey bee colony. It attaches to the body of the bee and weakens the bee by sucking hemolymph. In this process, RNA viruses such as the deformed wing virus (DWV) spread to bees. A significant mite infestation will lead to the death of a honey bee colony, usually in the late autumn through early spring. The Varroa mite is the parasite with the most pronounced economic impact on the beekeeping industry. It may be a contributing factor to colony collapse disorder, as research shows it is the main factor for collapsed colonies in Ontario, Canada and Hawaii, USA. - 1 Physical description - 2 Reproduction, infection and hive mortality - 3 Identification - 4 Varroosis - 5 Control or preventive measures and treatment - 6 See also - 7 References - 8 Further reading - 9 External links The adult mite is reddish-brown in color; has a flat, button shape; is 1–1.8 mm long and 1.5–2 mm wide; and has eight legs. Reproduction, infection and hive mortality Mites reproduce on a 10-day cycle. The female mite enters a honey bee brood cell. As soon as the cell is capped, the Varroa mite lays eggs on the larva. The young mites, typically several females and one male, hatch in about the same time as the young bee develops and leave the cell with the host. When the young bee emerges from the cell after pupation, the Varroa mites also leave and spread to other bees and larvae. The mite preferentially infests drone cells. The adults suck the "blood" (hemolymph) of adult honey bees for sustenance, leaving open wounds. The compromised adult bees are more prone to infections. With the exception of some resistance in the Russian strains and bees with varroa-sensitive hygiene genes developed by the USDA, the European Apis mellifera bees are almost completely defenseless against these parasites (Russian honey bees are one-third to one-half less susceptible to mite reproduction). The model for the population dynamics is exponential growth when bee brood are available and exponential decline when no brood is available. In 12 weeks, the number of mites in a western honey bee hive can multiply by (roughly) 12. High mite populations in the autumn can cause a crisis when drone rearing ceases and the mites switch to worker larvae, causing a quick population crash and often hive death. Varroa mites have been found on flower-feeding insects such as the bumblebee Bombus pennsylvanicus, the scarab beetle Phanaeus vindex and the flower-fly Palpada vinetorum. Although the Varroa mite cannot reproduce on these insects, its presence on them may be a means by which it spreads short distances (phoresy). Introduction around the world - Early 1960s Japan, USSR - 1960s-1970s Eastern Europe - 1971 Brazil[verification needed] - Late 1970s South America - 1980 Poland - 1982 France - 1984 Switzerland, Spain, Italy - 1987 Portugal - 1987 USA - 1989 Canada - 1992 United Kingdom - 2000 New Zealand (North Island) - 2006 New Zealand (South Island) - 2007 Hawaii (Oahu, Hawaii Island) Until recently, V. destructor was thought to be a closely related mite species called Varroa jacobsoni. Both species parasitize the Asian honey bee, Apis cerana. However, the species originally described as V. jacobsoni by Anthonie Cornelis Oudemans in 1904 is not the same species that also attacks Apis mellifera. The jump to A. mellifera probably first took place in the Philippines in the early 1960s where imported A. mellifera came into close contact with infected A. cerana. Until 2000, scientists had not identified V. destructor as a separate species. This late identification in 2000 by Anderson and Trueman corrected some previous confusion and mislabeling in the scientific literature. The infection and subsequent parasitic disease caused by varroa mites is called varroosis. Sometimes, the incorrect names varroatosis or varroasis are used. A parasitic disease name must be formed from the taxonomic name of the parasite and the suffix -osis as provided in the Standardised Nomenclature by the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology. For example, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) use the name varroosis in the OIE Terrestrial Manual. Treatments have been met with limited success. First, the bees were medicated with fluvalinate, which had about 95% mite falls. However, the last five percent became resistant to it, and later, almost immune. Fluvalinate was followed by coumaphos. Control or preventive measures and treatment Varroa mites can be treated with commercially available miticides. Miticides must be applied carefully to minimize the contamination of honey that might be consumed by humans. Proper use of miticides also slows the development of resistance by the mites. - Pyrethroid insecticide (Apistan) as strips - Organophosphate insecticide (Coumaphos (Check-mite)) as strips - Manley's Thymol Crystal and surgical spirit recipe with sugar as food Naturally occurring chemicals - Formic acid as vapor or pads (Mite-Away) - Powdered sugar (Dowda method), talc, or other "safe" powders with a grain size between 5 and 15 µm (0.20 and 0.59 mil) can be sprinkled on the bees. - Essential oils, especially lemon, mint and thyme oil - Sugar esters (Sucrocide) in spray application - Oxalic acid trickling method or applied as vapor - Mineral oil (food grade) as vapor and in direct application on paper or cords - Natural hops compounds in strip application (Hopguard) Physical, mechanical, behavioral methods Varroa mites can also be controlled through nonchemical means. Most of these controls are intended to reduce the mite population to a manageable level, not to eliminate the mites completely. - Heating method, first used by beekeepers in Eastern Europe in the 1970s and later became a global method. In this method, hive frames are heated to a certain temperature for a period of time, which kills the varroa larvae, but doesn't harm the bees and broods. In Germany, anti-varroa heaters are manufactured for use by professional bee keepers. - Perforated bottom board method is used by many beekeepers on their hives. When mites occasionally fall off a bee, they must climb back up to parasitize another bee. If the beehive has a screened floor with mesh the right size, the mite will fall through and cannot return to the beehive. The screened bottom board is also being credited with increased circulation of air, which reduces condensation in a hive during the winter. Studies at Cornell University done over two years found that screened bottoms have no measurable effect at all. Screened bottom boards with sticky boards separate mites that fall through the screen and the sticky board prevents them from crawling back up. - Limited drone brood cell method, is based on limiting the brood space cell for Varroa mites to inhabit (4.9 mm across — about 0.5 mm smaller than standard), and also to enhance the difference in size between worker and drone brood, with the intention of making the drone comb traps more effective in trapping Varroa mites. Small cell foundations have staunch advocates, though controlled studies have been generally inconclusive. - Comb trapping method (also known as swarming method), is based on interrupting the honey bee brood cycle. It is an advanced method that removes capped brood from the hive, where the Varroa mites breed. The queen is confined to a comb using a comb cage. At 9-day intervals, the queen is confined to a new comb, and the brood in the old comb is left to be reared. The brood in the previous comb, now capped and infested with Varroa mites, is removed. The cycle is repeated. This complex method can remove up to 80% of Varroa mites in the hive. - Freezing drone brood method takes advantage of Varroa mites' preference for longer living drone brood. The beekeeper will put a frame in the hive that is sized to encourage the queen to lay primarily drone brood. Once the brood is capped, the beekeeper removes the frame and puts it in the freezer. This kills the Varroa mites feeding on those bees. It also kills the drone brood, but most hives produce an excess of drone bees, so it is not generally considered a loss. After freezing, the frame can be returned to the hive. The nurse bees will clean out the dead brood (and dead mites) and the cycle continues. - Drone brood excision method is a variation applicable to top bar hives. Honey bees tend to place comb suitable for drone brood along the bottom and outer margins of the comb. Cutting this off at a late stage of development ("purple eye stage") and discarding it reduces the mite load on the colony. It also allows for inspection and counting of mites on the brood. Researchers have been able to use RNA interference to knock out genes in the Varroa mite. The aim is to change the bees genetic traits so that the bees can smell infected brood and remove them before the infestation spreads further. - Colony collapse disorder (CCD) - Ernesto Guzmán-Novoa, Leslie Eccles, Yireli Calvete, Janine Mcgowan, Paul G. Kelly & Adriana Correa-Benítez (2009). "Varroa destructor is the main culprit for the death and reduced populations of overwintered honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies in Ontario, Canada" (PDF). Apidologie 41 (4): 443–450. doi:10.1051/apido/2009076. - Welsh, Jennifer (7 June 2012) Mites and Virus Team Up to Wipe Out Beehives Live Science, Retrieved 11 June 2012 - J. Raloff (August 8, 1998). Russian queens bee-little mites' impact 154 (6). Science News. p. 84. - Peter G. Kevan, Terence M. Laverty & Harold A. Denmark (1990). "Association of Varroa jacobsoni with organisms other than honeybees and implications for its dispersal". Bee World 71 (3): 119–121. - Helen M. Thompson, Michael A. Brown, Richard F. Ball & Medwin H. Bew (2002). "First report of Varroa destructor resistance to pyrethroids in the UK" (PDF). Apidologie 33 (4): 357–366. doi:10.1051/apido:2002027. - "Varroa Mite, Varroa destructor". MAF Biosecurity New Zealand. June 30, 2009. Retrieved February 24, 2011. - Nina Wu (April 25, 2007). "Bee mites have spread on Oahu". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved February 24, 2011. - "Varroa Mite Information". State of Hawaii. 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2013. - Holland, Malcolm (June 26, 2012). "Varroa mites could devastate our honeybee industry". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved June 26, 2012. - Jopson, Debra (August 18, 2010). "It's a bee nuisance – and food growers are more than a mite scared". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved June 20, 2012. - "Honigbienenart in der Sahara entdeckt" [Honey bee species discovered in the Sahara] (in German). Die Zeit. July 2010. Retrieved February 24, 2011. - D. L. Anderson & J. W. H. Trueman (2000). "Varroa jacobsoni (Acari: Varroidae) is more than one species". Experimental and Applied Acarology 24 (3): 165–189. doi:10.1023/A:1006456720416. PMID 11108385. - Kassai T., 2006, Nomenclature for parasitic diseases: cohabitation with inconsistency for how long and why?, Veterinary Parasitology, 138, 169–178, http://www.waavp.org/files/Nomenclature%20for%20parasitic%20diseases.pdf - Mark Ward (March 8, 2006). "Almond farmers seek healthy bees". BBC News. Retrieved May 2, 2009. - Natalia Damiani, Liesel B. Gende, Pedro Bailac, Jorge A. Marcangeli & Martín J. Eguaras (2009). "Acaricidal and insecticidal activity of essential oils on Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) and Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae)". Parasitology Research 106 (1): 145–152. doi:10.1007/s00436-009-1639-y. PMID 19795133. - Northeast Beekeeper Vol 1 #1 Jan 2004) - "A Sustainable Approach to Controlling Honey Bee Diseases and Varroa Mites". SARE. Retrieved 2008-11-18. - Victoria Gill (December 22, 2010). "Genetic weapon developed against honeybee-killer". BBC News. Retrieved February 24, 2011. - Zhi-Qiang Zhang (2000). "Notes on Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) parasitic on honeybees in New Zealand" (PDF). Systematic & Applied Acarology. Special Publications 5: 9–14. - Keith S. Delaplane (2001). "Varroa destructor: revolution in the making". Bee World 82 (4): 157–159. - "Managing Varroa". Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. 2005. - Tracheal and Varroa Mite Controls Apiculture Factsheet #221, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Government of British Columbia; April 2004 - Oils for Varroa Control Botanicals For Mite Control, Canadian Honey Council, 3/16/2003 To request an improvement, please leave a comment on the page. Thank you!

In Berlin, Bringing Bees Back to the Heart of the City “…In recent years, paralleling the rise of urban farming in small gardens, keeping thousands of buzzing bees and producing one’s own honey has become very popular in this city of 3.3 million people. Berlin is just one of many cities worldwide where beekeeping is enjoying a surge in popularity. Globally, a renaissance of beekeeping is underway as urban dwellers seek to reconnect with nature — and earn some money. In Hong Kong last year, expert product designer Michael Leung brought together local beekeepers and artists to form “HK Honey,” a company that markets honey from the city’s rooftops, rare green spots, and suburbs. In Britain, according to a recent report in The Guardian newspaper, membership of the British Beekeeping Association has doubled to 20,000 in just three years “as young, urban dwellers transform a rather staid pastime into a vibrant environmental movement.” This renaissance taps into a culture of urban beekeeping with particularly deep historical roots in European cities. Paris at the turn of the twentieth century boasted more than 1,000 hives, and after a long decline following World War II, that number has resurged to almost 400. Some hives even claim expensive real estate, like that atop the historic Paris Opéra. For all of Germany, the beekeepers’ association reports the first increase in memberships in years, to over 40,000, following a long decline in both beekeepers and number of colonies. In the U.S., where the number of colonies decreased from 6 million after World War II to 2.4 million today, thousands of young people are re-discovering this ancient skill. Beekeeping is still banned in many cities by “No Buzz Zones” for fear of people getting stung. But places like Detroit and Chicago are showcases of a movement to make it an integral part of the urban economy and ecology. Chicago’s city hall is home to more than 100,000 bees. With its rich patchwork of urban farms and open lots, Detroit is investigating beekeeping as a new tool for community development and economic growth. New York, where beekeeping fines once topped $2,000, lifted the ban last year, legalizing what many people had been doing for a long time… “Bees today often fare better in urban environments than in contemporary farmland,” says Matthew Oates, Nature Conservation Adviser at the National Trust. Ecologist Jane Memmott from the University of Bristol, who is involved in a UK research project called the Insect Pollinators Initiative, thinks that the untapped potential of urban beekeeping is huge. “There’s a greater diversity and abundance, probably, of flowers in cities than there are in nature reserves and the countryside,” she told the BBC. Also, the flowering season is longer because cities are heat islands with an average temperature that is 2 to 3 degrees higher than in the countryside. Many city gardeners grow plants that flower very early and very late in the year, “so there is forage over a longer period of time,” says Memmot. The most serious side of urban beekeeping is that it might sustain the colonies (and the many skills involved in keeping them) while investigators attempt to sort out the causes of so-called “colony collapse disorder,” which wiped out 35 percent of the U.S.’s honeybee population between 2006 and 2009 and has also afflicted hives in the UK and some other European countries…”

How to consider nutrition and household food security in the NFP planning process This section will follow the phases recommended for the formulation of the National Forest Programmes (NFPs) in the document " Basic Principles and Operational Guidelines (FAO, Rome 1996)" 2 and for each phase will describe the actions to be taken to incorporate household food security and nutrition considerations. 2 Also consult FAO, 1993 and FAO, 1991b. In order to incorporate nutrition considerations into the formulation or revision of NFPs, it is important to identify institutions, community groups and people concerned with household food security and nutrition issues, both at national level and in forested areas. 1. At national level, the preparation of the International Conference of Nutrition (ICN, December 1992) and its follow-up, and in particular the preparation of the National Plans of Action for Nutrition, has contributed to strengthening the coordination between the different institutions. In all countries, a focal point has been identified and in most countries, an Inter-institutional Food and Nutrition Committee has been set up. Ministries of agriculture, health, education and rural development are usually involved in food and nutrition issues and some Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) may also play an important role in this field. The coordination mechanism set up for the ICN can facilitate identification and contacts with these institutions. NFP staff should therefore contact the FAO (or WHO) Representation in the country to get this information. 2. In forested areas, a variety of institutions and people are involved in / and concerned with development activities at community level which have a direct or indirect impact on household food security and malnutrition. These include government staff working at local level (health staff, agriculture extension staff, teachers), NGOs, people's organizations (e.g. local leaders, women's groups, trade unions, religious leaders...), food processors, food traders (shopkeepers intermediaries)... These institutions/ people can be identified locally through district authorities and/or key informants. 3. Collaboration with different sectors and community groups will ensure a multi-disciplinary and participatory approach to the NFP. They should therefore be involved from the start whenever possible in the formulation or revision of NFPs. Meetings should then be organized, both at national and at local level in forested areas, with the people/institutions concerned, to collect relevant information and discuss a possible cooperation. Initial contacts may need to be made on a one-to-one basis but joint meetings can also be helpful in generating a consensus. This process will both ensure effective collection of relevant data and involve stakeholders in the planning of strategies and activities in the implementation of which they will play a role. It will therefore contribute to improving project design and increasing its sustainability. - As part of an initial assessment of the main problems and opportunities for forest resource conservation and management, it is important to consult the existing information on forest users and nutrition. - Information on food-related practices of population groups living in forested areas or in their vicinity, including their food habits and perceptions of foods, is essential for understanding of a the local food and nutrition situation and its evolution and b people's practices regarding the exploitation of forest resources. - Much of that information can usually be found in the scientific literature, since the issue is of interest to social sciences researchers or biologists (and in particular anthropologists or ethnobotanists). However the latter are likely to concentrate on specific population groups or on the local fauna and flora rather than on the local food and nutrition situation. Development planners and policy makers may not even be aware of the existence of this material. Moreover, the professional background of the authors and the requirements for scientific publications can render this information difficult to find, understand and use. - Some information on the productivity, nutritional value and use of locally relevant NWFPs may be available but is often fragmentary. Checklists of wild plant and animal species eaten by rainforest people now exist for many countries and databases on their nutritional value are being set up. If not, relevant data3 can be found in existing food composition tables in similar ecological areas. Development institutions however usually do not know that such information exists. 3 These data should be used critically since the chemical composition of plants varies according to its age and geographical origin (it varies according to climate, altitude or soil). - "Hard data" on the contribution of NWFPs to local diets are often seen as necessary to raise the awareness of policy-makers as to their potential or to warn them against possible negative implications of development programmes on the food and nutrition situation of indigenous groups if the contribution of NWFPs to local consumption patterns is ignored. In fact little information is available on the impact on diets of the reduced consumption of forest foods. Such data are either missing or inadequate since consumption of forest foods is generally under-reported and nutrition studies generally do not address this topic specifically. - This is also the case for the economic significance of NWFPs. As a rule, no estimates are made of the cash equivalent of their indirect contribution to food security of subsistence households. - Existing information on the nutritional status of indigenous groups living in or near forested areas, its evolution and its relation with the national average can provide a good indicator of the severity of the problem. - NFP staff should therefore contact academic institutions (departments of social sciences - anthropology, ethnology, sociology... -, nutrition, forestry and botanic, environment) in the country to ask for relevant information for incorporation in the document presenting the results of the sectoral review. The following points should be considered: 1. Identification of forested areas; 2. for each forested area, identification of population groups living: · in forested area · near forested area · seasonally passing through 3. for each of these groups: · size and lifestyle (habitat, farming systems/income generation) · food consumption habits · use of forest products (what? when? by whom? what for?) · nutritional status/existence of nutritional problems - For each forest area identified in the review of the forestry sector, a more in depth study of food security and nutrition should be done in the framework of the in-depth sector analysis. - The information collected during forestry sector review will need to be complemented at local level through: · interviews of key informants (see institutions/people identified in section "Identifying stakeholders".) · revision of locally available information · rapid appraisal (RRA) of the food and nutrition situation of indigenous groups living in and near the forest area identified. - This study will provide complementary information on household food systems (how does the household acquire and process the food it consumes: what? when? where? who?) and their evolution, will identify constraints to nutrition and food security, will explore the interface between forestry and nutrition, identify possible lines of action and corresponding indicators. Check-list # 1 provides a list of issues to be explored during the RRA exercise. Table 2 provides a list of RRA techniques selected as particularly relevant to the issues addressed. In North Vietnam, RRA was found to be an effective methodology for the collection of information related to forestry and food security. The researchers found that a multidisciplinary team composed of forestry sector personnel, nutritionists and social scientists was essential to address the multi-faceted issues involved in dependency on forests and trees for food security. In particular, interviews were helpful in determining community dependency on forest and tree products for food security including the most vulnerable groups, and the forest and tree species used by local people (Yen et al. 1994). - The participation of the community and of local development institutions in determining forest related problems and activities will ensure an appropriate focus and sustainability of the project. - Besides, most of the knowledge on local edible plants (harvesting, processing, preparation) is part of indigenous knowledge. In many parts of the world, this knowledge is being lost at an accelerated pace and disappears with changes in lifestyle (decrease in subsistence use of wild species, changing occupational patterns of household members) and disappearance of village elders. Retrieving this knowledge on a systematic basis would provide invaluable information to forestry planners. - Whenever possible, holding a multi-disciplinary planning workshop gathering the different stakeholders at the local level to review findings, help identify lines of action and allocate responsibilities would be an effective means to generate the required consensus and ensure the involvement of existing institutions in the implementation of follow-up activities. Food and nutrition could be the main topic or one of the issues in such a workshop. Finally, NFP staff should ensure that the outcome of these action-oriented studies are adequately incorporated in the overall planning process and in particular that relevant aspects are included in the list of options produced during the strategic planning phase. Participatory Methods for Gathering Forestry and Nutrition Information Method Information Gathered Cropping patterns, food prices, food availability(cultivated and wild), common illnesses, economic activities Oral traditions patterns Food habits, social uses of food, changes in food Food production and gathering sites, fuelwood collection sites, food distribution sites, water sources, health facilities, houses Time charts of representative individuals Task allocation, use and availability of time, gender issues, role of children Preferences, priority problems Popular theater. Role playing, Games, Celebrations Raise community awareness about food security and nutrition issues, promote participation Checklist # 1 1. Forest and tree resources _ Who uses and to what end are the forests and trees used? (food production, income generation, fuel wood, etc.) _ Are there limitations in terms of access to forest and tree resources? _ Do access restrictions have a more serious effect on food supply or nutrition during particular seasons ? _ If fuel wood is collected, who collects it and what is the estimated fuel collection and what is the estimated fuel collection time ? _ Does fuel wood supply limit the number of meals cooked a day or limit the time available to women or men for other activities? _ What food processing/preservation or income generating activities require fuel wood ? 2. Nutrition and food security _ Is malnutrition a familiar notion to the community? _ What does the community perceive as malnutrition? How important is it? _ How many thin children or adults are there in the community? _ How do people describe or explain this? _ What do they do about it? _ What are the contributing factors to nutrition problems in the area? (geographic area, farming system, poverty, labour, land, policies, infection, food supply, women's time, cultural/religious factors, etc.) _ Who are the nutritionally vulnerable? (Is it related to gender, age, landholding or ethnic group?) _ Are there seasonal dimensions to nutrition problems? _ What do community members say about the nature and importance of wild foods ? _ What do the residents say about food related problems? _ Do they identify constraints in availability/ scarcity of specific food items? _ What is the food storage capacity and what are the storage methods? 3. Income generation _ Who is employed in forestry or earns money from forest/tree products or processing ? _ What forestry products are traded? _ Does it vary by season? _ What products are used by small scale enterprises for processing? _ When are the cash need periods? _ Are some forest products sold to obtain cash for the purchase of basic foods? _ Are there periodic shortages of these products ? _ Are there ownership/tenure patterns that regulate the exploitation of these products ? _ What are the prevailing diseases in the community? Who suffers from them? _ When do people suffer from them most? _ What causes them? _ How do people deal with disease? _ What support is available? (Traditional healers, Community health worker, Health services) vices) _ Are there medicines derived from trees and-forests that can alleviate these problems? 5. Living environment _ Where does the community or household get its water for drinking, food preparation, washing and agricultural uses? _ What happens to waste water? _ How many rooms do typical households have for how many people? _ What are the practices regarding defecation? _ What are the hygiene practices in relation to food preparation, consumption and storage? On the basis of the information gathered, NFP staff should be able to ensure that food security of households living in and/ or near the forested areas considered has been systematically taken into account when finalizing planning of forest development (management and conservation) activities to be included in the Plan of Action, that specific activities have been designed to promote food security and appropriate nutrition of vulnerable households and that effective coordination has been established with local institutions involved in nutrition-related activities. A Including Household Food Security and Appropriate Nutrition of indigenous groups in NFP objectives Improving the quality of life (and in particular the satisfaction of basic needs such as food and shelter) of indigenous groups living in or near forested areas should be an explicit objective of all NFPs. A food security and nutrition goal must be included in the National Forest Policy. B Incorporating Household Food Security concerns into forest development The main thrust of National Forest Programmes is to make the best use of existing forest resources. These plans will therefore combine a series of activities to promote a more rational exploitation of these resources and to ensure their conservation. It is important to consider the potential negative effects of these activities on nutrition, as well as the tradeoffs. Some of them could for example: - reduce food production by affecting traditional farming systems; - reduce the access to forest products for those most dependent on those resources - or increase the time women spend involved in a particular activity (e.g. collecting fuel wood). In view of the information gathered all activities should be systematically screened in terms of their impact on household food security and nutrition of the local population. Whenever possible their design should be revised accordingly. Considering Household Food Security issues is often in the foresters' and environmentalists' best interest: if both wood and non-wood forest products are seen by the local population both as a source of food and as an important source of local income, they will make sure that such forest resources are managed sustainably. Researchers in Northeast Thailand recommended that forest management must protect the remaining forest and provide for the needs of people who have traditionally depended on the forest for a wide range of products (Saowakontha et al. 1993). They mad e several specific recommendations: - employ the most vulnerable in reforestation efforts; - pay daily wages; - provide training and education in how to improve soil quality emphasizing the environmental contribution that forests make - provide nutrition education and education for school children plant fast growing trees - listen to the opinion of the headman and community members in project development. C Designing activities to promote household food security and nutrition Specific activities to promote household food security and appropriate nutrition of the local population should be systematically incorporated into NFPs. On the basis of the information gathered in Phase II and in coordination with beneficiaries and local development institutions, NFP staff will: _ define target groups: - food insecure households living in or near the forested area(s). (e.g. female-headed, unemployed, landless, land-poor...); - households living in or near forest areas which depend permanently or periodically or occasionally on the use of forest resources for food security; - communities and households suffering from poor environmental conditions linked to the degradation of natural resources (in particular insufficient or low-quality water supply), resulting in impaired health and malnutrition of vulnerable individuals. _ design activities addressing the constraints faced by these target groups. These could include and/or combine: - improved food production (increase and/or diversification), e.g. agroforestry, home gardens, domestication of forest resources, ... - income-generating activities based on a more rational exploitation of wood and non-wood forest products (production but also processing, storage and commercialization) and on the creation of local forest-related industries; - improved access to fuel - improved living environment (e.g. reforestation, protection of water sources) - more effective selection of tree species - ensuring positive benefits for nutritionally vulnerable groups. Given the key role played by women in most of these issues, the incorporation of household food security and nutrition concerns in NFPs will lead to the development of activities which will both facilitate their tasks and enable them to deal effectively with the constraints they are facing. D Ensuring local coordination Malnutrition is the outcome of a combination of intersectorial causes which result in disease, insufficient access to food, and poor nutrition practices. NFPs should include activities to address the causes related to forest use but cannot be expected to address other causes which existing development institutions (government or NGOs) arc better equipped to handle. The consultation and coordination process initiated from the start between the different stakeholders (see A.1. and following) will have led at local level to a common understanding of which arc the vulnerable households and what constraints they are facing. It is expected that the institutions involved will follow up on the issues relevant to their mandate and/or expertise. In the case that the resources required are available either in the community or in the relevant institution(s), some activities may actually be initiated immediately. NFPs should actively promote the coordination mechanism required to ensure an integrated approach at household level, for example by promoting inter-institutional meetings at local level to discuss progress of activities and the difficulties encountered. FAO Forest and Food Security Projects - Fores et Securite Alimentaire en Afrique Sahelienne" This project is aimed at developing forestry's contribution to food security in Cape Verde, Mali and Faso. _ In Cape Verde the main components of this project are the - strengthen the national forestry service by developing national technical skills; - develop, based on a participatory approach, pilot models for management of Prosopis plantations in Santiago and Maio; - promote development fruit tree and beekeeping in several different locations. _ In Mali, the main objective is to implement a participatory forestry management plan for Kaboila State Protected Forest. _ In Burkina Faso, the goals are to implement a participatory forest management plan for 10000 ha of natural village forests and to increase agropastoral production yields. A pre-formulation mission in mid 1993 made several recommendations concerning participatory methodologies, natural resource management and income generating activities. They emphasized strengthening project staff skills in the participatory approach and collaborating closely with national institutions at all levels. Project outputs due in the near future are a thematic mapping of communities and training tools for specific subjects. - As an early part of FAO's project "Forestry and Food Security" in the Mid and Near East Region, project staff have listed potential activities focusing on: - improving and managing forest pasture - managing forests for fuelwood production - improving communal rangeland - reducing afforestation costs - introducing alternative sources of energy - enhancing agroforestry - setting up experimental design plots. - In order to ensure that Nutrition concerns are adequately addressed in the formulation of the NFP, one person in the National Coordinating Unit should be responsible for food and nutrition issues. This person should work in close collaboration with the person/institution coordinating the follow-up of the International Conference for Nutrition in the country and in particular the preparation and implementation of the National Plan of Action for Nutrition. - Local training on food security and nutrition and/ or visits by relevant national or international experts (e.g. nutritionists) to the area should be encouraged as this would provide further opportunities for exchange of information and dialogue between food security and nutrition partners and would contribute to build up the capacity of field staff. At community level - The participatory monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of the impact of NFP activities on nutrition and food security is essential to ensure continuous feedback and adjustments based on experience. If the community has been effectively involved (see phase III) in problem analysis and selection of activities, the corresponding indicators will likely be acceptable to both NFP staff and beneficiaries. The involvement from the start of other institutions active at local level will also ensure that they are compatible with existing data-collection and monitoring systems at community and local level. - NFP activities are likely to affect the food and nutrition situation of households in a variety of ways, which will depend on local ecological and socio-cultural factors. The following list (Checklist #2) is therefore indicative and will need to be adapted and completed on the basis of the analysis carried in phases II and III. At local level - Information collected and analysed at community level through this participatory approach must be collated and discussed at local level by the institutions identified in section A. 1. - The inter-institutional coordination process required to improve the local food and nutrition situation should be monitored and supported by the NFP. Setting up a Food and Nutrition Surveillance System An important element of the policies selected in Phase IV should be the development of an effective food and nutrition surveillance system for monitoring purposes. A local system should be designed on the basis of the information gathered in phases I to III, of the resources of existing institutions and according to the activities considered to improve the food and nutrition situation of households living in and near forested areas. It should then be integrated into existing monitoring systems at community and local level. Finally it should be integrated into regional and/or national food and nutrition surveillance systems and/or other related monitoring system. Checklist # 2 1. Food practices _ Range of foods used over the seasons, snack food consumption, gathered forest foods _ Duration of crop availability reliability of crop production year to year, number of months of staple food self-sufficiency, duration of hunger periods. er periods. _ Perceptions of foods (e.g. foods perceived as luxuries or delicacies) _ Frequency of meals and snack foods _ Amount of stored foods, length of food storage _ Number of meals reheated, dishes saved but not reheated before eating _ Child feeding practices including medicines and "health" foods fed to children when ill, extent of consumption of snack foods, meal frequency, weaning foods _ Coping mechanisms: emergency measures during hunger periods, foods consumed only in famine situations _ Availability of alternative food sources, especially forest foods _ Periods of market availability and prices of foods in hunger periods _ Cash requirements - regular, occasional (tax payments, school fees, _ How income spent (on more food? other basic needs? "luxuries"?) and invested (e.g. in land, livestock, new tools) _ Who within the household earns, spends and controls money? _ Change in purchasing power and debts _ Food purchases during hunger periods _ Livestock sold to tide through emergency period 3. Environmental health _ Water quality and quantity _ Incidence of environmentally induced disease _ Changes in the division of labour and time use by gender _ Changes in distribution of production resources _ Changes in income distribution _ Changes in distribution of knowledge and skills nd skills 5. Community participation _ Percentage of households involved in at least one activity _ Changing size of group membership during the project ing the project _ Frequency of attendance at meetings _ Involvement of marginalized households lds _ Number of person/days of labour involved in project activity _ Number, percentage and gender of persons assuming leadership roles 6. Interactions of the community with external services _ Number and types of institutions with which the community has established regular links _ Participation of community in external decisions affecting it directly _ Number of people trained by external institutions

Brooklyn Homesteader's Backyard Farming Bootcamp Sunday, September 25, 2011 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (EDT) Ever wanted to learn how to grow, make and preserve your own food in a small space but need some hands-on guidance to do so? Join Meg Paska, the "Brooklyn Homesteader", on her own turf as she teaches you how to raise chickens, keep bees, grow a garden, compost, forage, can, pickle, preserve and homebrew all from her tiny Greenpoint homestead. Coffee and homemade donuts will be served in the morning before the class commences. It will tentatively go as follows: -Building Raised Beds and Planning a Vegetable Garden -Food Preservation (Freezing, Drying, Canning, Fermentation) LUNCH ON THE BBQ! -Homebrewing basics with Jerry Madden of Tipsy Parson -DIY Home and Body Care with Liz Neves of Raganella WIND DOWN with local beers and Q&A Attendees will get hands on experience in all aspects of the above mentioned topics and will leave with care packages of assorted goodies! (Books on the subjects covered, seeds, canned and pickled items from the class, etc) Please email [email protected] with any questions. Students are expected to bring notepads and pens, dress in light color clothes, be able to climb ladders and are willing to sign a waiver, as we will be getting up close and personal with stinging, venomous insects, boiling hot jars of food and eating weeds from the nearby park. All other materials are included in the cost of the class. Meg Paska is a writer, Huffington Post blogger and instructor at such fine institutions as The New York Botanical Gardens and Third Ward. She currently manages apiaries for hospitality groups and farms in the NY area and has a book on Urban Beekeeping due out on Chronicle Books in early 2013. When & Where Former Brooklyn urban farmer Meg Paska has taken what she learned about intensive urban growing and applied it to small acreage in Monmouth County, NJ. Working alongside Seven Arrows East, a year-round yoga retreat, The Homestead functions as a small, diversified CSA farm and learning place. Farming workshops also take place year-round.

Thursday, May 8, 2014 A long-serving Exmouth GP is hanging up her stethoscope after 30 years serving the community. Helen Enright is retiring from Rolle Medical Partnership, having worked there since 1984. When she joined the practice she was the junior partner in a team of five, and she now leaves as the senior in a team of 11. When asked what it was she had enjoyed that made her want to stay so long, she said: “Everything, really. I like general practice and family medicine, and looking after whole families. I have seen babies who I saw when they were born growing up and having their own children, and being involved in people’s lives like that is a great privilege. “It’s like having an enormous family, and my colleagues are a family as well. It’s just been a lovely place to be.” In her retirement, Helen, who lives near Woodbury Salterton, says she plans to take up beekeeping, as well as spend more time with husband Terry and their grandchildren. Rolle Medical Partnership practice manager Linda Kay said: “She will be greatly missed by everyone at the practice and her patients, and we wish her a happy retirement and thank her for everything.”

The week-long STIHL Tour des Trees is an international cycling tour combining natural beauty, camaraderie and fundraising for the benefit of urban trees. Save money by planting smaller trees and shrubs from mail-order sources. Enjoy viewing these unique treehouses in this colorful 16-month calendar, based on Peter Nelson's book, Treehouses of the World. Mother Nature has a way of filling in the blank spots.... Ever wonder where the name "treehugger" came from? Well I've got the answer and a few other fun facts about the subject. I was so excited to get this email from Ted Owens, president of Syncronos Design, as he’s a VIP in my world My favorite graft for these tree makeovers is known as a bark graft and the time to do it is just as leaves are beginning to poke out of recently dormant stems and the bark easily separates from the wood. Which is now, early May, here in New York’s Hudson Valley. Ideally, foot-long scions of one-year-old wood (last years growth) have been gathered a few weeks previous and have been kept dormant with refrigeration. Studies show air pollution in China can reduce a life span by up to 5.5 years. Take a photographic tour of Finca Bella Vista, a sustainable treehouse community in Costa Rica. Odwalla's Plant A Tree program enters its third year with a donation of twice as many trees to be planted in all 50 states as well as participating state park programs. Driving patterns now closely resemble those from 1995, as young drivers are finding alternative forms of transportation. Craving fresh food during the long winter months? Here are nine vegetables that you can find fresh in February--and great ways to prepare and serve them. If you want a live Christmas tree, plan ahead and take steps to help it prosper after the holiday season. A reader asks about when to plant potatoes in Zone 9. We took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather by planting potatoes, peas and beets in the garden outside our office. Kids enjoy scoops of fresh-made ice cream in the Treehouse Club at the MOTHER EARTH NEWS FAIR Quick report from the Treehouse club at the 2010 MOTHER EARTH NEWS FAIR. Finca Bella Vista in Costa Rica, a community of sustainable treehouses in the jungle canopy, connected by zip lines and suspension bridges, is an Ewok Village come to life. Contributing editor Terry Krautwurst explains how you can learn basic tree identification skills, including recommendations for where to find classes and how to select a field guide. Painting tree trunks white can help you reduce the effect of erratic temperatures on the trees’ bark. Cycle Oregon in support of tree research and education. How we expect the unexpected and turn blow down trees into lumber. I enjoy the sweet, simple memories of Christmas that the comforting smell of a cedar tree brings to my mind. A Life Cycle Assessment from Ellipsos, a sustainable development strategy firm, suggests that natural Christmas trees generate fewer greenhouse gases per year than artificial trees. The innovative garden seeder from Simple Seeder increases speed and ease of planting. "Local" is always the best answer, even when it comes to fruit trees. Trees are beautiful and they are useful as sources of food and shelter, and for building and using as fuel. The Solar Nite Eyes Predator Protection System helps ward predators away from your poultry, bees, trees and more. The Solar Nite Eyes are inexpensive, effective and easy to use. Try this method of predator protection around your homestead. April 26, 2013 is National Arbor Day! Celebrate by planting a tree at home or enjoying trees where you live and learn about the many benefits they provide. For almost two decades, the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive group has done what the experts said was impossible. Namely, they have taken DNA from over 70 of the most magnificent trees on the planet; have cloned thousands of individuals from this original DNA and are actively re-planting/re-foresting these champion trees. How a hopelessly damaged apple tree has delivered lessons of hope since 2007. Minimize your post-Christmas impact. Earth911 offers great tips for keeping your Christmas tree out of the landfill. Tips on how to choose the best Christmas tree and what to do with it after the holiday season. Even as far north as Maine I can harvest produce from March to December with parsnips to dig from under the frost in February without the use of row covers or a greenhouse. In some beds I do two or more succession plantings that together with the root cellar keeps me with fresh produce all year. Companion planting can be a great strategy for organic gardeners. Take our nationwide companion planting survey to help us gather useful information about this gardening technique. Pasteurizing your own compost can protect your new seedlings from damping-off and harmful bacteria. Onions are daylight sensitive and need to have plenty of time to put on top growth before the days start to get shorter and the plant pulls its energy into the bulb. If you like to start onions from seed, don’t wait! The best time is already closing in. A Precision Garden Seeder can make planting seed crops quick and easy! A neglected, overgrown, old apple tree does have charm, its gnarled, elbowed branches seemingly ready to reach out for a hug. The fruits, unfortunately, more often than not are too small, too pest-ridden, and too high in the tree. My fear of heights makes the last deficiency most important to me. Large, clean fruits are for nought if I can’t bring myself to climb a ladder or the branches for harvest. Self-pollinating apple trees allow homeowners with little space to reap the benefits of this fresh, nutritious fruit. While typical apple breeds require planting at least two trees in the same space so they can pollinate each other, self-fertile trees can produce fruit without another tree around. Maddy Harland describes the canopy layer of a temperate forest garden and shares some useful tips on designing and planting useful and edible tree crops. A look at the wonderful mulberry tree. Growing fruit trees in a home orchard requires some study as well as some prep. National Arbor Day is April 25. Celebrate by learning about trees, volunteering or planting a tree at home! Grow organic fruit trees and harvest bug-free, chemical-free fruit by covering your fruit with homemade bags made from row cover. Use row cover bags as an alternative to plastic bags. Row cover bags are more effective and have fewer issues than plastic bags. Eco-Libris offers people the opportunity to off-set the books they read by planting trees in developing countries. Neem (Azadirachta indica) is used in so many ways in herbal medicine, which is why it has been tagged the "village pharmacy." Neem is used to combat tiredness, cough, fever, loss of appetite, worm infestations and so much more. A sapling Centennial crabapple tree survives a series of mishaps and teaches new orchardists a thing or two. Emma Jane James of Appalachia, Virginia, inquires about her Kansan family tree and reminisces about better days in her coal-mining town, before mountaintop removal and pollution took their toll. Plan to plant garlic this fall, and enjoy unique varieties and their incredible health benefits. I cure my spring fever by planting in a hoop house. This blog post discusses growing enough produce for canning. Growing the three sisters (corn, beans, squash) in the same plot of land actually helps yield healthier crops of each. Espalier allows a gardener to grow a dwarf fruit tree along a wall or fence, binding it for support, and sculpting the branches to follow certain lines, as Japanese artists do with bonsai trees. Sam Benowitz and Tara Bittler are joining the MOTHER EARTH NEWS Blog Squad, and they break down the types of gardening and fruit-growing information they will share with you each week. The beginnings of the orchard project, and an early spring surprise. Expert advice on best organic fertilizer options for new apple trees and grape vines. A profile of Japanese and American persimmons, excellent trees for the deep south. Protect your home and yourself by making your property Firewise! Here are explanations on how to think of your property in zones and additional tips for protecting your home property. Cam describes the challenges of winter driving and cutting down trees. Michelle and Cam continue to debate whether a real tree or a fake tree is the better choice from an environmental perspective..... Avoid frost damage to your fruit crops by following these tips for planting fruit trees and protecting them from frost. Pruning apple trees to a three by three central leader shape for strength against high winds and to prevent fungal infection. How to measure tomato seedlings for success before planting into your garden. Want lettuce and carrots all year round? Ira Wallace tells us her simple simple method for keeping track of succession plantings. Find garlic seed stock for growing garlic. Here are two helpful tips that will help you have a successful tomato plant. What a nice surprise it can be to notice new spring babies emerging from where their parent plants grew the year before. Volunteer plants are a wonderful gift! How to Schedule your Planting by the Moon The staff at MOTHER EARTH NEWS plants tomatoes and peppers during a seed-planting project at the office. Make a shelf or table into a growing space for starting seedlings. Garlic is one of the easiest plants you can grow, and fall is the time for planting. Here are a few resources to help you get started. This blog post tells about Barbara Lee's memories of her grandpa who built a two-holer outhouse for his family and surrounded it with peonies so that there would not be an unpleasant odor. Barbara Pleasant offers a step-by-step plan to starting seeds. It pays to spend time preparing your garden for winter. You can improve your soil, increase your harvest, decrease garden pests and make next spring's planting much easier. To ensure we have a full productive garden, each spring I start a habit of carrying a packet of seeds in my pocket every time I head to the garden! It's easy to make your own air freshener spray. You'll avoid chemicals and delight in the fresh smell. The beekeeping presentation in the kids' booth at the Tree House Club was filled with enthusiastic kids. Check out what one kid had to say about his time spent with the bees. Clearly the NACE considers “useless” degrees to be ones in which pay is low and availability of jobs is scarce. However, shouldn’t measuring the usefulness of an education take into account the actual benefits bestowed upon the person doing the study Food preservationist Tammy Kimbler teaches you how to make apple pie fruit leather from urban-foraged apples. Growing pine trees from seed will allow you to produce lots of trees very economically. Follow these instructions to propagate pine trees from seed. You can get twigs to graft onto your rootstock for the price of shipping a padded envelope, allowing you to grow rare fruit-tree varieties for nearly nothing. 4 or 40, growing up isnt always straight up. Branches, bumpy outcroppings and the occasional low hanging fruit serve as speed bumps on the road of life. Gardeners don't have to live in a semi-tropical zone to grow organic lemons, limes, oranges, and other citrus fruits. Proper technique with potted plants can yield a bounty of delicately flavored, vitamin-rich citrus. Figs, grapes, hazels, rabbiteye blueberries, and gooseberries are among the easiest plants to propagate using cuttings, layering, or just by digging up suckers. Growing peach pits doesn't get much easier than this. A profile of the wonderfully tough loquat tree. The next installment of Maddy Harland's blog series on forest gardening. This week how to choose the lower canopy. The future of the Pavlovsk Station in Russia is in jeopardy due to a pending housing development project. Find out what you can do to help save the world’s largest holding of rare berries and trees. Tips for limiting your exposure to pollen to help manage allergy symptoms. Daby Napthine shares her grandfather's 5 tips to growing healthy apple trees. Clearing your land to ready it for farming can be quite a challenge! Pruning perennials is essential for plant health and vigorous production. Fall sheet mulching of perennial plantings assists in fertility and weed suppression. Introducing the serviceberry, a beautiful landscape tree or shrub suitable in much of North America, to the edible landscape. Serviceberry -- or sarvis -- comes in many regional forms and produces edible berries. You can get your whole house fresh and shiny clean with just five ingredients: lemons, vinegar, baking soda, tea tree oil and salt. Ira shows how you can keep sowing and planting through late summer and into fall. Learn how to keep your garden producing abundantly through the cold months ahead. There are many logical reasons for adding flowers to your vegetable garden: attracting beneficials, crop diversity, companion-planting, barriers and healthy soil. But perhaps their beauty does not need to be rationalized at all! Basil is a versatile herb that can be used for companion planting, bee forage, year-round herb as well as delicious pesto. Description of garlic planting on a two-year cycle: from tiny topset bulblets, to large single bulbs, to large heads. Grow calcium in your garden with collards, kale, and parsley. Suggestions are given for including these crops in your meals. Learn about companions to plant among your collards and kale to deter harmful insects. The Garlic Gurus at Seeds from Italy give you the scoop on growing your own garlic. This post answers questions of when and where to grow garlic, what varieties to grow, how much to grow, where to buy garlic, and how much to plant. Ira helps you get started using nature's signs to plan your garden. Don't just rely on planting dates — easy observations of what's blooming, buzzing, and singing in your garden will help you see changing patterns from year to year. Maddy Harland explains how to make light work of establishing the ground layer in a forest garden, create a wildlife habitat and control pests all at the same time. Hints for harvests all summer long - don't just sow once! Ira helps you plan summer successions for your garden. Plus, discover culinary secrets of okra you never suspected - okra coffee and okra oil - and a recipe for a simple okra lunch. Giving your ornamental and vegetable garden a thorough cleaning in midsummer not only leaves the landscape looking better, but can help prevent damage from diseases and pests by removing the conditions in which they thrive. How-To Build a Hoop House; a collection of resources for growers. The Washington State Conservation Commission gave away trees at the Mother Earth News Fair as part of their conservation efforts. The author figures out a way to outsmart tree-damaging rodents. We wade through deep snow to trim limbs and cut dead trees and nothing goes to waste. A story of one of our camping trips to Torreya State Park, Florida. It's mid-February, time to start thinking about spring! Ira Wallace helps us make our garden plan, remember our perennials, and Plant a Row for the Hungry this year. It's winter time. Take a break from the holiday madness to enjoy a little of what nature has to offer this season. This is a fun story about planting seeds for future generations and not recognizing a gift when it is blooming right in your face. Take a visual tour of the events at the MOTHER EARTH NEWS Fair in Puyallup, Washington. It may be sweltering hot outside, but we're still busily sowing seeds at the Southern Exposure farms! Learn how to plant your bountiful fall and winter garden, with abundant harvests through Thanksgiving and beyond. Thoreau, Rachel Carson, Bill McKibbon, Terry Tempest Williams. Do you have a favorite nature or environmental writer? A book or story you can get lost in, that inspires you to action, or simply reminds you of how incredible nature is? Post a comment to share the titles that invite you into the wonder of the natural world — or have maybe even changed your life. How a born and bred city boy came to leave Detroit, start a Tennessee homestead with his wife, and blog about it here. Let's quash, once and for all, the notion that only harmful chemicals can kill germs and bacteria. Hydrogen peroxide, tea tree oil and grapefruit seed extract are natural antibacterials that keep your home clean--and safeguard your family's health. In Oak Park, Michigan, a mother of six faces 93 days in jail for planting vegetables in her front yard. People across the country are rallying to her defense. My first blog for MOTHER EARTH NEWS takes me back to a time when I didn't know I had a love of gardening. One of my first gardening experiences came during an unlikely encounter with my curmudgeon grandfather. You don't have to depend on nature to feed your bees. Take matters into your own hands and plant enough good food for your bees, so they have good, safe food all year long. Using newspaper, learn how to craft easy, biodegradable pots to start seeds. Discover the Ozarks region's natural beauty and adventure hot spots as told by Mike McArthy of Photozarks. A little background on how Ric and Vicki moved from Detroit to a Tennessee homestead, and starting to get up to date on what they've done since. One of our most common grasses is limiting the bobwhite quail population, killing broodmares and their foals, rotting cow hooves, and cutting milk production.

My name is Duncan and I work in central London as a Tech. This is my second time beekeeping as I tried when I was about ten years old but lost my colony. I am keeping a swarm I found in my mos roof in Berkshire. I performed the cutout yesterday. Hope life is treating you all very well.

Taste of Ecuador - Katsus My host family has been telling me for months that November is a great time of the year because… A Peace Corps Volunteer worked with a senior citizen group in Ecuador who wanted to show to their community that it is important to recycle and think about future generations. They planned a fashion show where they wore accessories made from recycled materials and invited the whole community to the event! This fits today’s Peace Corps Week Theme “Invite the World to Your Table" so well, we had to reblog! Your Ecuadorian Fruit Education Lesson #1: Taxo One of my New Year’s resolutions and goals of year numero dos in Peace Corps is to try more Ecuadorian fruit. It’s not as if I don’t eat a bastante amount of fruit here, I really do. I just usually stick to the basics like mango, pineapple, papaya, grapefruit and oranges. I’ve tried other fruits here of course but I don’t usually buy them on my own… but that’s all about to change! I have a brand-spanking new blender with a juicer too! It would be a complete waste not to use it and to not aprovechar my time down here with trying delicious tropical fruits. So, get ready for installment one in your Ecuadorian fruit education! Up first is taxo. I’m not sure what taxo is called in English or if there even is an English translation. It’s a strange yellow fruit that’s about 3 inches long and shaped like some large gorilla finger or a fat stumpy cigar. When you cut it open, the insides look like a pomegranate or maracuyá with the orange, gelatinous fruit surrounding many small black seeds. Taxo is basically only used in juices but as the lady at the fruit stand tells me, you can also cut it open and chupar (suck) the fruit out. According to my awesome Peace Corps cookbook, it’s also used as a topping for ice cream but since I had no ice cream around the house, I settled for making juice. I cut them open, scooped out the insides and put it my blender with a bit of water. After blending for a bit, you simply strain out the seeds and bam, you have jugo de taxo! I added some sugar to the juice primarily because I’ve integrated here and you can’t drink anything without copious amounts of sugar added and secondly because taxo does have a slightly sour taste that needs some sweetness added. Overall, not my favorite Ecua-fruit and it probably wouldn’t be my first juice choice but taxo definitely has an interesting flavor and unlike any fruits I would typically eat in the States. Things I’ve Learned in Ecuador: #6 You Can Never Have Too Many Parades About two months ago were the fiestas de la parroquia in my town of Tonchigüe. There was a rodeo, the election of the reina (more to come about that!), bailes and last but certainly not least were the desfiles. Parades are seriously underrated in the United States. Yes, we have Memorial Day parades, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, and the infamous St. Patrick’s Day parade in Scranton… but here in Ecuador they really, really, REALLY love parades. Just a rough estimate but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen about twenty desfiles since arriving here in Ecuador which averages out to about two parades per month. All the local schools participate in the desfiles and there’s lots of marching, baton twirling, and military-looking outfits, but by far the most important and distinguishing characteristic of the desfiles are the drums. I’ve only ever seen about 4 different instruments in the parades: drums, xylophones, trumpets… and more drums. There are about 15 drums to every one other instrument and they can be heard for miles around. There are big drums, small drums, medium sized drums, any kind of drum you could imagine. Goldilocks would certainly not have a problem finding her dream drum here in Ecuador during fiesta time. The drumming is always accompanied by some dancing with batons, inappropriately short skirts and sometimes berets. There are also the costume desfiles. The marching of the schools I can somewhat understand but these costume parades still blow my mind. I’ve asked around town and there seems to be no rhyme or reason to how or what they decide to dress up as. I’ve seen children in Scream masks, dressed up as gangsters and Native American Indians. There are always all different sorts of animal costumes, traditional costumes from different regions of Ecuador but there’s also sometimes children wearing huge cardboard boxes painted like aquariums and some dressed as migrant farm workers. My favorite was the high schoolers walking around on huge stilts and dressed up in bright, multi-colored clown-looking costumes. Again, I have no idea why and I don’t think anyone else does either. The best/worst part of these desfiles is that they last about 1 and a half hours minimum. I waited for about two hours in Atacames during one parade to see the kids from my high school and there were still about 15-20 schools yet to pass after them! And since all the towns in my area only have one major road, it’s always fun to see the buses lined up and stuck behind the desfiles for hours at a time. Luckily, I haven’t been stuck in a bus behind a parade yet! Please someone come visit me! I can almost guarantee you will see at least one desfile! Peace Corps Volunteer Erin Gilberten is working in a coastal city in Ecuador that faces many hygiene and water condition challenges. She shared this photo of children at her local elementary school where she teaches the importance of daily hygiene practices. A youth development Volunteer works with children on a bakery project to help them earn money for their families as an alternative to selling candy on the street in Ecuador Things I’ve Learned in Ecuador: #4 How to Make Empanadas A little less than a month ago, I moved out of my host family’s house and moved in with Dani just until I finally move into an apartment of my own ya mismo. I was lucky enough to arrive in her site, Galera, on the week of their fiestas de la parroquia. The reggeaton was on full blast and everyone was out celebrating and drunk. Lots of cerveza going around! Dani’s host mom, Esperanza, runs a little restaurant out of the house and since Dani and I are the brilliant, young PCV minds that we are, and because two heads are better than one, we came up with the idea that we should make and sell empanadas during the fiesta. First of all, it would give Esperanza a little extra income (PCVs are not allowed to make any money in country) and basically we just really wanted to eat some empanadas. Dani had already made some with her host fam a couple months earlier but it was going to be my first time making empanadas and I was super excited (and hungry). We pitched the idea to Esperanza and she was all for it, she even suggested that we sell bolones too. We also promised to be her ayudantes and sell the empanadas and bolones after we all made them since gringa salesladies can never hurt in this country. So we made up a list of ingredients and supplies we needed and the next day Dani and I headed off to Tonchigüe to buy everything. We ended up spending $26 in total for the verdes, flour, butter, cheese, napkins, pork and salad supplies that we needed. That night the cooking began! We started by making bolones con queso. To make bolones, you first peel the verdes (green plantains) which is quite a challenge… unless you’re Esperanza and can peel a verde magically in .4 seconds. Dani and I struggled a bit more with the peeling process and by the time Esperanza had peeled 10, we had just finished with our first. After the verdes were peeled, you boil them with some achiote, which, going to be honest, I have no idea what it is. When the verdes are softened up a bit you mash them with a machacador (try saying that five times fast!). You can also mash them with your hands if you can handle the heat and boiling water that Esperanza added to it. You then mix a heaping tablespoon (or two) of butter into the mashed verdes so it’s more like a doughy texture. With this verde dough, you form the bolón then make a little indentation to add some queso to the middle. Once all the bolones are formed and stuffed with queso then you heat up your aciete and fry ‘em up! Top it off with some ensalada made from cabbage, carrot and onion drenched in lime and you’ve got a delicious little snack. We sold them for 25 cents each and within a few minutes they were all gone… a testament to Dani and I’s great sales skills. Since the first day was so successful, the second day Esperanza, Dani and I upped our game and made bolones con chanco. This was más o menos the same process except after mashing the verdes and adding the butter, we simply mixed in the fried pork and served them up! According to Jeff, a fellow American (and very nice guy) who was living in Galera in September, they were delicious! Since Dani and I didn’t actually end up trying once since we sold them so fast (cha-ching!), I guess we all just have to take Jeff’s word for it. By this time, Dani and I were starting to wonder when the hell we were going to start making the empanadas. Don’t get me wrong, bolones are good and all but they’re no match for empanadas. By the time we started making empanadas, word had gotten around what a successful little micro-empresa we had going on and Esperanza’s daughter Monica helped us to make empanadas and her son Kevin helped us sell them. To cook empanadas, first you mix the flour with eggs and butter to make the dough. The best part is when you have to smack the dough as hard as you can off the counter to get out all the air bubbles, which Monica is an expert at! Once the dough was made, we separated it into little balls, rolled it out, added some cheese then folded them over so they were ready to fry. Frying empanadas is also an art form. First you have to heat up the oil and make sure you have bastante in the pan then push the hot oil onto the side of the empanada that is face-up to make sure both sides are cooked well. When the empanadas were done, Dani and I first ate some ourselves and then went out selling with Kevin and Jeff. Literally within five minutes we had sold about 20 empanadas. Not too shabby! People even came knocking on the door later that night asking to buy some. The next day Dani and I went for a walk on the beach with a teacher and some students from the colegio. When we arrived back at the house, we saw Esperanza, Monica and two more women cooking up more empanadas. Our little business idea had really taken off! The women had even made morocho, a corn-based drink with cinnamon, milk and a lot of sugar… it kind of reminds me of rice pudding except with corn. Once again, Dani, Kevin, Jeff and I went out selling and about 15 minutes later were all sold out. By then the week-long fiestas were finally coming to an end so we took a break from our slaving over the stove and counted up the earnings. Overall, Esperanza made over $35 out of our little business, which we like to call Empanadas de Esperanza (or Empanadas of Hope). Not too shabby for a few hours of work here in Ecuador! But sit tight, America! No worries, Empanadas de Esperanza is now considering how to sell and export to the States. Ya mismo, ya mismo… Ecuador - 2005 This photo was taken on May 23, 2009 at a dance competition in Ecuador. Traditional Kichwa dances are performed at every public event in the Napo province and troupes are composed children of all ages. The dance steps describe traditional activities such as clearing fields, making guayusa tea, harvesting cacao and preparing chicha (traditional spit beer). - Peace Corps Environment Volunteer Laurel Howard In recognition of Mother’s Day, Peace Corps Volunteers worldwide are engaging in projects to improve maternal health, educate new mothers and support women and children. Volunteers regularly serve in maternity clinics, teach nutrition to new and expecting mother’s and provide information to keep families healthy. Today, 22 percent of all Peace Corps Volunteers work in the health/HIV sector. Health Volunteers help communities meet basic public health needs through education and awareness, providing access to safe drinking water, distributing bed nets for malaria prevention, teaching sanitation measures and more. Even though Peace Corps volunteers are not medical care providers, they provide the skills and training to help keep communities healthy and safe. Many volunteers participate in health-related projects during the course of their service. We thank our Volunteers for supporting mothers worldwide and wish all the mothers in the Peace Corps family a happy, healthy, and safe Mother’s Day! "My family in the U.S. sent me a care package full of sugar cookies, sprinkles, and icing so I invited my friends and neighbors in Ecuador over to decorate some traditional American Christmas cookies. This photo shows my 8-year-old host niece Roxana enjoying sharing in one of my own family traditions." - Peace Corps Environment Volunteer Laurel Smith I took this photo on December 19th, 2008 in Ecuador. A local boy’s mother is preparing him for the parade of the traveling child (niño viajero) through the city of Cuenca. The main parade takes place in the week before Christmas, though every surrounding parish, hamlet and even schools have their own parade of some kind. Cuenca’s is by far the largest in Ecuador, taking the better part of a day from start to finish, winding its way through the colonial cobblestone streets of the historic center. In the parades, children dress up as nativity scene figures, such as the three wise kings. There are also floats with scenes from Jesus’s life and the famous Niño Divino, a highly venerated religious figure of the baby Jesus. - Peace Corps Youth Development Volunteer Bradley Mattan “There is a lot of good that will come out of the beekeeping project. My hope is that families in town will start to eat and buy honey instead of white sugar for the additional health benefits that honey provides. Working in a group will allow cooperative members to collaborate and exchange advice, as well as sell honey in bulk to larger organizations.” - Peace Corps Volunteer Elizabeth Clark, who started a beekeeping cooperative with 18 local families in rural Ecuador. The honey generated by the bees will be sold to local stores and provide an income for local families. The project is funded through the Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP), which raises money for Peace Corps volunteer community projects.

does any one know much about the with vineger vaperizer that is in the bee culture called the cyclone ???? looking ing to getting one if it does what it says it can In Malcolm Sanford's "Apis Newsletter", one of the editions issued in 2004 said: "Two beekeeping entities are being sued for publishing material that is claimed to hurt the sales of the vinegar machine marketed to control mites. It was demonstrated on May 11, 2003 St. Meinrad Archabbey, St. Meinrad, Indiana 47577" While I do not know if this was the machine advertised in Bee Culture, I know of no other such machine readily available in the USA. Now the interesting thing about this is that even though I grabbed the snippet and tossed it into the gaping maw of the supercollider when I read it, filing it as as an "interesting tidbit", I now cannot find that snippet in any of the archived editions of the Apis newsletter at Curiouser and curiouser. I checked with the Indiana State Beekeepers association at the time, but they said that they were not being sued, had no idea who had a meeting on that date at that location, and pointed out that the claimed meeting location was "nearly in Kentucky". So, perhaps the entire report was spurious. Perhaps the two parties settled out of court, and asked Malcolm to delete the mention of the lawsuit from his archives. Perhaps a suit was merely threatened, but I've asked Malcolm to explain (if he can do so without risking being sued himself). Anyway, if you can find out who met on that date at that location, you may find some interesting observations on the efficacy of vinegar (acetic acid). Some other interesting viewpoints can be but be aware that this is from Bee-L, a forum self-anointed as "Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology", a description that becomes increasingly inaccurate the more you follow the actual discussions. [img]smile.gif[/img]

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I am seeing double if not triple what we had last year and only getting worse......making up cases this weekend for sure! I am seeing double if not triple what we had last year and only getting worse......making up cases this weekend for sure! "You laugh at me because I am different, but I laugh at you because you are all the same." This has worked quite well for me. I have only seen a couple this year and last year had a hive abscond because of them. Very cool and informative video! I need to give it a try. I just need to find some Boric Acid. Where do you get the "good" boric acid? Larry you can get it at Websters(Ace Hardware) here in Walkertown. If you go in any decent hardware store they should have it. They use it as roach poison. I did it just like he did in the video and have only seen just a couple this year. Last year was very different. Larry Im going to call you tomorrow and if I see you next week I will bring you some. I had a look a day ago and noted that few beetles where in the honey box ( not much honey = not much food, I guess) but they where in the brood box. I wonder if it is worthwhile to trap ( I use AJ traps) in the top when there is a honey flow and at the entrance when things are a bit slow?? I don't believe that beetles can develop a genetic resistance to diatomatious earth. Fipronil is a different story. Beetles under constant fipronil pressure will surely become resistant. Then those same beekeepers who use it year round will no longer find it effective....then what do they do? Why is it that we seem destined to repeat the same mistakes.....again and again and again and again? How can you use fipronil all year long and harvest the honey? Beemandan; please explain how dead beetles develop resistance. Fipronil kills them fast; they do not make it out of the trap 98% of the time. Those that get out are found dead on the bottom board or top bars a few inches from the trap. But, to answer your question, " what will I do when they develop resistance?" Why, I suppose I'll use something else. I'm not in beekeeping to house beetles, just trying to make a living raising bees. The two are not mutually compatible. kbfarms; fipronil does not get into the wax or honey and does not affect the bees. The traps allow only beetles in, through very small openings. Fipronil is approved for use in food prep areas and doesn't contaminate by fumes or otherwise when used as directed. As Beemandan will tell you, it's not approved for use in beehives. I wish the problem could be solved by other methods, but in FL, you can have bees or beetles, not both at the same time. We've tried all the other methods, and have found that they don't work down here. Our hives, left unprotected for just a couple days, are beetle farms, and they are here all year long. "Beemandan; please explain how dead beetles develop resistance." Beemandan will probably also give an explanation. Here is my take: The main problem are the 2% which leave the trap to die a few inches away. They will carry a small dose of the chemical. Other beetles MAY get exposed to a very small, non-deadly amount of Fibronil and will survive - thus the chain of resistance has started. In agriculture we see this all the time ( tick, worm treatments) and the standard process is to switch between chemicals to minimise the risk of resistance. IPM ( Integrated Pest Management) takes this a step further. A chemical is only used when the economic threshold is reached ( eg the economic viability). Using IPM it is possible to use a chemical for many years without a great risk of resistance. I think there is another issue we need to keep in mind: contamination of honey. If beetles can escape the trap after they have been contaminated there must be a risk ( even if it is minor) of the Fibronil getting in contact with the honey. I fully understand that SHB are a very serious problem for many of us ( and an economic) issue for commercial operations and I hope that we can find a safe solution soon. Fish stix - I may not understand the situation but I understood that: "Those that get out are found dead on the bottom board or top bars a few inches from the trap" If a trap only allows beetles in and not out and if there are no fumes...etc I guess it should be " safe" . Why is it not approved for the use with bees? A very small percentage of shb will have a tolerance to the pesticide. They will survive. Guess who reproduces? The next generation will have a larger percentage that are tolerant….and following generations will eventually be mostly resistant. This is exactly why fluvalinate (Apistan) and cumophos (Checkmite) are no longer effective against varroa. We already have a variety of fipronil resistant agricultural pests. We have populations of fipronil resistant fleas (fipronil is the active ingredient in Frontline). Now is the time to find alternative compounds. Then rotate their use. For those periods that the beetles are at their lowest virulence give them a break in treatment. If you continue on your present course, you will shortly find your most effective compound (fipronil) no longer effective. You will have to find a more hazardous, more toxic replacement. It too, will lose its effectiveness. And then what? You are not only creating a problem for yourself, but for every other shb infested beekeeper. You are breeding a pool of pesticide tolerant pests. I’m not trying to be a jerk. This is just the way it has happened…..over and over again… Best of luck to you. Beetles can leave the traps (beetle barns) but most die before they do. The pesticide of choice is intended for roaches. If you read the label you'd find that there are two modes of action. The first is by direct ingestion....these are the beetles that die in the barn. The second is by indirect contact. Beetles who survive and leave the barn will have some of the pesticide on themselves and it is spread in that fashion. Is there some contamination as a result of the secondary contact? Probably. Is it significant? I have no idea. No SHB have developed any level of resistance to Fipronil, Hydramethylnon, or Coumafus. We have tested these chemicals each year since 2001 to insure that generational resistances are not being developed. These products should be used on rotation every 3 months, and it is best to mix the product with a fermented pollen substitute on a 1:1 ratio. This weakens the pesticide by 50 percent, but is still deadly to the beetles. As far as traces in the hive and honey, Fipronil is used in food prep & storage areas because it is absolutely non-toxic to humans. We have all eaten Fipronil on our favorite foods, after a roach or other insect had been in a bait station and made it in the box of lettuce, buns, or hamburger patties. The trace residues left by beetles that had fed and left for some reason or another (which again is not likly AT ALL, and FAR less than 20%, try an average 14 in 2,000), are far too small to even be compared to that of the food prep area with the roaches. CD traps are safe to use in bee hives, bottom line. They ARE approved by the FDA and USDA, under emergency status. There is a lot of confusion about whether the beetles require chemicals or not and what the ultimate threat of the beetles may be and whether or not the chemicals that bee keepers are using are even safe enough for honey consumption. YES, commercial operations in the south will HAVE to use chemical treatments to control SHB. There is no way around that. Hives are wiped out in 3-4 days in mid-late summer. There are NO management practices that can thwart that kind of on-slaught. In heavily infested areas bees are the ones that are being erradicated, not the beetles... Those who do not get control of beetle populations in mildly infested area will soon become breeding sites for beetles that will ultimately force ALL commercial operations to resort to chemical use, even in non-effected areas, and the USDA will eventually mandate the use of chemical control to ALL in order to get control of the spread. SHB is by far the greatest threat to our industry that we have EVER seen. Those who do not feel this way have simply not been infested YET. Chemicals are bad...I agree, but the lesser of two evils has to be decided and bee keepers must united in an effort to control SHB populations. A few years of good SAFE control efforts and the beetles could be a secondary pest in the US. Genetics are a future possibility, but wiping out hives is NOT the way to develope hygenic results, they are developed by allowing a secondary pest to lightly indrude on collonies, and even this is completely ineffective in any atmosphere other than a queen breeding operation where there are several scientists that are using these intrusions in their own controlled situations. The chemicals that are being used are VERY THOROUGHLY tested by scientists with many, many years of experience and working environments that allow their tests to be calculated correctly. Use common sense when treating... Rotate chemicals, use minimal amounts of chemicals to get effective knock down, without over exposure, and once you have treated use indentifiers (such as clear CD traps in the entrances of hives) to keep an eye on the beetle populations, and once the beetles are under control you can treat very lightly only when necessary. It was first thought that the beetles could be erradicated from the US... but then the USDA realised that bee keepers were so greatly divided about chemical use that the idea of erradication would never succeed... now that we have made our bed, we must ALL lay in it. The 14 beetles out of 2000 leaving the trap was based on your testing protocols. If I understand it the hive was made of a clear or opaque material and there were no bees, brood, honey, pollen or comb in it. Knowing that beetles hide in the dark and having an environment with no other attracting pheromones or smells, I'm surprised that any of those beetles left the barn. I have seen shb infested hives, where a trap with fipronil was placed inside and the next day there were many dead beetles on the ground in front. So, I'm guessing that in real life there may be some contamination issues. I would like to see any official study that states that fipronil is absolutely non toxic to humans. It is allowed in food prep areas when applied according to instructions. Depending on the application, it does not come into direct contact with the food being processed. CD cases containing fipronil are not approved under any regulations for use inside a beehive. Having said all of that, I understand the need for southern beekeepers to have some defense against shb. And I believe that fipronil is probably the least dangerous compound. And I believe that when used inside containers, such as beetle barns, it probably is less harmful than many of the beekeeper concocted varroa treatments. AND on one other point we agree…..rotation of compounds to reduce the likelihood of resistance. [QUOTE=beemandan;575983] If I understand it the hive was made of a clear or opaque material and there were no bees, brood, honey, pollen or comb in it. Knowing that beetles hide in the dark and having an environment with no other attracting pheromones or smells, I'm surprised that any of those beetles left the barn. Our studies include 40 hives tested 10 times each and these studies have been ran each year since 2001. Totalling 3,600 individual tests, not just 1. Each of those clear hive bodies were covered with black-out drapes before the beetles were ever introduced. Yes beetles do leave the traps... and the rate of 12/2000 is an average. Fipronil is used in food prep areas in two ways... Baited traps (allowing the roaches to enter AND leave), and in direct gel applications beneath counter tops, below sinks and machinery, etc... As to the exact levels of residual remains and registration for use...here is a link that you can read for yourself. 36 ppb (parts per Billion) in wax & 3060 ppb on honey bees. QUITE A BIT LESS than 20%. Again, I agree that NO chemical should be in our hives~! But if something is not done, there will be now hives to argue about. I will post links to the charts showing the spread of the SHB from 2001-2010. It is not just a problem in the south...Their numbers will soon reach "highly infested" status in all regions and our entire industry will be in peril. A couple of interesting paragraphs: Since honey or pollen contaminated at ppb levels with newer classes of insecticides such as neonicotinoids (e.g. imidacloprid) or phenylpyrazoles (e.g. fipronil) are known to impair honey bee health High residues in the honey bees themselves (Tab. I) are often associated with direct kill from the respective pesticide application, such as with 19.6 ppm of permethrin (LD50 of 1.1 ppm) and 3.1 ppm of fipronil (LD50 0.05 ppm) (Mullin et al., 2010)

Wednesday 03 September 2014 Celebrate Start Bay 2010 Saturday August 21st Slapton Celebrate Start Bay defied the weather at the end of August to welcome an estimated 1500 visitors to Slapton Field Centre and the Village Hall. The show was opened by artist Sarah Gillespie who has painted the Slapton Ley Nature Reserve extensively and Caroline Curtis of Eden Designs who designed the makeover of the Field Centre’s grounds. Have-a-go activities on the day included pizza making, bug hunting, wildflower spotting, pot throwing, a singing workshop, bush craft and wood working. Canoeing and kayaking were offered on the Ley as a ‘one off’ and a ‘secret Slapton’ walk took in parts of the nature reserve not normally seen by the public and ending with refreshments at the newly reopened Stokeley Barton farm shop. Budding young actors directed by Rebecca Crookshank from SHAC interpreted the theme of the 50 year anniversary of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to an impressed audience. Well-attended talks included beekeeping, how green is your garden, changes in farming and the community over 50 years, and also the future of the Slapton Line. A wide variety of stalls provided information about activities in the area as well as goods and products from the Start Bay area. Head of Centre Andy Pratt commented "there was a buzz all day despite the weather. The event proved a fun way for locals and visitors to participate in and find out more about the diversity of activities and products available in Start Bay." The event was set up when local businesses got together at the Slapton Line business forum in order to provide a showcase for the Start Bay area and involved 26 local businesses - Publish Date: Thursday 17th June 2010 - Download File: celebrate_start_bay_schedule.pdf

Bellydance, Mind, Body, Spirit, Health, Information, Education, Beekeeping, Dragon Boating, The Outdoors, get off this computer!!!. visit sacredgoddessonline.com for more information. I am involved in the New Thought Religious Community through my local Unity Center. (although I now view myself as agnostic not a faith) I also like to study with fellow Goddesses, through the Daughters of the Goddess. A female centered temple. Visit their site and help support them with donations! my business site is goddesslife.info

The Backwards Beekeepers Bee Rescue Hotline is getting busier every season, and we've realized that the volume of calls getting posted to our existing Yahoo group is overwhelming if you're just looking for conversations and advice about Backwards Beekeeping. So we've established a new Yahoo group called LA Bee Rescue. That group's sole purpose is for posting and responding to Bee Rescue Hotline calls. Meanwhile, our original Yahoo group will continue to be your forum for questions, tips, stories, advice, and anything else relating to Backwards Beekeeping. As of Tuesday, May 24th, all Bee Rescue Hotline calls will be posted to the new group. If you want to receive these messages, go there now and join. Just as with our original Yahoo group, you can control whether you receive individual e-mails, a daily digest of e-mails, or no e-mails at all if you'd just like to read posts via the web. Hope you like this new setup! All comments and suggestions are welcome.

European Commission taking the lead to protect bees Tuesday 08 April 2014 Press Release, 08.04.2014 - The Bee Health conference, organised by the Commission on 7 April 2014 (1) (1a) brought together a huge number of people in Brussels interested in bee health. The stakeholders, beekeepers, farmers, scientists, chemical-industry and environmental associations, had the opportunity to keep informed on the Commission work on bees. The actions presented were linked to veterinary practices and products, pesticides, beekeeping, environment and agriculture (2). The results of EPILOBEE (3), a harmonized monitoring on honeybee mortality, were presented at the conference. The study covers about 32 000 colonies across 17 Member States (between autumn 2012 and summer 2013). Winter colony mortality rates ranged from 3.5% to 33.6% with huge variability among countries and higher mortality in Northern Europe. Bee Life finds unfortunate the fact that only pathogens are considered in the monitoring. Pesticides and botanic resources could be easily integrated to provide a more complete picture of stressing factors leading to colony mortality. Today, this monitoring clearly demonstrates that in most of the case pathologies (varroosis, nosemosis, American foulbrood) cannot explain the mortality of bees. The EFSA has identified duplicates and gaps in bee research. The gaps highlighted are mainly linked to bee toxicology. Therefore, the EU food safety authority pointed the need of coordinated and efficient research in the EU. Bee Life sees urgent need to invest on research on effects of chemicals on colony bee health and on the ring testing of methods for pesticide risk assessment. Bee Life raises awareness on the necessity for the EU authorities to take actions based on independent research and to keep critical regarding the development of industry-funded research. DG AGRI acknowledged the role of pollinators for the sustainability of European agriculture. Their policy vision for the future aims to create an agricultural model in harmony with bees. Given the field reality of beekeepers today, Bee Life can just support such idea and asks the Commission to keep ambitious and determined in their future actions. This is a political decision to be taken regarding a choice of society.

A nucleus colony, or nuc, is essentially a smaller hive, sometimes in a smaller box, consisting of bees in all stages of development, as well as food, a laying queen, and enough workers to cover from three to five combs (Figure 17). When placed into a full-sized hive body and given supplemental feeding, the nuc usually expands rapidly into a strong colony. When started in early spring, these hives may produce surplus honey in their first year under favorable weather and nectar flow conditions. The advantages of starting with a nuc rather than a package include: faster colony development due to the presence of brood and no break in the queen’s laying cycle; ease of establishing the unit in your own equipment; and a chance to inspect the nuc before purchasing. Sales of nucs have increased tremendously over the past few years and are making inroads into the well-established package bee businesses. While nucleus colonies are initially more expensive than packages, their potential financial returns at season’s end more than make up for the increased purchase price. The biggest disadvantage in purchasing a nuc is the potential of disease and/or mite transmission. Inspection and certification of nucs for sale is not required and depending on how they were handled before saledisease may occur among some nucleus colonies after they are purchased. Bees that are diseased and have been fed antibiotic drugs may appear healthy, but the combs will be contaminated with disease-causing organisms. If the buyer does not continue the drug feeding program, it will be only a matter of time until the disease reappears (see “American foulbrood”). You should only purchase nucs from reputable beekeepers. Check with your local or state beekeeping association to identify beekeepers that have a good reputation for producing high-quality, disease-free nucs. The strength of nucs varies a great deal from source to source based partly on number of frames, bee stock, and environmental conditions during the time the nuc was made up. Population differences may also be due to how long the nuc has been made up and/or the lack of well-defined guidelines for making up nucs. One beekeeper may provide one frame of brood in a five-frame nuc box, while another will provide three. Before purchasing nucs, be sure price reflects the strength of the nucleus colonies.

There are lots of great things for the Maine Beekeeper to do to keep cabin fever at bay during these snow months. - Assemble and repair beekeeping equipment. - Purchase new equipment if necessary. - Read beekeeping texts and periodicals. - Sign up for a beekeeping course offered by Extension, Adult Education or local beekeeping association. This monthly post is adapted from “The Beekeepers Calendar, A Year In The Apiary-Central Maine” by Tony Jadczak, Maine State Apiarist

Citizen scientists' contributions studied By RANDY GONZALES On the menu for Thursday night's Science Cafe was the topic of "Citizen Science: Science of, By and For People." The underlying theme was you don't have to be a scientist to contribute to science. The presentation at Gella's Diner & Lb. Brewing Co., 117 E. 11th, focused on ways the average person can get involved in three main areas: collection, classification and modeling. If interested, there are opportunities to be involved in projects ranging from counting birds to counting stars. Or, see what's at the bottom of the ocean and report that data. There is something for everyone. "I think the reason to be involved is because we all live on earth, the earth travels around the sun, but we're all part of the planet," said Paul Adams, professor of physics at Fort Hays State University and Thursday's moderator. Hays junior Megan Adams -- Paul Adams' daughter -- gave the presentation. She is an English major who thinks of herself as a citizen scientist. "The underlying goal of citizen science is to better understand our world," Paul Adams said. "It's accessible to everybody." The Science Cafe is in its fourth year. "The purpose is to make people in general anywhere, aware of science," he said. The evening is designed to be fun for everyone -- and interesting. "It's something different," he said. "We've had topics from beekeeping, science fiction, the Large Hadron Collider, things like psychology. "It's a lot of fun to see a lot of different ideas, as well as watching people asking questions, get engaged with what's happening. Last month, we talked about the Mayan calendar. That one was very popular; it was one of the first ones we did twice." The next meeting's topic will be Kurt Vonnegut's views on citizen science, while in March the topic will be beer brewing, with perhaps a tour. In April, it's firewalking, with a live demonstration in the works. Back in the day, Paul Adams tried it and was successful. "People think it's magic, mystical. It's not," he said. "It's just basic science."

Henderson Business and Professional Women’s Club: Summerville discusses new classes at community college Theresa Summerville, community services assistant at Vance-Granville Community College, was the guest speaker at a recent meeting of the Henderson Business and Professional Women’s Club. Summerville, previously employed by the Franklin County Arts Council and now the coordinator for personal enrichment and community services classes at the college, discussed some of the new classes offered by the institution. The school now offers classes on beekeeping, goat keeping, Zumba, motorcycle safety, cake decorating and vegetable canning (in cooperation with Cooperative Extension Services). Traditional classes such as pottery making, sewing, portrait and creative painting, photography, quilting and sign language continue to be available. She asked attendees to let her know about anyone interested in a class not currently offered and she would attempt to find a qualified instructor. Club members made several suggestions and expressed interest in taking specific classes. The invocation was given by Marty Smith, club president, followed by a meal. After the presentation, The club conducted their regular business session, adjourning with the Club Collect. The club conducts its monthly dinner meeting on the third Thursday of every month in the Foundation Board Room at Maria Parham Medical Center in Henderson. Call (252) 438-6732 to make reservations.

This hay basket is the perfect means for feeding square bales to horses in their natural feeding position while at the same time keeping the hay dry and off the ground. It features a smooth-sided poly basket for horse safety that is fully removable for easy cleaning and has large vent holes to let moisture out and keep hay in. Heavy-duty 1-3/4" round tubing is horse safe with no sharp edges.Learn More $359.97Beekeeping is a safe, fun, and rewarding experience that can be a hobby, or a way of life. With the simple, all-in-one kit, you can begin your beekeeping opportunity the moment the bees arrive. Includes: outer cover, inner cover, (2) deep hive bodies, with (20) Frames assembled with plastic foundation, (1) Medium Honey Super, (10) Medium Honey super Frames assembled with Plastic Foundation bottom board, (1) Metal Queen Excluder, entrance reducer, in hive feeder, 3x6 smoker, 1 lb bag smoker fuel, 9.5" steel hive tool, and bee brush. Includes a Full Bee Suit and Beekeeping Gloves. 100% Painted & Assembled and ready to go. The best most complete kit we have. Learn More The Octagon® 20 Advance egg incubator is the solution to the incubation of small numbers of eggs. It provides the control and reliability that ensures top hatch rates, time after time. - Egg capacity of 24 hens eggs or equivalent - Simple and highly accurate digital control system giving: Temperature and humidity display, Temperature alarm, Periodic cooling, Choice of °C or °F - Fully factory calibrated - Good visibility of the eggs - Tough and hygienic cabinet - Insulated for low energy use and optimal temperature distribution - Automatic egg turning cradle and optional humidity pump The Octagon® 20 Advance egg incubator builds on decades of success of earlier Octagon® 20’s with an all new intelligent design combining latest digital and materials technology with Brinsea’s 30 years of experience. The result is an easy to use, accurate and high performance egg incubator with exactly the right controls to give the hatching results you need. The specially designed control system is the heart of the Octagon® 20 Advance. In normal mode it shows the incubation temperature and humidity to very high levels of accuracy. A simple menu allows the user to change the incubation settings. Features include periodic cooling, high and low temperature alarm and choice of °C or °F. The menu also allows full control of humidity with the optional Advance Humidity Pump (see Octagon® 20 Advance EX below). The high quality incubator cabinet is entirely injection moulded from high grade ABS which makes it durable and easy to clean. The base is double skinned and foam filled to reduce heat loss meaning to lower electricity consumption and better temperature distribution. The top of the incubator is clear allowing good visibility of the eggs and chicks. Humidity and ventilation. Air is circulated by a long life computer grade fan which, coupled with the unique grill with optimised air diffuser leads to extremely even air temperature throughout the egg chamber. Fresh air is controlled with a vent slider and humidity is provided by water in two reservoirs in the base. To accommodate eggs of different sizes the Octagon® 20 Advance’s removable egg tray is supplied with dividers which the user can position to suit their eggs and so maximise the number of eggs that can be held. Eggs from as small as finches to as large as geese can be incubated and a guide to the numbers of a range of popular species which will fit is given in the specification table. Eggs are turned during incubation as the whole incubator is rocked from side to side – hence the octagonal cabinet ends. The Autoturn Cradle turns the eggs hourly but this can be done manually twice daily. Cooling is an entirely natural process as most birds will get off the nest at least once a day and leave the eggs unheated for a significant time. Recent research has also shown that hatch rates can actually increase significantly as a result of cooling. For this reason Brinsea® have now incorporated a cooling option in all their Advance models of egg incubators for 2012. This feature turns the incubator’s heater and low temperature alarm off for a selected period but keeps the fan running. After the cooling period is complete the incubator reverts to normal temperature and the alarm is automatically reset. All Brinsea® egg incubators are fully guaranteed and will be repaired or replaced if a fault should arise within the guarantee period (See terms of guarantee). Brinsea® Products Ltd and their agents will not be responsible for loss of eggs in the event of failure, however caused, and the user is advised to arrange his own insurance cover where loss of power, mechanical or electrical failure might result in unacceptable losses.Learn More These energy-free models are built using 100% polyethylene construction, creating strong, corrosion free products to provide many years of trouble-free operation. These waterers are designed with rounded corners to handle abuse by livestock while ensuring livestock safety - Constant fresh, clean water; your livestock are never without water – like pouring your animals a fresh glass of water, on demand, 24 hours a day - Enclosed insulated containers help keep water a constant temperature year-round - Cool drinking water will lower respiration rates and body temperatures; increase feed intake and milk yield - Time saver – automatic water refill - Algae growth reduced on water - Protection from the elements, eliminating stagnant water which aids against West Nile Virus - Year-round ease of usage - Product will not crack or rust in extreme weather conditions - Bolt-down method keeps the waterer in desired location - Less everyday maintenance Our Galvanized Stock Tanks are fabricated at Liberty Water Tanks, our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility dedicated to the exclusive production of water tanks. Our rigid standards and unparalleled manufacturing acumen combined with the finest high-quality steel and outstanding value make these the best galvanized tanks around. We take flat, rolled steel, coated with heavy-duty zinc G90, cut it into precise lengths, then guide it into shape on computer-driven forming mills that make the world’s best galvanized water tanks at a faster rate and with few chances for human error ever. The formed tanks are matched to precision-cut bottoms, spot welded and joined by a computer-driven-and-guided seaming station that makes 3 circumferences around each tank bottom before the sealer is applied. Then, 3 or 4 sets of tanks per day are filled with water for testing purposes so that no leakers ever make it out of the plant. They feature 20-gauge galvanized bottoms and 21-gauge sides as well as a four-ply double-lock seam at the bottom sealed with Pliogrip® Adhesive/Sealant Seam Sealer for a superior bond.Learn More This hay basket is the perfect means for feeding square bales to horses in their natural feeding position while at the same time keeping the hay dry and off the ground. It features a smooth-sided poly basket for horse safety that is fully removable for easy cleaning and has large vent holes to let moisture out and keep hay in. Heavy-duty 1-3/4" round tubing is horse safe with no sharp edges.Learn More This Electric Waterer is built of a polyethylene construction creating a strong, corrosion free product that provides many years of trouble-free operation. The polyethylene used in our waterers is FDA and HPB approved, food grade, recyclable plastic. It is engineered to allow easy access to electrical components, water line, incoming services and effortless cleaning. The 250-watt submersible heater features a unique grounding mechanism. The rounded corner design easily handles animal abuse while ensuring livestock safety, and meets "Grade A" requirements. The Electric Waterer can be wall or floor mounted.Learn More A superb replica of the original saddle designed for the U.S. Cavalry. Handsome, handsewn leather saddle built on a covered fiberglass tree. Will keep the horse cool on long rides with open center area on the seat. - Dropped ring rigging with adjustable straps and chafe guard complete with tie straps, girth, stirrup leathers, and stirrups - Comes with matching Cotton web adjustable girth - Brass fittings and rings for equipment attachment - Now you can ride just as the Cavalry men of yesteryear with this authentically styled saddle. Great for anyone who gets involved with war re-enactments. - COLOR: Black - SIZE: 15" From the original King Series. Built on a 5 year guaranteed rawhide covered tree. - TREE: Rawhide Covered - BARS: Full Quarter - HORN: 3" - SWELL: 13" - GULLET: 7" - CANTLE: 3 1/2" - SKIRT: 25 1/2" x 27 1/2" - RIGGING: Drop D - WEIGHT: 25 lbs - Blevins style quick change buckles - Neoprene in skirts - SIZE: 15 1/2" - COLOR: Black

At least nine United States Peace Corps volunteers in environment were on Friday sworn in at a ceremony held at the US ambassador's residence along the Alantic Road, Fajara. The swearing-in ceremony was the culmination of a 10-week pre-service training that sought to prepare the volunteers for life and service in their respective communities. It was during that period that the volunteers learnt to communicate in local languages, gained a deeper understanding of the rich patterns that make up the Gambian culture, as well learned to be responsible for their health, safety and security while in the country. Addressing the volunteers, US Ambassador David Alford reminded them that their work will contribute directly to the economic sustainability, education, and the future of The Gambia. He enjoined the volunteers to remember three key things while in the country: absorb the new culture, live within it, but never forget who you are. "Your culture, your beliefs, your principles are what brought you here and they will keep you grounded and will take you home. Also understand the new culture you are now part of; find the value in it; be open to new ideas; be open to how things will play out. You may not understand right now why you are assigned to a certain village in West Africa when you planned on being in Central America. This is not Guatemala, but you are here for a reason and time will make it more clearly to you. Allow yourself to make mistakes and find compromises if your original ideas do not work or your project develops leaks," he counselled. Ambassador Alford further told the volunteers that the true friendships and community ties they would forge will remain even for decades should they return to visit this wonderful land later in their life. He noted that their experiences here will become the common denominator for their future choices and pathways."You will learn to understand yourself and your country better as you learn to understand other peoples and other cultures. When all is said and done, according to Paul Simon, the roots and the rhythm remain. Music, smells, and this experience will stay with you for the rest of your life. Thirdly, you will know you can make a difference in this chaotic yet wonderful world. You can light a spark, plant a seed, and create a future. Your skills and your commitment to service will leave a legacy of development and understanding," he further inspires the volunteers. The US ambassadorfurther reminded the volunteers that their job description for the next two years is about promoting peace and friendship around the world while engaged in the adventure of a lifetime. Also speaking at the occasion, the director general of the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), Babou Jobe said the country's association with the Peace Corps dates back to some 46 years ago, noting that over that period, they have forged a partnership that has not only grown stronger, but is also flexible enough to accommodate The Gambia's ever-changing development needs and challenges. "The Peace Corps volunteers have shared their expertise and experiences with Gambians in several diverse fields including health, education, agriculture, agro-forestry, forestry and natural resources management, amongst others," he added. Jobe also recalled that last year, the president of the Republic hosted the Peace Corps global 50 golden jubilee and Gambia 45ft anniversary celebration in his home village of Kanilai, which he said, was a clear manifestation of the Gambian leader's appreciation of the work of the volunteers in the country. The NARI boss went on to indicate that during the past two or three decades, a combination of adverse weather conditions, particularly drought and unsustainable human practices including poor agricultural practices, unsustainable exploitation of natural resources and significant rate of rural-urban drift have led to severe deterioration of the environment and natural resources. "The Gambia," he said, "was confronted with serious problems associated with environmental degradation, salt water intrusion into fresh water zones of the river system, deforestation and desertification, lose of natural resources and environmental health problems, among other things". The Peace Corps The Gambia country director, Leon B. Kayego,also underscored the importance of the Peace Corps programme and its contribution to various areas of development. Also addressing the volunteers, an environment programme manager at the Peace Corps The Gambia, Saikou Njai, affirmed that food security and environment degradation have been a challenge for the past decades, while noting that these areas are high priorities for the Gambia government and its people. "The Peace Corps environment and agriculture [programmes] seek to work with Gambian communities to improve food security and arrest deforestation and desertification. The Peace Corps Volunteers work with their counterparts in several ways to contribute to these priority sectors including the promotion and establishment of vegetable gardens, fruit tree orchards, woodlots, multipurpose tree nurseries, agro-forestry, beekeeping, improve techniques of agriculture and natural resource management," he outlined.

What started out as a little Google Group founded by Krista Harris, publisher of Edible Santa Barbara, has turned into over 100 enthusiastic Backyard Beekeepers yearning to learn more about the Majestic World of the Honey Bee. In the spring of 2011, the group began its journey to more formal organization through the efforts of Todd Bebb and Paul Cronshaw. Now an established California non-profit, SBBA hopes to bring our goals of education, awareness and honeybee preservation to a new level. We are fortunate to have some of the most knowledgeable and experienced Beekeepers living right here in Santa Barbara, willing to share this knowledge and experience with us. Learning how to take care of the Honey Bee, so that she can continue taking care of us, is what we all hope to do. We hope you will enjoy this web site, learn from it, and contribute your experiences with the Bees. Bee Well and Bee Happy Paul Cronshaw / President Paul “The Beeman” Cronshaw has been keeping honeybees in Santa Barbara County since graduating from SBHS in 1971. He set up his first hive on the roof of his parent’s house, purchased his first hive equipment from Sears catalog, and ordered a package of bees from Mississippi. Since then he has been following his passion for honeybees by maintaining a small apiary in the Montecito foothills, mentoring beginner beekeepers, teaching beekeeping to high school students, removing and relocating honeybees humanely from structures, and recently starting a Host A Hive program to promote the urban beekeeping movement. Todd Bebb / Vice President Todd Bebb started beekeeping in January of 2011, with an interest in backyard gardening, and a desire to help out the bees after seeing a local showing of Vanishing of the Bees. He joined the local Santa Barbara Beekeepers Google Group, took a Beginning Beekeeping Class that Paul offered at Fairview Gardens, and bought his first hive. He was immediately smitten by the Bees, and now takes on as many Bee Rescues and Relocations as he possibly can. He has been married to Helene for over 25 years and loves spending time with his sons, Chris and Kam. Gina Jepson / Secretary Gina Jepson, Secretary and SBBA founding member, brought five years of beekeeping experience, as well as being responsible for creating the Sweet Start concept. She and her husband built our first web site and were instrumental in much of the early branding and formation of SBBA’s many programs, including the Master Beekeeper Certification program. Scott Engblom became one of Paul Cronshaw’s beekeeping disciples after watching his beekeeping presentations during Earth Day 2010 and through Paul’s patient mentoring in the years following that fateful day. Since becoming a backyard beekeeper, he has volunteered his time to help in bee rescues and bee relocations and to help bring awareness to the public as part of SBBA on the importance of the honeybee in our daily lives. He is a fisheries biologist by profession and an avid outdoor enthusiast. Jordan benShea, stumbled upon beekeeping in early 2013 but was quickly intrigued and found herself devoting time to the Santa Barbara Beekeeping Association in an effort to help the bees. Within the first year Jordan became an active member representing the well-being of the bees in the community while partaking in hands-on experience during swarm calls and bait-outs. What Jordan loves most about working with the bees is how you can be instantly immersed in nature with their amazing ecosystem. She recently completed her Apprentice certificate and is now working on her Journeyman and spending time with her four hives. Jordan is a strategic marketing consultant and enjoys free time in nature.

seminar or meeting I attend has in the program "Spring Management" but I have never seen an article or presentation on "Fall Management". While I have to agree that spring management is important, get it wrong and all you will lose is a honey crop, get fall management wrong and there is a good chance the hive will die over the winter. So I think "Fall Management" is a vital phase of beekeeping, late in the year often overlooked in the rush to take in the honey crop, this article will deal with our methods during the late summer and early fall to ensure early successful preparations for wintering. Now is the perfect time to install new queens, this would be the first job in preparing for winter. Late summer might be an awkward time due to the size of the hives and the sheer volume of bees, but it can be done. We always recommend a two year cycle for queen replacement, at which time queens are getting old and worn out. You are putting a young, strong queen into the winter with more chance of success, which will produce a much bigger hive in the early spring, ultimately leading to a bigger honey crop next year. Setting the hive off to one side, place a new floor and empty box on the stand and replace the frames one by one until you find the queen. Nip her hard between thumb and finger, then drop her back into the hive. This will let the bees know they are queenless, then 24 hours later add the new queen. A major problem with winter preparations is the late honey flow, the supers have been removed, and the hive is reduced to the minimum box configuration ready for winter. At the same time the bee keeper will feed vast amounts of sugar syrup without checking if it's needed, filling all available empty cells with stores. A late honey flow is also possible during an Indian Summer or even just a warm fall, left to their own devices the bees will fill the brood area with honey, cutting down on the brood area available. There is always a danger of robbing and bees will not hesitate to rob out weak hives, creating a mess of other problems apart from clogging the brood area with honey. This sounds like a good idea lots of stores for winter, but will lead to a loss of brood area, in practice it will drastically reduce the volume of young bees going into winter, this in effect forces the hive to winter older bees, reducing the population of young bees which will be necessary to feed brood early in the spring. So it is not a good idea to remove supers too early, better to leave one in place till after first frost, the bees will prefer to move stores upwards rather than fill any brood space with permanent honey.

Are queen honey bees really the key to longer life? At least one researcher thinks so according to this article ‘An age-old question: will wax slow wane?‘, but I doubt it. Unless I’ve failed to learn anything about bees since I started keeping and studying them some 6 years ago, Mr. David Vaux of La Trobe Univeristy seems not to know much about bees and their normal behavior and life span, some of which would draw a big question on the theories presented in the article. (Ignoring the more blatantly wrong facts such as queens can lay up to 200 eggs a day when the accepted estimate is up to 2000 to 3000 egg per day.) David Vaux notes that most cells of the queen bee don’t actively divide, which is true of worker bees as well. But queens can live up to 6 years where workers live only about 6 weeks. He give no consideration of why bees die. Bees die (workers and queens) when they succumb to disease, are found to be no longer useful to the hive, are injured or simply wearing out (since their cells don’t divide and repair themselves as human cells do). Workers literally work themselves to death when their muscles and wings physically wear out. So in summer they live for some 6 weeks, but when they cannot fly in winter they can live for 6 months or more (until they start flying again). Queens typically live until they no longer lay a consistent pattern of eggs. When this happens the workers will replace the queen or the hive will die out. Since she rarely flies (normally only for mating and swarming), she doesn’t wear out her wings or muscles (and apparently egg laying is a much less strenuous activity than foraging) Her life span is basically determined by how many eggs she can lay and how long it takes for her to lay those eggs. In cooler climes with longer winters when the queen doesn’t lay eggs, a typical life span may be 2-3 years. But in warm climates or migratory beekeeping operations that follow the blooming flowers a queen may only last a year. We know diet, stress and the environment can have a significant effect on the health and life span of many animals including insects (and humans). But this research seems to discount the facts that queen bees are feed different food starting when she hatches from an egg, and as an adult she is constantly cleaned, fed and tended to by many workers, and isn’t normally exposed to the sun or weather. Even the temperature and humidity of the hive she lives in is controlled by the workers. Even when mating she won’t fly until it’s 68 degrees Fahrenheit, much warmer than temperatures workers will fly in. She simply is not subject to the same stresses that workers are exposed to. Instead La Trobe seems to think the magic is in the semen that comes from the most fragile inhabitant of the beehive, the drone. Thus David Vaux proposes inseminating queens with semen and saline and comparing the two groups. I can already tell you the results of this trial. The queens inseminated with semen will life longer, much longer. This is because queens inseminated with semen will be able to head a productive hive and will be well taken care of by the workers. The saline inseminated queen will only lay eggs that will yeild drones and the workers will attempt to replace her as soon as possible before the hive collapses. Without constant infusions of new brood from another hive the hive lead by a drone laying queen will fail. Even when if the queens are banked (stored in hive but not allowed to lay) the workers will favor the semen inseminated queen. But should the research actually show there is some magic in drone semen that’s great news for me and the few others out there that have the equipment and training to collect it. At $5 per microliter (somewhere around $2.3 million per pound), it’s much more valuable than royal jelly and the demand is sure to drive the price up

Knox County Beekeepers Assn. WORKSHOP June 18 OHIO Come Join the Learning and Fun June 18th 2012, 5 pm to 7 pm to 9 pm The Knox County Beekeepers Association is sponsoring an educational workshop for beekeepers and anyone interested in learning about bees and beekeeping. Come for all the activities starting at 5 pm, or just come at 7 pm for the general meeting. We will be running hive inspections from 5 pm to 7 pm. For hive inspections please bring a veil. There will be a few extra veils available. We will be checking the condition of the hives, demonstrating proper hive inspection techniques, and what things to look for when inspecting a hive. During the hive inspections there will be Learning Stations placed around the apiary, where specific topics can be discussed one on one, or in small groups with experienced beekeepers. Remember this is a live demonstration and you may be stung. 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm Hive Inspections: a new hive will be opened every ½ hour 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm Learning Stations see topics below: Managing Supers, Queen Excluders: How and When to harvest honey? Varroa Mites: Identifying and Counting Varroa Mites. Equipment: Boxes and frames to smokers and cloths; what is needed and how to use it. Feeding Bees: Why, How, When, and Feeding Equipment. Swarms: How to catch and manage a swarm and managing your hive after it swarmed. Queen Grafting Demonstration: Where queens come from. 7:00 to 9:00 General Meeting 7:00 to 7:15 - General Meeting and Announcements 7:15 to 7:40 – Requeening: Why, When and How to Requeen a Hive? Dana Stahlman 7:40 to 8:00 – “Nucs” Why you should have a nuc and how to start one? Scott Taylor 8:00 to 8:20 - Varroa Mites: Review of the latest Control Methods. Jeff Gabric Directions: The event will be held at the invitation of Steve Collins at 7175 Patton Rd, Mt. Vernon. This is located near Bangs, Ohio just off Rt. 36. From Mt. Vernon take Rt. 36 towards Columbus. When you get to Bangs, go 2 more miles and make a left on Patton Road. The Bee yard is ¼ mile on the right. Restroom facilities are available. Bring a lawn chair if you have one. Admission will be $10 per person and free to Knox County Beekeepers Association members. With the $10 admission fee you will receive a free membership to the Association which happens to cost $10. Well supervised children are free; remember this is a live bee demonstration. If you don’t have time for dinner we will have free hotdogs and refreshment for the hungry. Simpsons Bee Supply will be on site for your equipment needs. Call or email your orders the week before and you can pick up at the event. 740-599-7914. [email protected] For updated information go to the Knox County Beekeepers Association Web site: www.knoxbees.com or call Jeff Gabric: 515-450-1359 SEE YOU THERE!!! Beekeeping: "Know the Rules and Learn the Art"

Founded under the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 as the Massachusetts Agricultural College, UMass Amherst has long been dedicated to the study and teaching of agriculture and the natural sciences. One of two land grant institutions in the Commonwealth (along with MIT), the university has played an important role in the development of scientific agriculture in New England and has been a major factor in agricultural instruction through its classes and extension service. SCUA’s collections contain a wealth of information on the history of agriculture and related fields, including horticulture, botany, entomology, animal husbandry, gardening, and landscape design. The strength of the collection lies in documenting the development of American agricultural sciences with an emphasis upon the northeastern states, but it is supplemented with numerous works on British, French, and German agriculture. Adding additional depth are the records of the several departments at UMass Amherst charged with instruction in the agricultural sciences and the papers of individual agricultural educators. Currently, SCUA is particularly interested in documenting the growth of organic agriculture, heritage breeds, and the practices of sustainable living. Significant Manuscript collections (view all) - Agricultural education - Papers of faculty members at Massachusetts Agricultural College and UMass Amherst, as well as educational organizations dedicated to instruction in the agricultural sciences. Among the individuals represented are the agricultural educator, Kenyon Butterfield; Levi Stockbridge, the first farm manager and long-time instructor at MAC; and William Smith Clark, William Penn Brooks, and William Wheeler, who were instrumental in the 1870s in establishing the agricultural college in Hokkaido, Japan. - Farming and rural life - Correspondence, farm accounts, and other records of farming and rural life, primarily in New England, as well as materials relating to the sociology of rural life. - Botany and horticulture - Collections relating to the scientific study of botany, horticulture, forestry, and related sciences. - Landscape and gardening - The papers and photographs of the landscape designer Frank Waugh, and other collections. - Other natural sciences - Including entomology and geology. Printed works: Collecting areas - Early works through the late nineteenth century on agriculture in America, Britain, and Europe, including those by John Fitzherbert, Thomas Hale, Arthur Young, “Columella,” John Smith, Gervase Markham, et al. - Animal husbandry - Works on sheep culture in the United States (Robert R. Livingston, Samuel Bard) and England (Lord Somerville, John Lawrence); dairy and beef cattle, horses, poultry science. - Beekeeping and entomology - Among the earliest rare books acquired by the Massachusetts Agricultural Library were a collections of rare books in beekeeping, including key works by Thomas Hill, John Keys, Daniel Wildman, Henry Eddy, from the late 17th through late 19th centuries. Works by Maria Sibylla Merian, John Curtis, Dru Drury, Johann Jakob Romer, Jacob l’Admiral - Botany and Silviculture - Important works on American botany by Frederick Pursh, Thomas Nuttall, Humphry Marshall’s Arbustrum Americanum, François André Michaux, early editions of Linnaeus - Gardening and landscape design - Three editions of Bernard M’Mahon’s American Gardener’s Calendar, William Cobbett, Alexander Jackson Davis, Humphry Repton, and others. - Genetics, eugenics, animal breeding - Essentially compete runs of Eugenics Quarterly, and key works in eugenics. - Pomology, viticulture, and fruit culture - William Prince, William Coxe, William Chorlton, et al. Ebenezer Akin Account Book, 1842-1869. Call no.: MS 220 bd Businessman, town clerk, owner or part-owner of many ships, merchant, lawyer, and involved citizen in the town of Fairhaven, Massachusetts. Includes activities as town clerk, accounts for ships he may have owned, entries made as the executor of several estates, accounts of expenditures for clothing and incidentals, and accounts of lot purchases and loans. Also contains genealogical information about the Blossom family of Bridgewater and the family of Benjamin and Eunice Akin. - Akin, Benjamin, 1715-1802 - Akin, Eunice - Blossom family - Clothing and dress--Prices--Massachusetts--Fairhaven - Fairhaven (Mass.)--Economic conditions--19th century - Fairhaven (Mass.)--Politics and government--19th century - Hesper (Bark) - Napoleon (Ship) - William Rotch (Ship) - Winthrop (Bark) - Akin, Ebenezer, 1816- Types of material - Account books - Inventories of decedents estates Russell K. Alspach Papers, 1950-1978. Call no.: FS 025 Russel K. Alspach earned his PhD in 1932 from the University of Pennsylvania where he taught English from 1924-1942. After four years of service in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he spent eighteen years as head of the Department of English at West Point Military Academy before retiring in 1965 with the rank of Brigadier General. A specialist in Irish literature with wide ranging interests running from William Butler Yeats to Percy Blythe Shelley and William Faulkner, Alspach published prolifically throughout his career. He took a post-retirement appointment at UMass in 1966, but hardly retired, eventually becoming Head of the Department of English, and teaching until his final retirement and death in 1980. The Alspach Papers consist of professional correspondence, drafts of writing, and reviews written by Russell K. Alspach. The small collection includes grant applications and notes for Alspach’s Yeats Study Series, as well as a 3.75 inch monographic recording of readings and music by unidentified artists. The Department of Special Collections and University Archives is also home to the Alspach Yeats Collection of rare books. - University of Massachusetts Amherst--Faculty - University of Massachusetts Amherst. Department of English - Yeats, W. B. (William Butler), 1865-1939 - Alspach, Russell K. (Russell King), 1901- Association for Gravestone Studies Collection Carol D. Andrews Collection, 2001-2002. Call no.: PH 031 A resident of New Braintree, Massachusetts, Carol Andrews became interested in the work of gravestone carvers when working on the history of her local cemetery. She has subsequently conducted research on the history and production of carvers from central and western Massachusetts during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The Andrews Collection contains photographs and research notes arranged in alphabetical order regarding the work of identified Massachusetts carvers. Among the names represented in the collection are Abercrombie, Codner, Colburn, Daugherty, Geyer, Hartwell, Hastings, Kenfield, Kilburn, Kinney, Lewis, New, Park, Pool, Pratt, Rankin, Reed, Sikes, White, and Woods. Andrews assembled more comprehensive representations of the work of the Soules (Beza Sr. and Jr., Coomer, et al.), William Young, and Thomas Harmon. The collection also includes some correspondence with Vincent Luti and Robert Drinkwater relating to her research. - Sepulchral monuments--Massachusetts - Stone carving--Massachusetts - Andrews, Carol D - Association for Gravestone Studies - Drinkwater, Robert - Luti, Vincent Types of material - Letters (Correspondence) Anglin Family Papers, 1874-1955 (Bulk: 1914-1926). Call no.: MS 699 Born in Cork, Ireland to a prosperous family, the Anglin siblings began immigrating to Canada and the United States in 1903. The first to relocate to Canada, brothers Will and Sydney pursued vastly different careers, one as a Presbyterian minister and the other as a salesman at a Toronto slaughterhouse. George and Crawford both served in the military during World War I, the former in the British Infantry as a medical officer and the latter in the 4th University Overseas Company first in France and later in Belgium where he died saving the life of a wounded soldier. Gladys Anglin trained as a nurse, but worked in a Canadian department store and at the Railway Office before suffering a mental breakdown and entering the Ontario Hospital as a patient. Ethel remained in Ireland the longest where she taught Domestic Economics at a technical school. The only Anglin to immigrate to the United States and the only female sibling to marry, Ida and husband David Jackson settled in Monson, Massachusetts where they raised four daughters. The Anglin siblings were part of a close knit family who stayed in contact despite their geographic separation through their correspondence. Siblings wrote and exchanged lengthy letters that document not only family news, but also news of local and national significance. Topics addressed in their letters include World War I, the Irish revolution, medicine, religious ministry, and domestic issues from the ability of a single woman to support herself through work to child rearing. - Anglin family--Correspondence - Ireland--Emigration and immigration--History - Ireland--History--War of Independence, 1919-1921 - Irish--United States--History - World War, 1914-1918 Ebenezer Bailey Papers, 1852-1882. Call no.: MS 448 Ebenezer Bailey was a wholesale shoe purchaser and distributor from Massachusetts. The collection comprises just over 100 items, the bulk of which are receipts for the purchase and sale of shoes and slippers, covering the period from 1852 to 1882. - Business records--Massachusetts - Dearborn, J. J - Lynn (Mass.)--History - Shoe industry--Massachusetts--Lynn - Shoe industry--New England--History--19th century - Bailey, Ebenezer Types of material - Receipts (Financial records) Hugh Potter Baker Papers, 1919-1951. Call no.: RG 3/1 B35 Hugh Baker served as President during most of the existence of Massachusetts State College, taking office in 1933, two years after it changed name from Massachusetts Agricultural College, and retiring in 1947, just as the college became the University of Massachusetts. A forester by training, Baker began his career as a professor, and later dean, in the College of Forestry at Syracuse University. In 1920, he left Syracuse to become Executive Secretary of the American Paper and Pulp Association, and for nearly a decade, he worked in the forestry industry. He returned to academia in 1930, when he resumed the deanship at the New York State School of Forestry. During his presidency at Massachusetts State College, Baker oversaw the construction of improved housing and classroom facilities for students, a new library, the expansion of the liberal arts curriculum, and a near doubling of student enrollment. Further, chapel services were reorganized to be voluntary, and a weekly convocation was initiated. Baker also founded popular annual conferences on recreation and country life. The Baker Papers include correspondence with college, state, and federal officials, college suppliers, and alumni; speeches and articles; reports and other papers on topics at issue during Baker’s college presidency, 1933-1947, particularly the building program. Also included are several biographical sketches and memorial tributes; clippings and other papers, relating to Baker’s career as professor of forestry at several colleges, trade association executive, and college president. - Clock chimes--Massachusetts--Amherst--History - College buildings--Massachusetts--Amherst--History - Massachusetts State College--Anniversaries, etc - Massachusetts State College--Buildings - Massachusetts State College--History - Massachusetts State College--Student housing - Massachusetts State College. President - Massachusetts State College. School of Home Economics - Massachusetts--Politics and government--1865-1950 - Old Chapel (Amherst, Mass.)--History - Student housing--Massachusetts--Amherst--History - University of Massachusetts Amherst--History - Baker, Hugh Potter, 1878- Katherine Bell Banks Papers, 1926-1960. Call no.: MS 429 Collection of letters from Du Bois to various members of the Bell family, the earliest written in September 1926 to Katherine Bell and the latest written in December 1960 to Thomasina Bell Fitzroy. These letters offer a unique perspective of Du Bois’s personal life. - African Americans--History--1877-1964 - Banks, Katherine Bell - Bell, Thomas, d.1946 - Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963 Types of material - Letters (Correspondence) Mark A. Baszak Papers, 1991-1992. Call no.: MS 653 Born in Springfield in 1960 and raised in the Pioneer Valley, Mark A. Baszak received a bachelors degree in music composition and MEd. from UMass Amherst. Beginning shortly after completing graduate study, Baszak played a prominent part for over two decades in promoting the arts at his alma mater, serving as Acting Director of the Performing Arts Division (1987-1989), Coordinator and then Director of the Jazz in July program (1990-2008), Associate Director of Multicultural Programs (1993), and organizer of the Black Musicians Conferences and Festival (1989-1999). As an arts and culture representative of the Massachusetts Hokkaido Sister State Association in the early 1990s, Baszak helped foster exchanges between the sister states, visiting Hokkaido with the first official state delegation in 1991. Baszak died after a brief illness on September 25, 2008. Documenting the early efforts to build upon the 1990 designation of Hokkaido and Massachusetts as sister states, the Baszak collection includes materials concentrated on the first Hokkaido Week in Amherst and the delegation that accompanied Gov. William Weld to Hokkaido in 1991. In addition to correspondence and memos, the collection includes ephemera collected by Baszak during the various ceremonies and transcripts of speeches delivered. - Massachusetts-Hokkaido Sister State Association - Baszak, Mark A - Weld, William F Marcia Grover Church Bates Family Papers, 1712-1999. Call no.: MS 424 Generations of the Bates and Church families based in North Amherst and Ashfield, Massachusetts. Papers include deeds, a will, correspondence, account books (recording day-to-day expenditures on food, clothing, postage, housekeeping supplies, and laborer’s wages), diaries, an oral history, photographs, genealogical notes, and memorabilia related to the family. - Ashfield (Mass.)--History - Bates family - Church family - Hotelkeepers--Massachusetts--North Amherst - Massachusetts Agricultural College--Alumni and alumnae - Merchants--Massachusetts--North Amherst - North Amherst (Mass.)--History - Prescott (Mass.)--History - Public librarians--Massachusetts - Worcester (Mass.)--History - Bates, Marcia Church, 1908-2000 - Church, Cornelia, 1906-1978 - Church, Lucia Grover, 1877-1943 Types of material - Account books

C.P. Dadant’s excellent instructional book on his beekeeping methods was popular for many years after it was first published in 1920. Now Dadant & Sons has reprinted it, along with a new cover that features historical photos of C.P. Dadant working his hives, as well as photos of his home beeyard and a personal portrait. This book contains a wealth of practical beekeeping and historical information. Softcover, 115 pages Ship wt. 1 lb.

With a plan to exact revenge on a mythical shark that killed his partner, oceanographer Steve Zissou rallies a crew that includes his estranged wife, a journalist, and a man who may or may not be his son. Based on the true childhood experiences of Noah Baumbach and his brother, The Squid and the Whale tells the touching story of two young boys dealing with their parents' divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980s. With only the plan of moving in together after high school, two unusually devious friends seek direction in life. As a mere gag, they respond to a man's newspaper ad for a date, only to find it will greatly complicate their lives. The adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous hotel from the fictional Republic of Zubrowka between the first and second World Wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. F. Murray Abraham, The banality of crime. Two young men, Dignan and Anthony, walk along talking about "Starsky and Hutch." They're on their way to burglarize a house. After, they go to a café, play some ... See full summary » Max Fischer is a precocious 15-year-old whose reason for living is his attendance at Rushmore, a private school where he's not doing well in any of his classes, but where he's the king of extracurricular activities - from being in the beekeeping society to writing and producing plays, there's very little after school he doesn't do. His life begins to change, however, when he finds out he's on academic probation, and when he stumbles into love with Miss Cross, a pretty teacher of the elementary school at Rushmore. Added to the mix is his friendship with Herman Blume, wealthy industrialist and father to boys who attend the school, and who also finds himself attracted to Miss Cross. Max's fate becomes inextricably tied to this odd love triangle, and how he sets about resolving it is the story in the film. Written by Gary Dickerson <slug@mail. utexas.edu> When Mr. Blume is on the diving board there is a shot looking down on him and you can see that his cigarette is very close to burned up; but in the next shot he has almost half a cigarette left. See more » If, and only if, both sides of the numerator is divisible by the inverse of he square root of the two unassigned variable. Good. Except when the value of the "X" coordinate is equal to or less than the value of one. Yes Isaac? What about *that* problem? Oh, that? Don't worry about that. I just put that up as a joke. That's probably the hardest geometry equation in the world. Well, how much extra credit is it worth? Well, considering I've never seen anyone get it right, ... See more » Ooh La La Written by Ron Wood and Ron Lane Published by WB Music Corp (ASCAP) Performed by Faces (as The Faces) Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc. By Arrangement with Warner Special Products See more » There's no real reason to critique this film because it's as close to perfect as any movie can get. Plus, it has been reviewed over 500 times on this site alone. One important aspect of this film, which is overlooked in practically every online review that I've read, is Wes Anderson's nod to the world of J.D. Salinger. The parallels between Holden Caulfield and Max are numerous, and when considered in light of THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (with its scenes at the museum and the b.b. gun battles), the canon of Wes Anderson is one that has been greatly colored by the imagination of J.D. Salinger. From Max's red hat to his expulsion, the film touches on many ideas from THE CATCHER IN THE RYE. Thematically, the works are quite similar and share an idiosyncratic mood. The other great influence on Wes Anderson, which is even more obvious to any student of film, is the work of Hal Ashby. In particular, the symmetry of Hal Ashby's shots in films like HAROLD AND MAUDE and BEING THERE. Watch RUSHMORE followed by HAROLD AND MAUDE followed by ROYAL TENENBAUMS followed by BEING THERE and you'll completely understand this sentiment. Where will THE LIFE AQUATIC fit into this equation?!?!? 71 of 119 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

4/22/2011 2:21 PM For Earth Day, the Port hosted a lunchtime lecture series for employees on various topics, drawing on expertise right here on staff. For today’s presentation, Troy Graham, Stan Jones, and Greg Sparks talked about raising chickens, worms, and honeybees in the backyard. The engaging trio provided useful advice and information to an audience that left eager to try their hand at egg-laying hens, worm bins for composting, and beekeeping. It also marked the first time we’ve had a rooster in the headquarters building. Pictures from the presentation: Above, Troy shows off one of three birds he brought to the presentation. In addition to his rooster, he brought a hen and a bantam duck, fielding questions about how to raise a happy and healthy flock. Stan shows off worms from the Port's on-site composting bin. Greg talked about how bee colonies work and the rewards of tending to honeybees. Stan gets comfortable with the crowd to talk about worm bins, his worms' favorite foods, and how the results are excellent fertilizers for gardens.

Here are some of the popular #webhostnews blog updates for the day Triggered Emails for Nonprofits According to Marketing Sherpa’s 2011 email benchmark report, triggered email campaigns improved email message relevancy. Triggered emails are a series of emails sent in response to a specific action, or trigger. Brand marketers have been using this tactic successfully for years, and nonprofits should consider trigger-based campaigns for more relevant member communications. An Experian Marketing Services report, shows that welcome emails have higher transaction rates and revenue than bulk emails, as well as more opens and click-throughs. While these brand-specific statistics may not translate directly to nonprofits, it stands to reason that nonprofits could see more member engagement with more relevant, targeted email messages. Some trigger-based email campaigns nonprofits should consider include: New donor welcome series, triggered when a new donation is recieved, that welcomes donors to the nonprofit. New subscriber welcome series that moves new email subscribers along the engagement process. Event registrant welcome series that shares information for enjoying the event and previewing event activities. Goodbye Badge Scanner, Hello Leads Remember the last time you were on booth duty at a trade show, scanning attendees’ badges with the badge scanner provided by the event organizer? If your experience was anything like ours, it looked like this: With just one scanner in the booth, a line often formed as everybody waited to use the same device. To supplement the basic information provided by their badges, you frequently wrote notes on the backs of attendees’ business cards. At the end of the show, you handed the badge scanner back to the event organizer. And waited. A week later, the event organizer sent you an Excel file with the attendees’ badge information. You took that Excel file and imported the leads into your CRM system. Finally, after seven days or more, you sent out your follow-up emails saying, “Thanks for visiting our booth.” By that time, of course, the attendees have likely forgotten who you are and what you do. And you’ve likely lost all the business card notes because, let’s face it, nobody wants to key in information collected from the hundreds of people and coordinate it with the records in their CRM system. Take your business to unprecedented heights with your own business logo A logo represents the gist of a company effectively. Remember the famous Murphy kid? Murphy was a company that sold radio and transistors in India in the early 80s. The company used a kid’s photograph for its brand promotion. The brand became a huge hit and the kid became synonymous with the brand. Using a logo for a particular brand is not a novel concept but its designing has witnessed a major transformation over the years. The Apple logo underwent a complete makeover from being a graphical image of Newton sitting under a tree, eating an apple, to a rainbow colored apple and then to the present day, sophisticated monochrome logo.Believe it or not! In 1970s, Jobs thought that the complex Newton logo is responsible for Apple’s slow sales. He was mindful of the relationship between company’s sale and logo at that time!! Mozilla Firefox’s first logo titled Phoenix was changed to Firebird to overcome some trademark issues. It again encountered some problems and finally got lucky third time, when it was renamed Mozilla Firefox. A professional interface designer quoted that Mozilla browser and its software are poorly branded. So, Mozilla asked him to develop a new identity for itself and the result is what we are all familiar with. 4 Reasons Why You Should Back Up Information from Your Social Media Accounts Social media has become the de facto marketing channel for businesses of all sizes. Because it offers wide reach and direct interaction with customers, there’s no better way to sell your services or build your brand. With that in mind, it’s worth considering how to protect your social media data. After all, you don’t sign an SLA when you open an account with a social network, and they don’t guarantee their systems won’t fail. If you don’t back up your social media data, you could incur unforeseen costs, miss out on crucial business opportunities, and put your business at legal risk. Here are four reasons you should care about backing up your social media and some ways to do it. Social media campaigns succeed or fail based on the quality of their content. Businesses invest thousands of dollars in YouTube videos, infographics, landing pages, and other rich media. If even a fraction of your content was lost because a social network went dark, re-creating that content would be prohibitively expensive, and in some cases impossible. ThinkBroadband Survey 2013 In March 2013 Thinkbroadband published their results from their ‘Big Broadband’ Survey which was carried out between June and December 2012 analysing over 10,000 responses. We thought we would pull together some of the highlights for you. The survey found that 46% of respondents use their broadband for business use, with 51% using it for personal use only. There is a marginal willingness to pay more by users using their broadband for work use. There is a significant difference between business use between UK regions with London having the highest rate (95%) followed by the South East (53%), The North East 36%) and Northern Ireland (32%) had the lowest levels. The vast majority (71%) of users buy broadband with at least one other service, the most common being broadband and home phone. In September 2012 we introduced our Broadband and Phone package, allowing customers to consolidate their broadband and phone line supplier with packages starting from as little as £24.50 per month. In April 2013 our packages were recognised by Which? with us receiving the Which? Recommended Broadband and Phone Provider status, topping the table with 86%. Benefits of leveraging a managed cloud hosting provider As the cloud revolution has unfolded, many in-house IT professionals have tried to resist the movement for a number of reasons. Some of them had legitimate concerns about the security of mission-critical information and applications stored offsite. Other IT workers had wondered whether vendors would respond to situations like downtime in a timely a manner. And still others were probably worried that leveraging the services of a managed cloud hosting provider would render their jobs obsolete. The fact of the matter is that none of the above scenarios are really prevalent. The corporate infrastructure will not be less secure if it becomes cloud-based, and in-house IT departments won’t be disappearing anytime soon. Instead of trying to hold off the inevitable, internal tech workers should be embracing what managed cloud hosting has to offer. In a recent blog post for ZDNet, information technology trend researcher Joe McKendrick dispelled the notion that IT is a “competitor” to outside cloud services. Rather the two sides should work closely together to find “the best path for the business,” 5 Tips to Help EDU Prepare for the BYOD Invasion of 2014 In September, students will return to school for the fall semester. The next few months are the perfect time to prepare for the onslaught of personal devices on campus–the now-familiar BYOD tsunami. In last week’s blog post we talked about the benefits of enabling students to register their devices remotely before they even leave home for school. In this post we have created a checklist that will help you prepare for BYOD while balancing the between securing the network and enabling productivity: How much visibility do you currently have into who and what is connecting to the network? Can you identify the types of endpoint devices that are connecting, as well as who is using those devices to connect to the network? Decide which devices you will support (iPads, smartphones, PlayStations, Xbox, IPTV etc.) Determine which operating systems you will support, and which AV software you will require (and their versions). Allow at least one “free” antivirus option whenever possible. Celebrating The 1-Year Anniversary Of World IPv6 Launch One year ago today, thousands of people around the world came together to permanently enable IPv6 on their websites, access networks and in their devices. As we’ve noted this week through our news release and then infographic, the world has changed greatly in this past year. The percentage of users using IPv6 has doubled and in fact more than doubled for many of the networks we are now measuring. Articles, blog posts and other media are popping up all across the Internet today as so many people join in the celebration – we’re seeing them in the #v6launch and #IPv6 hashtags on Twitter, we’re seeing them on Google+, on Facebook, in LinkedIn groups… and everywhere. THANK YOU for all you have done over this past year to help move IPv6 forward! Together we have made IPv6 an integral part of the global Internet and a regular aspect of mainstream network planning and deployment – and we look forward to continuing to work with all of you over the months and years ahead. Customer Spotlight: Largest Sensor Company in the U.S. Implements Z-CRM Over the last few years, Banner Engineering has been growing at a rapid rate. With over 3000 employees, 7 corporate offices, and 147 products, Banner began realizing the challenge of tracking sales quotes from several sales representatives over a wide array of products. Their system of tracking via MS Excel was actually causing more confusion and extra work. Six months ago, Banner decided it was time to find a solution to these tracking difficulties and contacted Rivet Solutions, an IT and business solutions consultancy. Rivet was tasked with finding a CRM solution that matched Banner Engineering’s extensive needs and implementing this solution as quickly and painlessly as possible. Banner is the global leader in process and industrial automation, helping customers increase efficiency, reduce costs, ensure quality, monitor and control processes, and safeguard employees. Banner focuses on delivering industry-leading photo eyes, sensors, vision sensors, wireless sensors, machine safety, e-stop devices, vision lighting, and a wide assortment of indicator lights, tower lights, stack lights, and pick to lights. Continuing the Innovation Conversation A few months back we attended an Innovations Showcase event in Seattle where we met with prospective customers and talked about trends in data security. We were at it again yesterday in Detroit and once again, engaged in good dialogue with organizations seeking to strengthen their data security solutions. At the last event a lot of the discussion and interest centered on Self Encrypting Drives (SEDs) and the value they offer. At the event this week, the key areas that really resonated with attendees were Removable Media Encryption (RME) and our approach to pre-boot authentication – PBConnex, which offers network-based pre-boot authentication. With the number of issues happening in market today revolving around the loss of data due to device theft or loss of things such as USB keys, RME was a very significant subject for many of the attendees. While we typically talk about the benefits of Full Disk Encryption (FDE), that was more or less a foregone conclusion with most attendees leveraging a solution to secure their data. Myth or Fact: Dedicated Hosting is 3x Cheaper Than AWS Amazon is a trustworthy company and they have a robust cloud–but is AWS right for everyone? Is it right for you? Looking closely at our customers, nearly 100% of enterprise workloads are better off going with dedicated servers (about 90% of them are, anyway). Not only do some of these applications run better on dedicated hardware, dedicated servers can be up to 3x less than running a comparative workload on AWS. To give you some perspective on specs and price, let’s take a look at our most in-demand dedicated server solutions, the E3-1230 v2: This chart comparing a dedicated server to Amazon AWS shows a 3x difference in monthly pricing. The question is: Why would you pay up to 3x more for EC2 pricing from AWS? Despite its costs, AWS does have some flexibility, scale and other elastic features that can be attractive to some users. The following instances may lead to the acquisition of the EC2 AWS cloud platform: If you are a company that anticipates fluctuating scenarios of traffic levels consistently, than a cloud platform can indeed be a good fit for you. A Quick List: 11 Reasons Why You Need a Mobile Website Optimized for handheld devices, Mobile websites have a streamlined navigation and improved download speed, both of which significantly enhance the user experience. Mobile-specific features like mapping functions are especially beneficial for you if you’ve a local business as visitors in your geographic proximity can easily find your website with location-aware technology. Mobile website = Higher rankings on mobile-friendly search engines like Google and Yahoo. You can place your business/website in a growing number of mobile and local directories. Mobile websites are ‘in.’ They help you stand out as a contemporary brand. Mobile websites can be accessed on-the-run; anywhere, anytime. One doesn’t need access to a PC/laptop to get in touch with you. Mobile website = mobile purchases. Mobile websites add more value to your offline promotional material with the help of QR codes. QR codes can be displayed in print on your pamphlets, brochures, posters, billboards etc. When scanned with a Smartphone, they automatically translate into your website URL or any other landing pages of your choice that contain additional information. Why Privileged User Controls are Central to Thwarting APTs Let’s face it: perimeter security is failing, and failing fast. Every week it seems, we’re reading about yet another major corporation, defense contractor or government agency that has become the latest victim of an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT). Today’s APTs are both sophisticated and patient, getting inside the target’s network and sitting there for weeks, months or even years, accessing and ultimately stealing valuable data. Now, it’s clear that servers are the primary targets and the best way to get at the data on those servers is by compromising the accounts of privileged users in the organization. Many people mistakenly assume that privileged users are the C-level executives, like the CEO and CFO. While those users do see sensitive data on a regular basis, the best targets for cyber criminals lie further down the food chain; it’s folks like network administrators, database administrators, sys admins and root users that represent the biggest potential gain for cyber criminals. And, for organizations wanting to embrace cloud technologies, cloud administrators represent yet another attack vector. Cloud Buddy Takes a Look at ReliableDR! vExpert Bilal Hasmi took a look at ReliableDR this week, it’s functionality, how it measures up against VMwares SRM and also checked out what makes it a cut above the rest! It makes sense for PHD virtual to invest their simplistic approach to the DR solutions. They have done a great job in the enhancements they have made to their backup solution over the years and ReliableDR seems to be the next logical step. I was scared that I would find complex settings and installation procedures before getting the product going. But I was pleasantly surprised. Here are some webinars that would help one understand the product in more detail. Imagine if we had a slider that we adjusted to dictate the amount of money we want to spend on our power bill every month and our homes adjusted to that number and aligned the utilization accordingly. That’s the level of simplicity that’s needed in the DR solutions for today. And I believe ReliableDR is definitely on its way there. Office 365 vs. Google Apps Showdown: Organization Size Ever since Microsoft released Office 2013 for 365 this February, they have seen a massive rush of users converting to the latest-and-greatest cloud-based productivity suite. May was a busy month for the corporate marketing team in Redmond, with Office 365 making news headlines when the software reached a million subscribers. Google has yet to respond to Microsoft’s recent push, including claims by a Microsoft director that Google doesn’t understand enterprise web apps, but is still currently in the lead as we can see from our latest data analysis. Although Google Apps is leading with a comfortable margin at the moment, Office 365 has been consistently pulling away chunks of market share every month. May exhibited somewhat slower adoption of the two cloud services; out of 2.4 million companies we observed, 2,000 made the switch from other platforms to either Google or Office. In our March and April Showdown posts, we reported significant gains for Redmond. This month’s progress has been less drastic, but 365 has still managed to pull off a healthy 0.9% of market share in their favor among organizations with 50-200 employees. Amazon RDS: 3.5 years, 3 Engines, 9 Regions, 50+ Features and Tens of Thousands of Customers The Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) was designed to simplify one of the most complex of all common IT activities: managing and scaling a relational database while providing fast, predictable performance and high availability. In the 3.5 years since we launched Amazon RDS, a lot has happened. Amazon RDS is now being used in mission-critical deployments by tens of thousands of businesses of all sizes. We now process trillions of I/O requests each month for these customers. We’re seeing strong adoption in enterprises such as Samsung and Unilever, web-scale applications like Flipboard and Airbnb, and large-scale organizations like NASA JPL and Obama for America. We have added support for three major database engines (MySQL, Oracle, and SQL Server), expanded support to all nine of the AWS Regions, and added more than 50 highly requested features. Here is a timeline to give you a better idea of how many additions we have made to RDS since we launched it. This feature enables you to create highly available database deployments with synchronous replication across Availability Zones, automatic failure detection and failover using just a few clicks on the AWS Management Console. Five Bulletins, One Critical in Microsoft’s June Patch Microsoft announced today in an advanced patch Tuesday notification that it will ship just five bulletins in the June edition of patch Tuesday. Only one bulletin received the software giant’s most sever ‘critical’ rating: it will fix a vulnerability in Windows and Internet Explorer that could allow an attacker to execute code remotely. The remaining four bulletins received the next most severe ‘important’ ratings and will fix information disclosure, denial of service, and elevation of privilege bugs in windows as well as a remote code execution flaw in Internet Explorer. Ross Barrett, senior manager of security engineering at Rapid7, told Threatpost via email that he would be interested to see whether or not Microsoft fixes the kernel vulnerability that Google’s Tavis Ormandy recently disclosed publicly on the Full Disclosure mailing list. Ormandy’s decision to disclose the bug in this way stirred up controversy late last month, but the information security engineer from Google claimed that he only released the exploit code after the code had already been made available by another group. Is Big Data Too Big For Any One CIO to Manage? Two years ago, the TIBCO Spotfire “Trends and Outliers” blog recapped the role of the CIO and BI. We think it’s a good time to look at how far we’ve come and expand upon some lessons we’ve learned along the way. Back then, IBM’s study on CIOs and BI said that 83% of information officers see BI and analytics as “top priorities for the businesses and they seek ways to act upon the growing amounts of data now at their disposal.” The survey also indicated that analytics would be considered a competitive differentiator within the next three to five years. Big data is a big deal and we’re seeing companies use it to their advantage. But we’ve also seen the challenges it presents – scalability and security. Barb Darrow, a senior writer for GigaOM, recently blogged about this. In her recap of the 2013 MIT CIO Symposium, she wrote, “…a common mistake is to confuse correlation with causation. Without the right background knowledge and statistical analysis tools, you can still leap to the wrong conclusions about your data.” Citadel’s Defenses Breached On June 5, Microsoft announced that they had worked together with members of the financial services industry and the FBI to disrupt the operations of a banking Trojan horse program called Citadel. The takedown operation resulted in over 1,000 Citadel botnets being taken offline. Citadel is a banking Trojan that has been in existence since 2011. As with most banking Trojans, Citadel is a full crimeware kit, providing the attackers with payload builders, a command and control (C&C) server infrastructure, and configuration scripts to target various banks. Citadel is a descendant of that other behemoth of the financial Trojan world, Trojan.Zbot (Zeus). It came into existence after the Zeus source code was leaked in 2011, with criminal groups taking that code and enhancing it. Citadel is aimed at a more “exclusive” attacker market than its more widespread predecessor, Zeus. The Citadel kit is sold through underground Russian forums and typically costs around $3,000, compared to $100 for the SpyEye and leaked Zeus kits. The Spiceworks 7 Help Desk: SpiceWars to the Rescue Government email archives take to the cloud There’s an increasing push in federal and state legislatures to move public records management tools to the cloud. Email archiving assets are among the most highly talked-about services at the moment, with some calling previous administrations into question regarding personal email accounts, while other federal offices move to make their operations even more open and searchable. With the vast amount of correspondence that federal agencies engage in on a daily basis, having an online database for managing and securing these resources is essential. Government Technology wrote that this was a major impetus for moving the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to cloud email archiving. The source stated that all of NARA’s 5,300 email accounts have been moved to a cloud service, allowing messages to be automatically logged, stored and recalled later. These users represent the active employees at NARA, meaning that all of their transmissions will be saved for future review and recordkeeping. Apart from serving as a substantial addition to compliance adherence, this service also allows for more government transparency, something that other offices at that level of authority are trying to establish as well. Dynamic Network Management The cloud has enabled developers and testers to deploy complex computing environments quickly and, perhaps most importantly, without the need to ask IT to set up new servers, switches, and routers. But, while the self-service aspect of cloud computing simplifies resource acquisition it also introduces new challenges. The explosion of information technology has led to the need to specialize. As a result, a rock-star Linux application developer may know nothing beyond the basics of networking or systems administration. Similarly, network admins may know very little about compiled languages and software development. Yet, when a developer or tester makes use of the cloud they often must play the part of network, systems, and storage administrator. One of the primary challenges facing developers and testers is networking. Configuring DNS, proxies, routing, etc., are time consuming and complex tasks. As a result, it can be frustrating for a developer who wants to perform a quick operation if she must change network routes, virtual machine (VM) IP addresses, and other network-related tasks in order for the virtual environment itself to just work. High Availability for Drupal Part 2 – The Contenders When looking at high availability for any CMS, and particularly for Drupal, the list of contenders for part or all of the solution is growing and can be daunting. We’ll take a look at the various parts of a solution and what options we have. We need to get this up front. There have been high profile failures of cloud providers that have left people relying on their services in the lurch. It isn’t all bad news, but it does highlight that just moving your infrastructure into the cloud doesn’t guarantee availability. What it also demonstrates is the need to build with failure in mind. What the cloud does give you are the essential components of a flexible, scalable solution. Probably the most attractive benefit is the low barrier to entry. Unlike a traditional hardware based solution that requires an expediture for the components even before you start building your system, cloud systems tend to have no initial deployment costs, only usage charges. In our previous post we have already discussed the difference between Apache and Nginx and the potential benefits of moving to Nginx. What wasn’t covered was how they interact with PHP A Flash in the Pan, Or the Cyberman in the Data Center? There have been suggestions recently that while enterprise flash storage will undoubtedly have its place, it will not become dominant, as others have predicted. However, past and future lessons alike suggest that we shouldn’t be too skeptical about the rise of all-flash Solid State Disks (SSDs) in the enterprise. It is natural for most of us to resist change — or what we see as excessive change. We worked hard to get where we are today, and “if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it” remains a useful motto in enterprise IT. The problem is that we cannot stop or control change, no matter how scary it may be. That is part of what makes Doctor Who’s silver foes the Cybermen — and their Star Trek cousins the Borg — so frightening: with their hyper-evolutionary ability to adapt to defeat weapons used against them, they are about the fearsome speed of technological change, as well as the more obvious fears of losing your identity and emotions, and being forcibly subsumed into “the machine”. It is the same fears and lack of understanding that leads old industries to discount the new, assuming that although they too were once hot young innovators The Best Online Backup For Mac Users We all know that small and medium sized businesses can’t afford to be lax when it comes to safeguarding their data. Because of the potential unreliability of physical disks to adequately safeguard data—and their poor track record regarding data recovery, more and more businesses are turning to online backup solutions. And now that more and more SMBs have already moved to the cloud for other business processes such as email and team collaboration, they have already seen how migrating can help them combine scarce resources and reduce IT infrastructure costs. For many businesses, online backup solutions are simply a smarter, more cost-effective and user-friendly solution for safeguarding critical business data. SkyNox’s Workstation application gives Mac users all the benefits and bank-grade security of the SkyNox online backup and recovery solution. And that’s important, because not all backup solutions are designed with Macs in mind. You can save and restore up to 64 versions of any file. That way, if you accidentally delete a file or want to revert to an older version of a file, you can do so in just a few clicks. What is the Best Language to Learn Programming? Enterprise City, Continued: At MetroPCS, Custom ServiceNow Apps Deliver Shared Benefits to Shared Services Another element common to well-run cities and well-run enterprises: they both rely upon effective, efficiently delivered shared services. In cities, these include things such as power, water, and roads and streets. In enterprises, shared services include departments and functions such as human resources, legal, finance, and engineering (for technology-centric businesses). Enterprise shared services often represent a significant early opportunity to leverage and demonstrate the business value of custom applications built upon the ServiceNow Service Automation Platform. Moreover, shared services decision makers are often the initiators and instigators of the pursuit of such opportunities. Frequently, IT rolls out ServiceNow for IT service management (ITSM) and service automation. IT then hosts a demo of ServiceNow and invites decision makers from across the enterprise. And then someone in, say, HR or Finance sees the functionality and customization ServiceNow has made possible for IT, and quickly decides that similar features could deliver significant benefits for their shared service as well. Why Do you need Cloud Computing? You may ask “Why do you need Cloud Computing?”, and you may be answered with another question “Why not?” The Cloud is just another kind of computing architecture. It just uses the Internet as the network and brings the power of virtualization to your doorstep. It shifts attention from the physical to the virtual; and accounting heads from CAPEX to OPEX. It simplifies disaster recovery and business continuity – this is at the heart of why organizations (be it big enterprises or small mom-and-dad businesses) are drawn to the Cloud. The Cloud abstracts hardware to a remote location and takes the data offsite, even as it is generated. Disgruntled employees (as in the Frost and Sullivan case) will not be able to sprinkle the computing systems with Cillit Bang cleaning fluid – details are found here. The computing resource is just not physically present for sabotage! Extreme weather damage cannot paralyze the business and any number of planes crashing into any number of towers will not put the organization out of business if it has stored its resources in the Cloud and has the facility of anywhere, anytime bare metal recovery access. Cool Smart, Save Smarter: Schneider Electric Cooling Infographic on Containment Strategies and More. The growth of big data and the ever-evolving technology industry are causing overall data center demand to skyrocket – there are over 509,147 data centers worldwide today. This increasing use has, in turn, led to an enormous boom in energy needs (and escalating scrutiny of data center efficiency). But while data centers are a necessary part of today’s technologically-dependent society, they also consume roughly 1.3 percent of all electricity in the world.* There have been great energy efficiency gains in recent years with regards to data center facility operation, but continued emphasis on efficient practices should be a priority for data center managers. One significant, yet manageable, source of energy and cost consumption in data centers is cooling. As reported by the Green Grid, long-accepted restrictions on data center operating temperatures are now being reconsidered, with new guidelines allowing for temperatures well in excess of 80.6 degrees. No longer needing to adhere to strict thermal ranges, data center mangers now have greater flexibility in choosing more efficient and money-saving cooling solutions. Although old habits are hard to break, putting real savings numbers behind thermostat flexibility can help push managers toward more energy efficient habits. Migrating a High-Risk Exchange Server to the Cloud Exchange email servers are the sine qua non of modern business. Downtimes can result in thousands of dollars in losses in productivity, sales, or just reputation. Hardware failure is inevitable at some point in all physical servers regardless of warranty. Aging equipment – we define this as equipment 3 or more years old – requires more maintenance and also is at an increased risk of failure. The benefits of hosted Exchange are tangible and immediate within this context. Read why many business are proactively migrating their Exchange email servers to the cloud. On premise servers require big recurring investments. Whether it’s the latest server OS, Exchange version, new hardware, or new virtualization system, keeping up with the costs is painful. Newer Exchange features sets have not always been compelling enough to justify investment in upgrades. Many businesses have chosen to simply delay the investments and try to make do with what they have for as long as possible, believing this maximizes their return on any initial investments they made. Trying to keep equipment running for 7+ years and staying on older versions of Exchange is not uncommon. This has placed many internally run Exchange servers at high-risk for failure. The Case of the Disappearing Sales Pipeline Financial metrics (and in particular Revenue) are the lifeblood of any company. If ample revenue is not coming in the door to squeeze out some profit, then the door will eventually slam shut. And if the revenue coming in is sufficient to keep it open but insufficient to meet the company’s expectations, then that very same door becomes an exit for the company’s senior executives. For that reason, executives cannot wait until revenue is actually in the door before they begin to watch it—they want it on the war room wall as soon as it appears on the horizon. It has therefore become incumbent on sales management to report anticipated revenue from in-process sales opportunities. They do so in an assortment of hypothetical financial statements known collectively as forecasts. Forecasts allow executives to gaze in the future, predict how much revenue will be coming in the door, and manage their stakeholders’ expectations appropriately. This keeps the doors open, but only as an entrance. Without question, management’s favorite mechanism for real-time forecasting is the sales pipeline.1 Like Revenue, the sales pipeline really needs no introduction—every war room wall has some pipeline numbers on it. Tips on Using the Cloud for Mobile, Social, and Games “IaaS is the most appropriate infrastructure solution for social games, web-based games, mobile applications — any applications or products that can have a short lifespan — because you don’t need to worry about the upfront infrastructure costs of hosting applications or back-end infrastructure. You’re able to use what’s appropriate for you at the time, iterate quickly, and if your game isn’t a success, you can easily scrap what’s been done.” So says Ronnie Regev, an enterprise product manager at RightScale. Before he joined RightScale, Regev spent nine years at Ubisoft, where he was senior manager of online game operations and architecture at the prominent gaming company. He shared some of the lessons he learned about using the cloud for mobile, social, and games at the recent RightScale Compute conference. Regev stressed the importance of focusing on business objectives. The finance team can be your best friend, he said. You need to know what both your financial objectives are and your costs are. Regev said he spent a lot of time with people in finance trying to understand what they were looking for and teaching them about cloud costs and how they differ from Web App Hosting On the Cloud Web apps can require extra disk space, which is why the cloud is perfect to host your app. Our at-a-glance infographic illustrates how your architecture for a web app can look on the Rackspace open cloud, a platform that ensures you only ever pay for what you use whilst remaining agile enough to scale up and down where required. New Cloud Servers SLA…And Why It Matters Today we are pleased to introduce a new and improved SLA for our Next Generation Cloud Servers service, powered by OpenStack. To appreciate what has changed, it’s important to understand how cloud services are built. The vast majority of cloud services have two major components: 1) a “control plane” which is comprised of the API, provisioning system, database, etc; and 2) a “data plane” which is the actual resources that get provisioned via the control plane – in this case, cloud servers. (If you have a networking background, control and data planes may sound familiar.) These components have different availability characteristics. It’s quite possible for the control plane to be down while the data plane is up (e.g. you can’t add servers because the API is down but your hosted web site is still up) as well as the data plane be down and the control plane up (e.g. the host running your web server crashes but you can create a replacement cloud server via the API). Historically we have only guaranteed the Cloud Servers data plane and the new SLA adds control plane guarantee as well. June 2013 Patch Tuesday Preview Microsoft has published its June Advance Notification, giving us insight into what to expect next Tuesday. This release looks relatively small with only one critical and four important security bulletins making it the smallest of 2013 yet. But it does patch some of the more widely used and important windows components. Bulletin 1 is rated as critical and affects all versions of Internet Explorer on all Windows platforms. If left unpatched, this vulnerability can cause RCE (remote code execution) which implies that an attacker can take control of the victim computer if the victim browses to a malformed website using Internet Explorer(IE). Since the browser is a window to the internet, IE users should apply this RCE patch as soon as it is released. Bulletin 5 affects Microsoft Office 2003 SP3 as well as Office for Mac 2011. As we have discussed earlier, Office has a widely deployed customer base and usually the attack is carried out by sending malicious files via e-mail or hosting them on a compromised website. This vulnerability also allows an attacker to take full control of the victim machine and is classified as an RCE. Mark Cuban and Poverty Reduction Editor’s Note: Grameen Foundation is a global nonprofit organization,that helps the world’s poorest people—especially women—lift themselves out of poverty by providing appropriate financial services, life-changing information and unique business opportunities. With this in mind, Grameen Foundation collaborates with Qualcomm Wireless Reach on projects that aim to bring entrepreneurs out of poverty by harnessing the economic benefits of wireless connectivity. After the Miami Heat won the 2012 NBA Championship, a Twitter exchange erupted between Mark Cuban, the outspoken owner of the Dallas Mavericks; and Skip Bayless, sports journalist, TV personality and ESPN commentator. This led to a heated episode of ESPN’s First Take that went viral. Cuban contested that Bayless and other sportswriters only spoke in generalities. Whether Bayless was speaking of Lebron James’ “biggest collapse of a superstar that we’ve ever witnessed” or praising the Miami Heat by saying “Miami wanted it more than Oklahoma,” Bayless’ comme nts, in Cuban’s view, were too vague for anyone to question. Unfortunately, the issue of using vague generalities to describe a situation reaches far beyond the basketball court. 90 New Salesforce Features for the Summer ’13 Release Dust off your sunscreen and flip flops – summer is upon us! What better way to celebrate than with the new Salesforce product features in the Summer ’13 release? Summer ’13 includes 90 new features that help companies connect to their customers in a whole new way. We are proud to announce that nearly half of the Summer ’13 features were suggested and voted on by Salesforce customers and members of the IdeaExchange community. Be sure to visit trust.salesforce.com to learn when the Summer ’13 release will go live on your instance of Salesforce. And in the meantime, check out the release preview on our website or on Facebook, where you can view feature demos and screenshots, and access release related resources like the Release Notes and Release Preview. And don’t forget to “Like,” comment on, share, and tweet about your favorite new features. CIS Series. Stephen Wilson: Messing with identity memes At the Cloud Identity Summit, Stephen Wilson is going to turn you on your head. Wilson, the founder and managing director at Lockstep Consulting in Australia, likes to STEPHEN WILSON 110316 [IMG_0967].jpgflip things around and look at all sides. A self-proclaimed contrarian, his job is to check your thinking. At CIS, he’ll be flipping over popular tenets around federation, identity providers (IdP), relying parties, claims, attributes and risk management, and wrapping it in an ecology metaphor. “We have ensembles of claims, technologies and business rules that are all bundled together as our various digital identities,” says Wilson. “And the digital identities we possess have all evolved to fit different ecological niches in business systems.” Wilson says identities are built from memes, social genes passed on from one generation to the next. “Identity is memetic,” he said. This evolution has resulted in identity that is locked into one context and not relevant in other contexts. “You can’t take a fresh water fish and drop it in salt water.” You Asked, and We Delivered! With the launch of our IdeaScale community, we’ve been able to receive direct feedback, requests and suggestions from our clients, further opening up the lines of communication to ultimately better meet your needs. The no. 1 request on our community boards has been the addition of new servers and we are pleased to be able to successfully fulfill this and many more in the future! Recently, Phoenix NAP launched two new server lines that are now available in both Phoenix, AZ and Ashburn, VA for customers to take advantage of. After receiving an immense amount of customer feedback regarding adding the new servers, we are ready and excited for everyone to try them out! The launch of the Dual Intel Xeon E5-2609 servers kicked off last week and features many benefits including highly competitive pricing, tremendous benchmarks, increased HDD capacity and the option for larger SSDs with all new pricing. Additionally exciting is our latest server launch which occurred on Monday; the day after Intel officially released new E3-1200 v3 processors, with the unveiling of the Intel E3-1240 v3 and 1270 v3 server lines. “Meet” Your Favorite Celebrities with Parse-Powered Hang W/ In today’s increasingly media-centric society, everyone from celebrities to politicians are searching for ways to keep in touch with their fan base. Mobile app Hang w/ is the latest, and one of the most popular, social media platforms available to both the famous as well as the not-so-well-known. We spoke with Andrew Maltin to discuss the hit app that his company, MEDL Mobile, released in March of this year. Your company, MEDL Mobile, has a lot going on. What can you tell us about it and the role you play there? MEDL Mobile was created in 2008 when my partner and I joined forces to build something that neither of us could find in the market. Previously, I had built software and web-based companies in the nineties, and the growth curve of mobile reminded me of early web. I was looking for a development partner that could help me move fast to take advantage of the rapidly evolving ecosystem. My partner was a former advertising agency creative director who had spent 20 years working on powerhouse brands. He was looking for a development partner who could guide an app he was crafting for a client. He needed help understanding timing, pricing, marketing, monetization and the process for getting it done properly. The OpenDNS Forums and IdeaBank now live in our new Support Portal Community has always been essential to OpenDNS, so as we continue to evolve our services, making it easier and safer for the community to participate is a top priority. That’s why we’re moving community.opendns.com to a new system with improved functionality and security. Some of you may have already noticed that we now ask for ratings on our support tickets, and give you the ability to update and view your tickets online at support.opendns.com. That’s just the start. As of today we’ve transitioned the OpenDNS Forums and IdeaBank to be run on our new Support Portal as well. The incredible knowledge and participation of the OpenDNS community has enabled the forums to become a rich and useful resource for answering even the toughest technical questions about OpenDNS services. But as many of our community members pointed out, the old system was tough to maintain and we were having a bit of trouble fighting off spam. Running forums on our new Support Portal is a game changer, as it allows for deeper engagement with the community and gives us the ability to seamlessly integrate the Dashboard and Support experiences. The new forums will provide us with actionable insight into areas where our users need more help, ultimately enabling us to provide more clear and sophisticated support to our users. Building a Complete Digital Platform with Mobile, E-Commerce & Individuality Online Tech is exhibiting PCI hosting solutions at booth #108 at the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibit (IRCE) 2013 in Chicago, IL. Hosted at the McCormick Place West, the event runs from June 4-7, and is the world’s largest e-commerce event. The event draws 9,500 e-retailing executives from more than 40 countries. Eighty percent of the blood drives the Red Cross puts on are completely mobile. They can set-up and tear down an entire hospital room setup in an ordinary conference room in one day. With 13 million volunteers in a 187 countries, their mission is really about people and not the organization (90% of the workers within the organization are volunteers. This also has the added benefit of having 90 cents for every dollar going straight to the cause…instead of to the organization). The Red Cross engaged people across the country that were fans on their Facebook page asking them to share their stories and experiences with the Red Cross. The 300+ video stories thanked the individual volunteers, blood donors and the organization as a whole. App Performance, Executive Dashboards, and … Beekeeping? We’re all well versed in the New Normal of IT dealing with more user demand with fewer resources (budget and people). This is particularly true of non-profit organizations like Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City, where every dollar that comes in or goes out is watched carefully. But, with 22 hospitals, 185 clinics, 800 health care providers, and 500,000 members in its insurance division, Intermountain’s IT group must deliver services and applications that run well and support the organizations mission to provide cost-effective healthcare to its customers. If doctors can’t get access to medical records and x-rays because the system is down, care can suffer. I caught up with Lin Richardson, senior middle-tier admin at Intermountain, to discuss his role, the applications his team supports and how CA Service Assurance solutions – particularly CA Application Performance Management and CA Executive Insight for Service Assurance – help ensure problems are found and fixed quickly as well as how executives can keep tabs on how IT performance impacts business performance. The White House Storms Into The Fight Against Patent Trolls For months, we’ve written about our opposition of patent trolls and their attempts to extort hundreds of thousands—or even millions—of dollars from companies that actually create value. These patent-powered parasites kill innovation, drain the economy and strip away capital from businesses both large and small. This week we’re one step closer to seeing true change enacted: on Tuesday the White House laid out a slate of proposals, including five executive actions and seven legislative recommendations, “to protect innovators from frivolous litigation” by patent trolls. While patent trolling isn’t illegal, we believe that it is an unethical and shameful business. As President Obama said in February, patent trolls “don’t actually produce anything themselves. They’re just trying to essentially leverage and hijack somebody else’s idea to see if they can extort some money out of them.” Most of President Obama’s recommendations target abusive patent litigation, supporting penalties for litigants who file abusive lawsuits; boosting transparency in the patent system to help curb frivolous suits; and protecting consumers and businesses who buy technology products from being sued by trolls. NetSuite CEO Zach Nelson’s SuiteWorld 2013 Address: Operations Transformed, Visions Realized NetSuite CEO Zach Nelson opened the annual SuiteWorld event, NetSuite’s customer and partner conference, with a keynote explaining how NetSuite is helping businesses transform their operations and realize their business vision. Watch below as he describes NetSuite’s new manufacturing capabilities and its game-changing partnership with AutoDesk; how NetSuite is leaving its competitors behind; and how enterprise customers like Williams Sonoma and Qualcomm are running NetSuite to power their entrepreneurial efforts. Nelson also outlines the growth and power of NetSuite’s partner channel with partners like Accenture, Deloitte, Wipro, Capgemini and others. Learn how companies are transacting business in the world of cloud computing. Scalable Technology for the Retail Industry Wednesday was a big day for the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition (IRCE), featuring such speakers as Hiroshi Mikitani, the Chairman & CEO of Rakuten, Craig Oldham, the VP of Digital Engagement for the American Red Cross, and Director of Apple Inc. as well as Senior Advisor for Google, Al Gore. I’ve been following the “Retail Chains” track, and there have been lots of insights into how using a brand’s online presence can be incredibly helpful for businesses with many brick-and-mortar stores. Greg Petro, President and CEO of First Insight explained that while the impression by the masses might be that the internet is cold and isolating, the application of tech can effectively enable customer intimacy. Namely, it gives the business owner the ability to interact and understand the customer while they’re researching and shopping online. This can allow the owner the ability to more specifically target their message to a consumer based on the consumer’s specific wants/needs/interests. He also noted that while potential buyers are always looking for a deal, they are willing to pay more to get products they care about. Great Customer, Great Location Working at a small company, we spend plenty of time in the office brainstorming new marketing ideas, discussing potential product features and debating the validity of emerging technologies. Oh, and there is lots of cranking away on just plain work too. But, for everyone on the team, it’s always the time away from the office talking to customers and industry folks outside of the company that fuels our work engines and re-energizes us for the next task ahead. My colleague, Louis, and I recently had a great trip out to Calabasas, CA to partner with one our top customers, Ixia, on a case study project (coming soon to nasuni.com). Armed with computers, video equipment and recommendations of places to grab some food and drink, we traveled to the other coast and arrived in time for Happy Hour at The Library in Santa Monica. The next day, we visited Ixia headquarters and after a quick tour of their new space, we got down to the real work. I use the term work somewhat loosely here, because we were meeting with Mazi Fayazfar, Senior Director of Information Technology, to discuss his views on the role of IT, challenges with data storage and use of Nasuni at Ixia. 5 valuable Windows 8 tips Windows 8 has been slowly gaining traction with businesses, and numerous companies have already upgraded, while others are seriously considering it. Those upgrading from older versions of Windows will find a drastically different operating system (OS), that may take a while to get used to. Because it’s such a big change, new users may not know how to get the most out of the latest version. Here are five tips that can help you get the more out of Windows 8. Enable GodMode In older video games, GodMode was a cheat or code you could enter to get access to every power, giving you unlimited lives or even making you invincible. Windows 8 has a GodMode as well, only it won’t make you all powerful. Instead it puts hundreds of settings into one central folder. As soon as you click anywhere outside of the folder, it should change icons. Opening the folder will bring up a list of close to a dozen settings options. You will notice numbers beside each entry, indicating how many settings are inside that specific category. Bring back the Start button The Start button is, to many Windows users, the most important button. Pressing it gives you easy access to installed programs, search, settings and many documents. Is your cloud backup enterprise-ready? A new IDC White Paper, sponsored by Mozy, highlights the risks and challenges that enterprises face if they fail to carefully evaluate vendors before selecting a partner for cloud backup and access. “There has been an explosion in the number of vendors offering backup services and, while some of these have been designed to meet the needs of large businesses, others are designed with SMBs, consumers or individuals in mind,” said Laura DuBois, Program Vice President, Storage at IDC. “Enterprises that fail to dig beneath the surface with a given solution could find themselves risking their data in unsuitable environments or having the rug pulled out from under them by a provider that doesn’t stay the distance.” The new IDC White Paper, entitled “Entitled Key Criteria in Selecting a Cloud Backup Provider Built to Last”, offers a checklist for business to use in their selection processes. The document also offers an overview of industry trends and information. As more enterprises begin investing in a cloud backup provider, the trust placed in that provider to offer a solution that’s truly enterprise-ready becomes all the more critical,” Top 5 Most Read SharePoint White Papers One of the best ways we have to gauge community interest is through our white paper downloads. These free white papers cover SharePoint topics ranging from SharePoint storage to SharePoint migration to relevant SharePoint market data. So let’s revisit the most popular SharePoint white papers since SharePoint Conference 2012: Changing the SharePoint Backup Game: How to Backup Multi-Terabyte SharePoint Farms in Minutes SharePoint content is growing rapidly, at a rate of roughly 75% each year. One of the biggest challenges with this growth is backing up SharePoint content. Where it was once acceptable to back up content periodically, the sheer volume of documents and files within SharePoint makes this impractical. In this white paper, Metalogix CTO Trevor Hellebuyck takes a look at a better way for backing up content and slashing backup times from days down to minutes. The secret is in the BLOBs – the Binary Large Objects that are the documents and other types of unstructured data that are stored within Microsoft SQL Server. Trevor explains how you can reduce backup times with native SharePoint backup tools to automatically and continuously backup content and achieve item-level recovery. We Just Can’t Get Enough Of The Red Carpet Remember that time we got geeky with the stars? As it turns out, Hollywood loves Virb and has invited us back to the red carpet for the 3rd annual Critics Choice Television Awards! The (mt) and Virb team will be bringing you updates via liveblog, where you can learn all about your favorite TV stars nerdy habits. In the mean time, you can vote for your favorite TV moment from the past season. SPOILER ALERT for those who have not seen the entire recent season of: American Horor Story: Asylum, Downtown Abbey, The Office, The Walking Dead, How I Met Your Mother, Homeland, and Game of Thrones. Magento Passion Pervades Internet Retailer Conference in Chicago IRCE 2013 kicked-off Tuesday night in Chicago, and Magento helped everyone celebrate by hosting an incredible party. More than 800 people joined the Magento team at Public House, Chicago’s most-famous gastropub, for a great evening of networking and fun. Buzz about the Magento party spread quickly, and there was soon a line around the block to get inside. A big “Thank You” to all of the merchants, Magento partners, developers and friends for joining us on Tuesday. Wednesday was an incredible day at IRCE for the Magento team. Everywhere you looked inside the vast expo hall you could see a Magento customer, logo or partner badge. The Magento booth was teaming with energy, as a non-stop train of merchants visited the booth to meet the Magento team and see demonstrations of the new Magento Enterprise Edition 1.13. Basics of Responsive Design: Using Media Queries Responsive design is a method of designing websites so that they scale across a wide range of devices and viewport sizes. The idea behind using responsive techniques is “Build once, work everywhere”. Responsive design doesn’t mean you create separate designs for different devices. Instead, you create a single design that works well across multiple devices. Utilizing this approach will enable your site to be viewed on mobile, tablets and desktop browsers, while only requiring you to update and manage one site, instead of multiple iterations. Media queries are used to write css for specific situations. Fluid grids and flexible images are both based on using relative units for widths, instead of using pixels. This is the first in a series on responsive design, and in this post we will concentrate on the basics of media queries, what they are and how we can use media queries to detect if a user is browsing from a mobile device vs a desktop, and set specific styles to accommodate the smaller screen size. Big Data in the Non-Virtualized Cloud: Myth or Reality? Cloud is typically approached as a combination of virtualized or bare metal infrastructure. At this stage of the game, to think about cloud is to think at some level about virtualization. Businesses are also looking at some form of orchestration. And the underlying hardware – CPU, RAM, and disk – is becoming commodity for the cloud. Nobody cares what the underlying processor on a server is that’s running in the cloud. They just care about the things that come after: performance, chiefly. We assume in the cloud that there some basic level of automation occurring. Whether that’s template deployment, or utilizing some form of configuration management tool like Puppet or Chef, or a DCIM model (using OpsWare or BMC). This is what we call the cloud today. But there is a niche that can exist for companies seeking a different kind of cloud performance by putting layered orchestration over just bare metal. For the intersection of what we call High Performance Computing and cloud, the bare metal cloud has the potential to become a viable pathway either as a hosted or “run it in your data center” model. Mobile Payments and Security Vantiv and Mercator Advisory Group recently collaborated to produce: Top 10 payment trends to watch in 2013. We had the opportunity to talk with Lorena Harris, Vice President of Corporate Marketing, Vantiv, who headed the research. In a series of blog posts, Lorena will answer some of our questions on what brands and retailers need to be aware of when it comes to payments in the evolving multichannel landscape. Previously, we discussed mobile payments and the emergence of omni-commerce. In the minds of consumers a barrier to entry for the adoption of mobile payments is security. We asked Lorena about the perception of security and mobile payments. Consumers still have a number of security concerns with traditional card-based payments and they transfer those perceptions to mobile payments. More than 15% of the population has had direct experience with fraud, and 46% of those consumers indicated that they now think about security with every transaction. Four Rules for B2B Social Media Beyond Bandwidth is celebrating its second anniversary. What began as an experiment has turned into a central component of our communication with our customers and the public in general. Some of you might be saying, “Duh, what did you expect?” But the decision to take the plunge into social was made carefully. And for many businesses, the decision around engaging in social media is still up in the air. Unlike the late 1990s, when everyone was rushing to launch a web site, the reward for creating a blog or having a Twitter handle for a company insocial-media-icons the B2B space isn’t exactly obvious. A few years ago, the risk/reward equation for Level 3 had a lot of unknown variables. Being in the B2B space, one thing we knew from the start was that participating in social media was going to take a very different approach than our B2C brethren, so we started cautiously and learned. So, in celebration of our social anniversary, I thought I’d share some of what we’ve learned in hopes that more B2B companies will join us and that those of you that are already out here with us in the social media ocean might find a way to improve your social communication skills. Liferay Cluster in the Cloud Liferay Portal is one of the most popular Java CMSs in the world due to its impressive ease-of-use. Since we published the tutorial on Liferay deployment to the cloud we have seen an extremely positive reaction from its community. Also we have received multiple requests from Liferay fans asking about clustering, replication and fail-over capabilities in the cloud. Hopefully, this post will provide the answer. Today I’ll focus on how to create high available cluster for Liferay, which can easily cope with huge traffic, improve performance and provide full fail-over. I want to underline that Liferay is quite applicable to Jelastic from a scaling perspective: this CMS works perfect in horizontal as well as in vertical clusters and even in their mix. You can see the more detailed description of Liferay cluster architecture in Jelastic. By the above configuration you can see that we’ll install Liferay in two app servers (Tomcat in our case) and select one load balancer (NGINX), which handles all requests, in front of them. NGINX balancer distributes the requests to various servers according to availability and server load. Also we’ll define two replicated data sources (MySQL). Making Big Data Useful for SMBs Big Data is one of the most over-used and over-hyped terms these days, and it’s getting to a point where people seem to replace “data” with “Big Data” altogether. With so much hype and interest in Big Data, it’s hard to ignore it. And yet, when we speak to small-to-mid-sized online retailers, they struggle to understand what Big Data is and whether it can really help a business that isn’t quite so big. Gartner defines Big Data as, “High volume, high velocity, and/or high variety information assets that require new forms of processing to enable enhanced decision making, insight discovery and process optimization.” Forrester on the other hand, uses a more business-friendly definition: “Big Data is the frontier of a firm’s ability to store, process, and access (SPA) all the data it needs to operate effectively, make decisions, reduce risks, and serve customers.” Take the “Big” out of it, and it comes down to understanding how to use all data to meet customer needs and grow your business. Results Oriented Execution: This means that you are looking to drive a business outcome, such as growing your revenues by 10%. Before you launch any strategy, you should know what results you want. Forbes Names Ixia One of 2013’s Fastest Growing Tech Companies Forbes is a trusted name, one that people look to for sound business advice and economic guidance. Being recognized by Forbes is a definite feather in a company’s cap. Each year, Forbes publishes a list of that year’s 25 fastest-growing tech companies in order to highlight organizations that show they are leaping ahead of the competition in capturing a large share of the market. This year, Ixia is pleased to learn we have been added to the 2013 list. From Forbes’ website: “We sift through more than 2,100 publicly traded tech firms, selecting only profitable outfits with a minimum revenue of $150 million and a market cap of at least $500 million. List membership requires sales growth of at least 10% for each of the past three fiscal years and over the last 12 months, as well as estimated earnings growth above 10% over the next three to five years. We then rank the list by three-year average sales growth rate.” Ixia’s commitment to not just solving, but anticipating, customers’ needs is what keeps us ahead of our competition. IID Named to Online Trust Honor Roll It’s always nice to take a step back and reflect on the fruits of your labor when those outside your company recognize your achievements. And that’s exactly what we are doing today after the Online Trust Alliance (OTA) named IID an Online Trust Honor Roll recipient. Why are we so honored? We are being named alongside such trusted brands as Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and Twitter, AND in order to make the list, we had to pass a rigorous audit that unfortunately only about a third of all companies evaluated passed. OTA’s annual list reveals the top online businesses for demonstrating excellence in privacy, security and data practices in an effort to better protect their customers and brand from the increased threats of cybercriminals. To choose the Online Trust Honor Roll recipients OTA reviewed more than 750 domains and privacy policies, 10,000+ web pages and over 500 million emails associated with the Internet Retailer 500, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Top 50 Social and Federal Government sites. OTA evaluated companies based on attributes in three main areas: domain, brand and consumer protection; site, server and infrastructure security; and data protection and privacy. Bango delivers seamless mobile payments with MIRO and colocation The mobile payment industry is positioned for rapid growth within the next few years as consumers increasingly use their smartphones and other devices to make payment transactions. From digital goods to mass transit, and even traditional brick and mortar stores, merchants who accept mobile payments have an opportunity to capitalize on this trend. But how can mobile payment providers achieve the level of security and efficiency that end users demand? Consumers expect mobile transactions to take place quickly, which means mobile payment providers must ensure low latency and high availability across their networks. Bango, a UK-based mobile technology company that provides global mobile payment and analytics solutions, requires rapid payment transaction times to ensure the best end-user experience. With active connections in more than 47 countries, Bango delivers more than three billion mobile subscriber events each month. To achieve this, Bango uses Internap’s Performance IPTM and colocation services. Managed Internet Route OptimizationTM (MIRO) – As part of Internap’s Performance IP solution, MIRO makes routing decisions based on latency, packet loss and route stability. Switching to the Cloud: TCO Calculations In my last blog entry, I covered the cost benefits of moving to the cloud – the time and effort saved from eliminating hardware and the gains from using world-class IT services in the cloud. But the best way to quantify the cloud versus on-premises total cost of ownership benefits for yourself is to use a total cost of ownership (TCO) calculator. Here are two excellent online tools that you can use to do exactly this: Both calculators offer a nice way to organize your thoughts and help you make an informed comparison between cloud and premises-based financials. The Software Advice tool offers many factors to consider in your TCO calculation and explains why you incur such costs, then shows the sum of these costs over ten years. The Nucleus Research tool is a rapid TCO comparison so it takes fewer TCO factors into consideration. However, it takes into account depreciation and taxes to show TCO as your cumulative cash flow over 6 years. Take a look at both calculators to determine which one you prefer. After using the calculators you will see that in most cases cloud costs less today as well as over time. Data Security in the Cloud: a Q&A Lately there’s been a lot of talk about the federal government’s rights and abilities to access data stored in the cloud. For more insight, we took the matter to Philip Lieberman as the topic of our latest Q&A post. For those of you who may not know, in addition to his role as Identity Week’s Editor-in-Chief, Phil is also President and CEO of privileged identity management vendor Lieberman Software, which recently unveiled its new security-as-a-service platform for large cloud providers. Is it for governments, including the US federal government, to be able to trawl corporate data stored in the cloud? The reality of the post 9/11 world is that governments are extending their sovereign powers to control entities such as law enforcement, citizens and corporations to comply with their mandates. Whether this is “right” is immaterial – these are now lawful actions protected under power of law. Can anything be done to prevent authorities from spying in this way? Why or why not? Sure, don’t use any cloud-based services and run your own personal data centers inside nations that protect your rights appropriately. New Organizational Changes It is with great pleasure that I share with you some exciting new organizational changes that will be taking place at the start of the new fiscal year on July 1, and which are part of my desire to increase ICANN’s focus on management at all levels. To handle the tremendous increase in scale resulting from the New gTLD Program, and to ensure ICANN’s operational excellence, I am creating a new division that will be called the Generic Domains Division (GDD). Akram Atallah, who is currently the Chief Operating Officer (COO), will become divisional President of the GDD that will include gTLD Operations, DNS Industry Engagement, and Online Community Services. Given Akram’s transition, I’m delighted to announce that Susanna Bennett, an accomplished financial and operational executive in technology services, will be joining us as the new COO. Susanna will help to deliver on ICANN’s agility, accountability and visibility that I discussed at ICANN 46 in Beijing. To provide coherence and leadership of our technical resources, I am also creating a new position to manage Technical & Security Operations that will report directly to me. Cisco Partner Summit 2013 Hello from Boston! We’re sad to be wrapping up the last day of Cisco Partner Summit 2013 today, but we’re thankful for the experiences we’ve shared and the insights we’ve gained over the past few days. For those of you not able to attend, we put together a short summary of yesterday’s activities: Padmasree Warrior, Cisco’s Chief Strategy and Technology Officer, discussed how Cisco is developing business strategies around their concept of the Internet of Everything. Whereas past stages of the Internet have been focused on e-commerce and social experiences, this new era looks to be connecting people with many diverse forms of data, processes and things. This means that partnerships will be even more important than in the past, as success in the technology sector will require having a role in each of these different ecosystems. Besides the speakers, we also were able to attend a few Business Transformation Sessions on Cisco’s different focus areas, like cloud and SDN. We also took part in the American region party, and had an opportunity to network with the Cisco team ! Going to HostingCon? Win a Quadcopter Dave here, better known as Benton. I’m the VP of Sales and the unfortunate one who is trying to organise our schedule for HostingCon. It will be my first time at the event and am looking forward to meeting (face to face!) some of our lovely clients. This week my credit card took a hammering by purchasing our prize HostingCon giveaway – a quadcopter. Check out the video of our new hire Andrew (pre sales tech) taking it (her?) for its maiden flight….and failing. Please also note the look of fear on Dave G’s face as he is sat nearest the launching site. Brave man. Anyway – I need to get back to my day job otherwise that credit card bill will never be paid Top 5 Myths About Credit Card Processors It’s no secret that credit card processing is not a favorite topic of my business owners. Yet in the current economy consumers are trending toward more of a “cashless” society. Even more, most credit cards now offer some sort of incentive, such as rewards or points, so more consumers are using cards even for minor transactions. So it is important for merchants to be able to separate the facts about the industry versus myths that have been created. This knowledge can help the overwhelmed business owner really have an impact on the bottom line. The following are some of the most infamous myths that many merchants believe to be fact. Back in the dark ages of credit card processing, there existed just three rates. Whether taking a Visa, MasterCard, or AMEX each had their own set rate. It was a simpler time but many businesses were left wondering if the system could be improved. The truth is that with the current interchange system there are something around 400 rates depending on the card. While this may seem backwards, it actually benefits the business because it assigns each card a respective rate dependent on risk and benefits to the cardholder. How To Outsell Your Largest Competitors In the past few years, the web hosting industry has continued a trend of mergers and acquisitions. Today, there are several major names that dominate the marketplace and have marketing budgets that seem impossible to match. However, the success of large enterprises does not mean there is no room for smaller businesses and new companies entering the web hosting market. In fact, with an intelligent marketing strategy, even the smallest companies can compete with larger organizations. At HostingCon 2013, you can discover the benefits of developing a “big strategy” for your business in a session designed to help you win more business. “The Big Strategy Advantage: How to Outcompete and Out Earn Your Largest Rivals,” is a marketing session that will help you create and implement a marketing strategy that focuses on the core of what your business does and, most importantly, what you do differently from your largest competitors. In an attempt to connect with more customers and attract them to your company, you could spend hundreds of hours experimenting with many different types of marketing. Object Stores and HCP: An Interview with Bob Primmer I have read a number of my colleague Bob Primmer’s publications on object storage and our Hitachi Content Platform. I thought he would be the best person to help us understand how object storage and HCP help us address the explosion of data. I’ve worked in software my whole career, both as a developer and also within product management. In 2002, I began by working at EMC on Centera, the first commercial instantiation of an object store. I then worked on Atmos in the early stages and subsequently came to HDS in 2009 as an architect in the Hitachi Content Platform (HCP) engineering team. I worked with a team that set about transforming HCP from an archive product to more of a general-purpose object store that would be suitable for cloud applications. I then took over the product management teams for HCP, Hitachi Data Ingestor (HDI), and HCP Anywhere. Our strategy for addressing the explosion of data is based upon virtualization. We virtualize block and file infrastructure through our VSP, HUS VM and HNAS platforms to help customers reduce operational costs and leverage their capital assets. Software Training Labs Software Training Labs are changing the world. The world of information technology has brought to us many new and exciting ways to go about our daily lives. There are many different ways to learn these days. Now, we have software training labs that will enable us to get to know all the things we need to know in order to ensure we are on the top of the IT game. Software training labs make use of many different tools. These tools allow users to learn with an instructor or at their own pace online at any time. Software training labs are considered a necessity these days because you can get IT software training anywhere in the world at any time. You can easily search for software training labs online and search engines will be able to show you what is available. Software training labs are available for most IT subjects including VMware, Microsoft and Citrix training. Software training labs are provided by Hatsize clients such as New Horizons and AFI Expertise. Regardless of the topics you want to learn about, software training labs will give you all the information you need as well as some hands-on lab experience with the software products themselves. Deep in thought or asleep? Mike listening to Joe 7×24 Exchange is a lot of fun and great to get people together. And, part of the fun is joking with others. Yesterday a bunch of us were hanging out and there were some one liners that got us all laughing. To get more laughs I am sharing these photos by Convention Photography courtesy of Professional Images Photography Joe Rodriguez 2013. And from a different angle Joe is talking again with Mike’s eyes closed again. He is turned to Joe, so he must be listening, but eyes closed? Mike did tell us the story how he can get on the treadmill at 5a in the morning and he is asleep for the first 30 minutes of his 60 minutes of the work out. Is Mike deep in thought? Or is Mike catching a bit of sleep? These pictures are just more fuel to add to more laughs we can have the next time we all see each other which will probably be at 7×24 Exchange San Antonio. One more picture. Joe is deep in thought. But Mike is not nearly as interested when Todd is talking. Pictures do capture interesting expressions that can create funny moments. The Other Data Center Tiers: Not Facilities, but Performance The word “tier” is used frequently in the context of data centers. As we explained in a previous blog post, data center facilities are ranked by Tier depending on their infrastructure and redundancy. But tiers are also used to describe the resources and infrastructure of a virtual machine or server, and are often mentioned in billing or deployment. This post aims to clear up any remaining confusion over the two types of tiers. When deploying a new virtual machine or application, developers often use “tiers”, each geared for different performance or storage types depending on the expected audience and usage. In the case of Green House Data, Tier 1 is connected to Fibre Channel SAN, Tier 2 is SATA SAN, and Tier 3 is Isilon NAS. All storage tiers are RAID 5 configured. These tiers allow IT deployments based on performance needs. For example, development and test environments can be built on Tier 3 NAS infrastructure, while client-facing production environments can be deployed on Tier 1 Fibre Channel SAN. In combination with a pay for use billing cycle, this strategy can considerably lower the cost of infrastructure deployment cycles. Fusion-io Lights up HP Cloud Solution for Microsoft: MMS 2013 Wrap-up In case you missed all the excitement last month at Microsoft Management Summit 2013 in Las Vegas, here is a summary of some of the astonishing performance results achieved with a real Private Cloud in action, the HP Cloud Solution for Microsoft, showcased live in the HP Serverquarium on the main event floor. Our sincere thanks go to our collaboration partners for the event, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, and Xtreme Consulting for making this a great success. In our last update here, we noted that HP configured the system with 32 Fusion-Powered HP ioDrive2 IO Accelerator mezzanine cards, one per blade server, as a 32 node Microsoft Hyper-V cluster. This enabled the sustained level of performance, responsiveness, and scalability required to provision and run up to 2250 simultaneous virtual machines supporting the enterprise-class workloads for the event labs—in less than seven minutes, every 90 minutes, without any degradation, every day for five days. That is something every enterprise organization would love to have. Transitioning from VPS Services to IaaS Attempting to grow a service provider business by providing VPS will not offer the future-proofing and revenue opportunities available with the cloud. Instead, service providers must look to deliver a cloud platform that is more beneficial and flexible than existing VPS technologies. Moving to an IaaS type model is a key technical, commercial and cultural step from the traditional world of selling VPS type services. It isn’t about selling services on a pay as you go (PAYG) basis, rather than a monthly basis. It is actually about moving to a mindset of delivering flexibility to customers to help them solve genuine business problems that offers distinct value, rather than just becoming a sunken IT cost. This approach opens possibilities of delivering additional value added services to those customers and continuing to move up the value chain. Delivering IaaS is only a start, it is the enablement engine to deliver IT as a service. Users today want a whole range of IT delivered as a service not just infrastructure. Microsoft SQL Server Tips Series: Database Ownership Here is a very unique error that customers might encounter when restoring their database: “The database principal owns a schema in the database, and cannot be dropped.” And so far, this error can only be created when the customer creates a database login with the same name on their local SQL Server Instance that matches the primary login of their database here at DiscountASP.NET and makes it the db_owner of the database schema. How to Create the Problem As always, I’ll begin by attaching a copy of the AdventureWorks database to my local SQL Server instance. Next, I will create a SQL Server and database login with the same name as the primary login of the database here at DiscountASP.NET. The fix for this is really simple. You just need to go back to your local SQL Server instance and right click on the dbo database user and select Properties. Change the context to Owned Schemas, check db_owner and select OK. Fulfilling the Promise of Analytics One of the best aspects of my job as GM of Dell Software’s Information Management group is talking with customers, industry analysts, peers and colleagues. Lately, it seems that no matter where these conversations start, they inevitably gravitate toward the promise of analytics. It’s clear we’re on the precipice of a tectonic shift in the way organizations do business, and analytics are poised to be the driving force behind that shift. It could be said that 2013 is the Year of Analytics. According to Gartner, by 2016, 70 percent of the most profitable companies will manage their business processes with real-time predictive analytics. The question now becomes how do companies position themselves to benefit from the power of analytics? During a keynote I delivered at this year’s PASS Business Analytics conference, I addressed this topic by looking at the significant yet sometimes unexpected behavioral shifts taking place around us all the time—and how they’re changing everything we thought to be true. For example, according to Edison Research-Arbitron, the average user of social networking is not a 15-year-old high school student, but rather a 31-year-old professional. OfferUp – Customer Love Week OfferUp was inspired by the desire to sell the large amount of items required to get ready and care for a new baby, many of which are quickly outgrown. Two new fathers (co-founders, CEO and CTO) were motivated to build an easy solution to safely sell items to trusted, verified buyers. With OfferUp, selling items is as fast and as easy as taking a picture. To sell an item, users simply snap a picture and post it to OfferUp. Sellers can then take bids and offers directly from other users through the app. In addition to simplicity, OfferUp is armed with safety features to verify user identities. Multiple identity checkpoints ensure that buyers and sellers are reliable, highly rated, and the type of people you feel comfortable meeting with. CopperEgg has helped us provide the details needed to monitor and optimize our AWS infrastructure and did this at a price point that is more comfortable for a young startup, like OfferUp, than other tools like New Relic. We were simply looking for a way to keep an eye on the infrastructure with better alerting and more details than CloudWatch could provide (like individual processes). With the easy integration, our systems pop up automatically in CopperEgg when added in AWS. Data, your biggest asset – is it protected? Carmen Carey, CEO, ControlCircle highlights some of the challenges currently facing CIOs of large global businesses and provides examples of how technology can help manage business risk. For any size company, technology risks can be introduced through poor standards and controls or inconsistent application of these standards and controls. However, for larger businesses these issues potentially create more of a threat as the scale of the employee population and corresponding technology footprint means that maintaining consistency and auditing accurately is difficult –possibly even more so in global businesses where controls can be even further diluted or subject to inconsistencies. Global businesses also have the additional challenge of differing regional regulatory compliance needs which, in turn, drive inconsistency in standards and controls. The logical downside to this is that security will fall to the lowest common denominator. In addition, with the ever growing prominence of big data and the analytics to mine vast data sets, more data is being retained with less knowledge and control over it. CCAP—A Journey to the Center of Convergence Today, cable operators face an uphill battle meeting the demands of converging streams of video, both in an MPEG and data format. Market forces that require operators to combine and deliver multiple formats, multiple platforms, and personal and interactive videos to subscribers are driving these changes. For example, by the end of this year video is expected to be almost 90 percent of consumer Internet traffic, which will drive data QAMs (quadrature amplitude modulation). Current networks are made up of an asymmetry of QAM ports to CMTS ports and large racks of units that gobble a lot of power. Today, operators typically have switched digital video QAMs, video on-demand QAM, DOCSIS® QAMs, and broadcast QAMs coupled with DTI servers and combiners on racks. With this comes pressure on real estate space, rack space, power and heat. Converged Cable Access Platform (CCAP) is meant to provide 50 percent savings on power and rack space with almost six times more CMTS density. Furthermore, the ability to roll out an IP-based solution will further add demands to the current infrastructure in the already crowded head end. NSA builds Maryland data center to spy on millions The NSA is building a new data center in Maryland to bolster homeland security by collecting millions of phone records from Verizon. The news spurred controversy as lawmakers argue whether or not such surveillance is constitutional. Members of the Senate Intelligence Committee say phone surveillance programs have been going on for decades and are critical to National Security efforts. This isn’t exactly good press considering the NSA is opening a new data center in Utah and breaking ground on another facility in Maryland. Presumably to spy on us? Likely so. It’s a slippery slope. On the one hand you have the lawmakers that say phone surveillance is justified because it protects millions of Americans from potential terrorist attacks. National security, although very important, also seems to infringe upon basic constitutional rights, namely our right to privacy. With two additional data center locations located in Utah and Maryland, the NSA is surely tightening its grip on surveillance efforts. The 600,000 sq. ft. Fort Mead facility will feature 70,000 sq. ft. of raised floor space to house rows and rows of servers dedicated to storing and analyzing important data IBM SmartCloud Enterprise Webcast CohesiveFT – Need to control and secure your applications on the Cloud? The webinar will feature how CohesiveFT VNS3 and IBM SmartCloud can help your enterprise cloud deployments. Learn more about VNS3 and IBM SmartCloud Enterprise at 10:00 GMT / 11:00 CET. Register now. CohesiveFT’s VNS3 is an overlay network which allows you to extend your data centers into any cloud and federate your deployments between multiple clouds. Join the webinar for technical overviews and customer case studies. Sam Mitchell, Senior Solutions Architect, Chris Purrington, Global Sales Director, will present along with IBM SmartCloud experts. Sam and Chris will talk about VNS3′s capabilities and how you can use overlay networks to federate clouds, extend networks to the cloud, and create cloud WAN for partners and customer networks. Get Out of the Closet! I talk to so many Start-ups, as well as Small and Medium Businesses, that are still running servers in their closets. Really? Why would anyone need to run servers on-premise anymore and worse – in the server closet? Sound crazy? Well it really is! It’s time to get the word out to everyone. Outsourced Hosting services – dedicated, managed, cloud or hybrid are much better options in every case for small, medium, and start-up businesses. For businesses that are running an on-premise “data center” (sometimes quite literally in a closet), look at all the things that go with owning and operating your infrastructure. There’s a lot going on behind that closet door, a lot of work, a lot of costs, and a lot of worry. That infrastructure means you’re stuck in a 3-5 year refresh cycle, with little flexibility to upgrade, and you have to do all kinds of gyrations to keep the “show” running. You have multiple contracts to manage and negotiate. Which means several points of contact – that include things like your internet service provider, hardware and software vendors; all different for the variety of devices and software that go into running your operation. Clustrix at the 12th International Cloud Expo 2013 in New York Clustrix is excited to be presenting at the Cloud Computing Expo in New York from June 10 – 13, 2013. Cloud Expo New York is the place where the cloud and Big Data industries converge. The Expo will feature 175+ sessions from a top-notch conference faculty who represent leading industry players in the cloud computing and Big Data industries. Presentation: Fast and Scalable Real-Time Analytics with Clustrix Database On June 11 at 2:10 pm, Sergei Tsarev, our CTO and Founder, will deliver a presentation on “Fast and Scalable Real-Time Analytics with the Clustrix Database.” In this session he will discuss: How to scale your application and business as you get more users, data, and transactions. The innovations behind the real-time analytics capabilities. How you can be up and running on a scale-out SQL database in minutes on AWS. Also, don’t forget to visit Clustrix at booth #346 to learn how we can help you achieve high-scale transactions, speed up real-time analytics, and simplify operations. Representatives from every layer of the cloud ecosystem will be present at this year’s expo Affordable Care Act: How Health Insurers Must Compete In the United States, under President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, health insurance marketplaces are due to take effect on Jan. 1, 2014. Previously known as health insurance exchanges, these marketplaces will offer standardized, government-regulated healthcare plans. The exchanges are designed to strengthen consumer protections while reducing risks for insurers — any insurer who offers plans via the marketplaces isn’t allowed to turn down anyone based on preexisting conditions — by ensuring that no one gets to cherry-pick customers. To date, the majority of health insurance has been sold to businesses. But with the introduction of health insurance marketplaces, as well as the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that all U.S. residents purchase health insurance, the market for individual health policies is set to spike. Selling health insurance directly to consumers is common in the United Kingdom. Even though all residents have free access to the National Health Service (NHS), people can purchase supplemental or private insurance from the country’s big four health insurers — Bupa, Axa PPP, Aviva and PruHealth — or smaller niche players. SpareFoot – Customer Love Week It’s Wednesday of Customer Love Week! Today we are featuring Sparefoot, a neighboring startup here in Austin. SpareFoot specializes in self-storage and has the largest inventory of storage units on the web. You can search for storage via location, price, unit size or amenities. Sparefoot will then produce the best deals that match your storage needs. Along with offering awesome storage options, Sparefoot’s blog is filled with storage tips and tricks, as well as a glance into the company’s culture and startup life. When asked how CopperEgg has helped improve the company’s performance, Erik Hlavaty, development/operations engineer, stated: “Overall, CopperEgg is a great solution for monitoring systems in the cloud. There is no management console to constantly re-configure, as server instances are constantly brought up and taken down, the agent code is lightweight and very easy to install, and all metrics are available in real time rather than via a scheduled task such as Munin. Since Sparefoot makes heavy use of Amazon EC2, it’s great to have a monitoring solution that basically requires only an agent install.” Happy IPv6 Day: Usage On the Rise, Attacks Too June 6th is known as World IPv6 Day so we thought it was a good time to look at the trends in IPv6 usage across CloudFlare’s network. Two big themes we’ve seen: 1) IPv6 usage is growing steadily, but at the current pace we’re still going to be living with IPv4 for many years to come; and 2) while the majority of IPv6 traffic comes from legitimate users on mobile networks, attackers too are beginning to launch attacks over the protocol. CloudFlare has supported IPv6 on our network for the last year and a half. We have become one of the largest providers of the IPv6 web because we offer a free IPv6 gateway that allows any website to be available over IPv6 even if a site’s origin network doesn’t yet support the protocol. For the last year, we’ve enabled IPv6 for customers on CloudFlare by default. Today, IPv6 is enabled for more than 1 million of our customers’ websites. Since the beginning of 2013, IPv6 connections as a percentage of CloudFlare’s total traffic fluctuate daily with the minimum 0.849% on January 5 to a maximum of 1.645% on June 3, 2013. If look at the overall trend, IPv6 connections to our network have grown 26.5% since the start of the year. CDH 4.3: Now Shipping with More Apache HBase Improvements As you may know, Apache HBase has a vibrant community and gets a lot of contributions from developers worldwide. The collaborative development effort is so active, in fact, that a new point-release comes out about every six weeks (with the current stable branch being 0.94). At Cloudera, we’re committed to ensuring that CDH, our open source distribution of Apache Hadoop and related projects (including HBase), ships with the results of this steady progress. Thus, CDH 4.2 was rebased on 0.94.2, as compared to its predecessor CDH 4.1, which was based on 0.92.1. CDH 4.3 has moved one step further and is rebased on 0.94.6.1. Apart from the rebase, CDH 4.3 also has some important bug fixes backported from later versions of 0.94 and trunk. Following are some of the important features and improvements that now ship in CDH 4.2/CDH 4.3: Snapshots/Metrics: As explained in “Introduction to Apache HBase Snapshots”, a user can take a snapshot of a table and restore its data/schema later. This sorely missed feature in HBase was added in CDH 4.2. Truth about the SAP HCM Customer Connection Program In February of 2012, SAP announced that it was replacing the defunct Development Request (DRQ) process, which had long been ineffective, with a new ASUG support Customer Connection Program. The programs goal was to allow customers to submit smaller improvements, and assuming they got the minimum support of five other customers, that SAP would review, approve or reject, and deliver the accepted ones six to seven months later. While I was initially skeptical given my previous experiences with the old DRQ program and the fact that I knew SAP had some major work efforts coming in 2012 and 2013 with the integration of SuccessFactors, building out of Employee Central and HR Renewal project but thought I would give SAP the benefit of the doubt. In total, customers submitted 152 ideas many of which addressed minor and sometime major pain points I have seen first-hand at other customers. SAP announced this morning that it had delivered the first six via a customer notes. It is always important that customers listen and stay informed as to not only what their vendors are saying and announcing but the follow through and what they are delivering. The Programmable Network: Advanced Flow Control The increasing diversity and complexity of traffic traversing the Internet of Everything today can be imagined as a three-dimensional collection of intersecting highways of different kinds (e.g., corporate WAN, Internet, mobile, Wi-Fi, cellular, cable, cloud), with a wide array of vehicles (e.g., PCs, tablets, smartphones) carrying various types of passengers (e.g., data, voice, video, email, SMS, Web). Emerging traffic from the new category of machine-to-machine communications is scaling exponentially and introducing new policy triggers. In this new environment network operators must become master traffic controllers to deal with all of the volume, diversity, and complexity. The most innovative and forward-looking experts are aggressively looking into providing more open programmatic access to their network functions and services. The goal is easier and faster control, in order to make them more agile, flexible and application interactive while at the same time optimally aligning costs with potential new revenues. Small business outgrown itself? If so, managed colocation can help Small businesses and tech startups are a vital part of our economy. They stimulate growth by creating jobs and tax revenue. Yet companies in this segment almost always struggle to remain profitable while keeping costs down. Additionally, many retailers depend heavily upon the revenue they generate through eCommerce simply because they can eliminate the need for a physical store. Of course, the successful startups can quickly outgrow themselves, at least to the point where they will quickly find themselves struggling to maintain their network. But the extra cash generated doesn’t have to go towards hiring additional staff just to maintain servers on a network. This is where managed colocation can help. Managed Colocation Sooner or later, that tech startup or eCommerce company is going to need a server, that is, a computer dedicated to running any hardware, software and applications needed to provide services across a vast network. It’s not uncommon for companies to invest in multiple servers just to keep up with processing requests. Have you ever been scared of… charging your iPhone?! think twice. A way to hack into an iPhone only through charging the phone! Georgia Institute of Technology researchers figured out how to attack iPhone with malicious software through a charging cord. The proof of concept will be presented by the institute at Black Hat USA 2013- giving you another good reason to come to the conference (visiting the Checkmarx booth). Although Apple iOS devices are considered to be extremely secured, this experiment proved that it is easy to threat the security of one’s phone. This article introduces a detailed explanation of how to hack a phone with a charger and more importantly, how Apple can prevent this from happening. Taking the next step in cloud services adoption As more companies begin to understand the benefits of cloud computing, experts believe that the technology is rapidly becoming the status quo for enterprise IT. As more companies begin to understand the benefits of cloud computing, experts believe that the technology is rapidly becoming the status quo for enterprise IT. Small businesses often have the most to gain from cloud services, especially as the technology can be quickly and easily implemented, and provide financial benefits from the outset of the initiative. After the decision has been made to begin a cloud computing strategy, entrepreneurs need to ensure that all systems are configured properly to integrate the services. Even at a startup-level, this can include a variety of components related to the overall corporate IT infrastructure, and is not difficult so long as managers understand cloud technology. Cloud services are best used when the small business owner is looking to leverage the technology to create an optimized working environment for staff members and customers. ITProPortal recently explained some of the first steps entrepreneurs should be taking toward cloud integration, as this action is critical to the overall success. Obvious things you should know about Web Hosting. Looking for some advice about Web Hosting you must have some across many articles suggesting the kind of hosting you need like shared or VPS or even cloud hosting. You also must have read about uptime and the support you should get. However, there are many other things you should know beyond the essential ones when seeking a web hosting service. The best way to begin looking for a web hosting service is by analyzing your requirements first and searching for providers that would best meet those needs. There are lots and lots of providers and each provider has different plans to offer. When you know what you want then you can make a budget for it accordingly and get the best service at the prices affordable to you. One thing that goes without saying in the web hosting industry is that you never get your domain and hosting from the same provider. It is always advised to get your hosting and domain form separate service provider so if you are not happy with the hosting provider and want to move to another host you do not risk losing your domain name which is your identity online. The Enterprise App Economy and Box $rev If you follow Box at all, you know that we care a lot about our platform and what it can deliver to developers. That is, we spend a lot of time and effort on our APIs, our ever-growing base of third party developers and Box OneCloud, our ecosystem of mobile apps integrated with Box. I’m pleased to report that we’ve recently reached some new platform milestones. We’ve issued more than 25,000 API keys to Box developers, with more than half coming in the past year. On the OneCloud front, we recently surpassed 500 apps in the ecosystem – amazing when you think that we launched OneCloud in March of last year with just 30 apps. As our platform efforts intensify, we constantly think about new ways to drive value to our third party developer community. Today, we push hundreds of thousands of dollars in referral revenue to third party app providers from our iOS, Android and web app marketplaces. We also continuously introduce our partners’ products to our enterprise admins and end users, resulting in direct purchases of third party apps by our customers. Bluelock Joins the Switch CLOUD CITY Ecosystem When Bluelock expanded its datacenter presence to the Switch SUPERNAP facility in Las Vegas, it gained more than a west coast location. Bluelock and its clients gained the benefits of membership in the Switch C.U.B.E inside the Switch CLOUD CITY. The Switch C.U.B.E. stands for the Cloud Ubiquitous Business Exchange. It’s an ecosystem of cloud providers who have co-located their infrastructure in the Switch SUPERNAP to provide customers multi-tenancy and the option to use services across providers at the lowest latency possible. Bluelock’s IaaS and RaaS solutions join a long list of sought-after providers with a presence in the CLOUD CITY environment. “Bluelock needed a strong West Coast datacenter presence and The Switch SUPERNAP Las Vegas facility is one of the safest, most powerful datacenter facilities with the strongest connectivity,” said Pat O’Day, chief technology officer at Bluelock. “The SUPERNAP represents innovation, security and reliability for more than 600 global customers. Switch is a clear leader in the datacenter market and we are excited about this partnership and our involvement in Switch CLOUD CITY.” GAVI Alliance Uses Blue Jeans to Collaborate Internationally GAVI Alliance is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase access to immunization in the world’s poorest countries through cutting-edge medical technology. Through GAVI’s efforts, the organization has contributed to averting an additional four million future deaths through 2015. To keep in continuous contact with its international team and partners, GAVI utilizes Blue Jeans to easily connect people around the globe, no matter where they are, or what device they are using to facilitate its communications. Blue Jeans’ video and content sharing gives GAVI the flexibility to connect and the ability to collaborate and enact faster decision-making. Resources for Gaming Platforms and Applications For gaming platforms and applications, Riak can be the ideal data solution. Its scalability allows for rapid growth of player data, the low-latency design allows for a fast and reliable experience for players all over the world, and its flexible data model means there are no restrictions on content type and no need to change the underlying schema. To see if Riak is a fit for your gaming use case, we have put together a number of resources that showcase how Riak is solving gaming data challenges across multiple companies. Below are some highlights: For a general overview of how Riak can be used for gaming companies, download our whitepaper, “Gaming on Riak.” For Hibernum, a social gaming developer, we have a case study on how they’re using Riak to store user game information. Rovio, the creators of Angry Birds, has a video that discusses how Riak supports their new mobile gaming platform. Kiip, a mobile app rewards network, has a talk about their process of choosing Riak and their experience scaling it. They also go into more detail on their blog. Hey, You, Get Off of my Cloud” Mick Jagger always wanted his own cloud. Keith Richards was always hanging out on the couch at the end of his cloud, scaring away all the ladies. Finally, the web hosting world has a cloud available for Jagger. So… What exactly is the private cloud, and why might it be a good thing for the Rolling Stones and everyone else? Basically, private cloud is a melding of dedicated technology with cloud computing. The cloud understandably raises various questions regarding security and privacy. In certain cases, legal or industry compliance can only be attained in certain types of environments as well. The private cloud gives you the positive features of a cloud environment – its highly adaptive, scalable attributes – in a scenario where you can have full control, rather than having to go along with the parameters of a shared system. This article will explore what the private cloud has to offer and 3 advantages of using it for your company, per VMware’s solutions. Also, we will get into an exclusive transcript from the moment when Jagger let Richards know that he’d gotten his own private cloud. What To Expect From Twitter’s New API If you have integrated social media into your web site, you’ve probably added your Twitter feed. Not only do a few short tweets add live, new, accessible content to your static web site, the Twitter API has famously been one of the most accessible APIs out there, making it easy for people to use it to meet their specific needs. On June 11, version 1 of Twitter’s API—the only API we have ever known—will be retired and replaced with version 1.1. Many of the functions that you used in the old Twitter API will no longer work, and, depending on quickly your Twitter applications are updated, you may even receive HTTP 410 errors that notify you that the requested service is no longer available. Here are a few big changes to watch out for when the Twitter API version 1.1 goes live: In order for an application to access the API, you will need to use OAuth to confirm its identity. The days of accessing Twitter’s API anonymously are over. The new API also limits access to certain number of requests per hour, to stop spammers and other abuse of the system, though certain apps may be able to make more authenticated requests than was possible before. How to Use the Cloud: Preparing your Marketing Plan Preparing a marketing plan for your new cloud solutions will be the essence of your campaign for selling. Creating a comprehensive campaign that outlines the benefits of your solution for your customers will help facilitate understanding of your product and, eventually simplify and encourage adoption. A marketing plan outlines how your corporate team will position and present its cloud offering. Its main components are: creating buyer personas, drafting a benefit statement, outlining your approach and measuring your results. Keeping these elements in mind, you can create an effective marketing plan for your whole team. The first and most important step in creating any marketing plan is to determining who your target audience is and learning about them. Outlining a buyer persona is a fictional character of a typical buyer. Consider their role within the organization, whom they report to and their daily activities. Once you know whom you are speaking to, you can create a message that has been written specifically for them and their unique interests. Fear and Inertia Grasp at Security Ah fear and inertia, the bane of me an all my sales-and-marketing brothers and sisters out there. Fear of change, fear of the unknown, and prospective customers’ reluctance to try something other beyond the devil that we know. And because perception is reality (for many), this is a real issue that must be overcome. For cloud services, the perceived issue is security — but this too shall pass. UK web hosting provider PEER 1 Hosting announced on Tuesday it has released the results of its latest survey which found that the fear of security threats is preventing 92 percent of IT decision makers from adopting the cloud. The move comes a month after PEER 1 Hosting unveiled its new eco-friendly EMEA headquarters in Southampton, UK, which is part of the company’s regeneration project across its European offices in the UK and France. The findings are represented in an infographic, (located here) which are based on the results of a survey of 120 IT professionals. The security risks presented by the cloud are the same as those associated with using Gmail GreenTouch: Energy consumption in communication networks can be reduced by up to 90% by the year 2020 Recently, the GreenTouch consortium I am chairing, made headlines in the press based on its latest research study which shows that energy consumption in communication networks can be reduced by up to 90% by the year 2020, and this despite traffic growth (read the GreenTouch press release). Yes, even with tremendous traffic growth we can still dramatically reduce energy consumption. Before digging some further into this phenomenal news, let me go back three years. Early 2010 Bell Labs proposed to launch a collaborative research consortium to tackle the problem of energy efficiency in communication networks. Why? Because there is this ever getting bigger energy gap between the exponential traffic growth and the poor energy efficiency gains in communication networks. Since this is a broad and hard challenge, Bell Labs had to take a truly open innovation approach to get things moving. First, assemble stakeholders of the ICT industry to get insights from every aspect of the value chain (vendor, supplier, operator). Second, set a bold and ambitious challenge to rally partners towards a common goal. Wanna Be Our Product Wizard? In one of our previous posts, we were introducing the VoipNow Team as one of the most complex teams at 4PSA. It handles marketing, sales, customer support, and product development for a product that has been on a continuous ascending curve. Since VoipNow has grown to be a very popular “child”, our team is in need of more people. We are now looking for Product Wizards, i.e. Clouders for whom VoipNow will hold no secrets and who will be able to decode any misunderstanding and solve any issue customers might experience while using it. Our support guys have specialized in solving complex technical problems, while the sales team is at its best when handling business inquiries. We are now looking for Clouders who fit right in the middle – enthusiastic Product Wizards who will provide Level 1 assistance to our customers. If you’re wondering how you will be able to know everything and anything about it, no worries. You will have the best support at hand. In no time, you will impress our customers with your prompt and useful replies by phone, e-mail, and via the ticketing system. How much do you share on the Internet? The Internet has become its own online world which we all share. Habits like browsing through Facebook or Instagram have become almost second nature to us all. Everyone has heard about the dangers of the online world and how to be careful as to what we share. For example, I am aware of all the dangers myself.. but I haven’t actually thought about what I actually put online. Have you? One of the problems with living in both the digital realm and reality is sometimes we end up sharing way more than we are aware. I decided to forget about the privacy part, and think – How much do I actually share to my friends? Do they want to know this information? Apparently so, as I witness many of my friend’s uploads and updates that receive numerous likes and comments. I decided to do a little experiment to see how far I could take it. I took a photo of a white wall and filtered it through Instagram. I posted the photo onto Facebook with no caption to see how much attention I would receive in a week.

I have been working on my Beediverse website and have some thoughts on organizing Beediverse products in a couple of additional categories. Of course, there are always better ways of organizing items and of course writing about them. In the early days of Mason beekeeping as a gardener’s hobby, it was important to have a product category for “Starting out ” and “Learning about”. Now Mason Bee keeping is at a different stage. Gardeners who have the experience with spring mason bees, are keen to attract summer mason bees for exmple. These categories could be expanded for example to explain the different nesting materials required for spring mason bees and summer mason bees. A clear distinction between spring and summer mason bees is needed to make it easier for people to make a decision on what nesting material and or housing they need. An explanation is needed that that Spring bees are larger and need larger nesting cavities and that summer mason bees are smaller and need smaller nesting tunnels. This explanation plus placing spring and summer houses and spring and summer nesting material in different categories would be a good start.

“Girls, where’s your mother?” Bee breeder and geneticist Susan Cobey, who leads the bee breeding program at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Biology Research Facility at the UC Davis, scours a hive for the queen bee. Her trained eye quickly spots the elongated queen. Dozens of worker bees circle the queen. Their job is to protect and nurture the matriarch of the 50,000- to 80,000-member colony. The queen’s sole job is to reproduce; typically she lays about 2,000 eggs a day during her two-year life span. And it’s Cobey’s job to ensure that queen bee breeding programs thrive, that bees literally be all they can be. “The queen, mother of all individuals in a hive, determines the inherited characteristics of the colony,” she wrote in a published paper. “Her success, productivity and lifespan are dependent upon the number and genetic diversity of drones with whom she mates.” “The challenge with honey bee genetics is that queens always mate in flight,” Cobey said. “They’ll mate with multiple drones, as many as 60, although average about 10, within a couple of days. The drones die after mating and the impregnated queen settles down to begin her lifelong egg-laying.” “With instrumental insemination, we can control mating, enabling selection to enhance commercial stocks and maintain desired traits, including temper and resistance to disease and parasites.” Cobey, a 30-year veteran of bee fertility research programs, is considered the world’s most renowned bee insemination authority and instructor. Hired by UC Davis in May, she teaches courses on “The Art of Queen Rearing,” “Instrumental Insemination and Bee Breeding” and “Advanced Instruction Instrumental Insemination.” Over the last 25 years, she’s taught researchers and beekeepers from Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, France, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, China, India, United Kingdom, England, New Zealand. Korea, Israel, Egypt, Kuwait, and Nigeria. By invitation, she’s also taught in Canada, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Egypt and South Africa. Cobey’s job is basically to build a better bee by maximizing the good traits and minimizing the bad traits. “Controlled mating,” she said, “is the basic foundation of all stock improvement programs.” The issue is timely, especially since CCD — “colony collapse disorder” or “massive honeybee die-off” — killed a quarter of the nation’s 2.4 million commercial bee hives last winter, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “Colony collapse disorder appears to be a complex issue,” Cobey said. “Similar situations have been experienced in the past. CCD may involve a variety of factors; parasitic mites, bee pathogens, chemicals (both miticides used in the colony and pesticides in the environment), changing climates, loss of forage, poor nutrition and loss of genetic diversity. Overall, I think it is stress, caused by the combination of these factors.” However, by controlling the genetics of honey bees, researchers can breed stronger, more survivable bees, bees able to withstand such pests as varroa mites, she said. Honey bees, crucial to the nation’s multi-billion agricultural industry, pollinate one-third of the food crops, including fruits, legumes and vegetables, according to the USDA. They account for 80 percent of all insect crop pollination. They produce around 200 million pounds of honey a year in the United States, or about 84 pounds of honey per colony. California’s honey production averages $25.2 million a year, just behind national leader North Dakota’s $27.2 million. Bees are especially critical to almond growers. “Without honey bee pollination, crop yields would not be economically viable,” Cobey said. California, accounting for half of the world production of almonds, requires between 900,000 and 1 million colonies of honey bees to pollinate the state’s 420,000 acres of almonds, figures the National Honey Board. Insects first sparked Cobey’s interest during her childhood in Lancaster County, Pa. She remembers bringing insects into her elementary school classroom for show and tell, until she was told to choose something different. “Insects are like jewelry,” she said. “They come in all shapes, sizes and colors.” And bees? The social insects fascinate her. “The beehive is so efficient. The queen is the soul of the colony. She sets the tone and the production rate. Every bee has a task.” After enrolling in a student exchange program in entomology in 1975 at Oregon State University, Corvallis, Cobey received her bachelor’s degree in entomology in 1976 from the University of Delaware, Newark. From 1978 to 1980, she worked at UC Davis, where she was influenced by Harry Laidlaw (1907-2003). Known as the “father of honeybee genetics,” Laidlaw perfected artificial bee insemination technology. “He discovered the valve fold in the queen bee which hinders injection of semen into the lateral oviducts,” Cobey said. “He developed instrumentation to bypass the valve fold enabling the success of bee insemination.” Utilizing the training, Cobey established the Vaca Valley Apiaries in Vacaville in 1982, developing the highly regarded New World Carniolan (a black race of bees) Breeding Program. In 1990 she pulled up roots—and hives—and settled in Ohio, serving as staff apiarist at the Rothenbuhler Honey Bee Research Laboratory at Ohio State University until accepting the research associate position at the UC Davis facility in May. She joins Eric Mussen, a longtime UC Cooperative Extension apiculturist. Cobey is part of the overall plan to launch the UC Davis bee biology research program back to international prominence, said Walter Leal, professor and chair of the Department of Entomology. Over the past decade, budget cuts, resignations and retirements took their toll. The department is now recruiting a professor specializing in bee pollination. Cobey’s expertise includes establishing and managing a closed population breeding program for more than 30 years, researching and writing scientific publications, and teaching bee breeders how to inseminate queen bees. She developed techniques and equipment for instrumental insemination, including a ruby-tipped hook, but has no plans for patent rights. “The world of bee breeding is so small,” she said. At Ohio State University, she developed an independent research program on post-insemination survival of honey bee queens and the selection of behavioral traits. Selection for hygienic behavior, the ability to detect and remove varroa mites and bee diseases from brood, is one trait of natural resistance. The varroa mite, a native of Asia, dines on bee larvae and occasionally an adult bee. In her instrumental insemination classes, Cobey teaches students how to extract semen from a drone, and inseminate an anesthetized virgin queen. Magnified images on a computer screen help illustrate the procedure. Students highly praise her skills and teaching ability. In a thank-you note to Leal, bee breeder Dave Welter of Welter Apiaries of Stuart, Fla., wrote: “Thank you for hosting the Honeybee Instrumental Insemination short course. It was first rate. I am from South Florida where we are trying to develop strategies to deal with the arrival of the African Honey Bee. The skills that I developed in Sue's class will provide me with a valuable resource as I move forward in this endeavor. Sue really did an incredible job teaching this class. Her patience, professionalism and vast experience created an environment highly conducive to learning. I am very pleased with what I learned and the skills I developed.” Cobey’s New World Carniolan bees also draw international acclaim. Wrote Honey Run Apiaries of Delphos, Ohio: “Our breeder queens are obtained directly from Sue Cobey’s New World Carniolan Breeding Program. These queens have been selected for productivity, rapid spring buildup, overwintering ability, tracheal mite resistance, hygienic behavior, pollen collection, gentle temperament and high brood viability. We have been impressed with their performance and with their calm, gentle nature they are a pleasure to work.” “I love my work,” said Cobey, who is partial to blue jeans and t-shirts. “I get to work outside and enjoy the change of seasons, the smells and sounds, and be close to nature. And my bees.” She admits to having a soft spot for drones. Once the honey-gathering season is over, the worker bees kick the drones out of the hive, as their only function is to mate. “They’re cold and hungry, sitting there on the doorstep and wanting to go back in. They’re attacked and they die. Well, it’s a matriarchal society.” Husband Timothy Lawrence, an analyst with UC Davis Extension, shares her interest in bees. A wedding portrait shows them bearded with bees. Cobey also enjoys working with bee breeders. Beekeeping is a hard life, but it’s a lifestyle for many. “They just fall in love with their bees.” As does she. “Breeding them so they’re strong and healthy and resilient, so they will bounce right back, it’s a passion and an increasing challenge.”

- Filed Under Black Mountain - Marjorie Anderson, 92, of Black Mountain, passed away Sunday, April 20, 2014. Mrs. Anderson was born July 31, 1921, in Knox County, Tenn., and was a resident of Black Mountain for most of her life. She is preceded in death by her husband, Carlyle Anderson. Marjorie is survived by many nieces and nephews. A celebration of life service was held April 22 in the chapel of the Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery with the Rev. Foster Massey officiating. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be considered to CarePartners, 68 Sweeten Creek Road, Asheville, N.C., 28803. The family would like to extend a sincere thank you to the staff of Stone Creek Health and Rehabilitation Center and CarePartners for their loving care of Mrs. Anderson Arrangements are in the care of Harwood Home for Funerals, 669-2977, www.harwoodho meforfunerals.com. Sherree Lane Padgett Davis, 57, of Swannanoa, passed away Sunday, April 20, 2014, after an extended battle with cancer. Born October 13, 1956, to Ed and Jewell Padgett, of Black Mountain, she is survived by her mother; husband, Randy; oldest son, Michael (Jenn); daughter, Julie Gibson (Travis); youngest son, Matthew, of the home; three grandchildren, Tito, Trenton, and Elorah; brothers, Eddie (Arlene), Jody (Nancy), and Pete (Kim); 13 nieces and nephews; and 15 grand-nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her church family at East Black Mountain Free Will Baptist Church, of which she was a member. Sherree was a friend to all who knew her, and leaves a legacy of love and caring for all that passed her way. A celebration of life service will be held Wednesday, April 23, at 2 p.m. at East Black Mountain Free Will Baptist Church with the Reverend Danny Sprinkle officiating. Burial will follow in Ashelawn Gardens of Memory. Flowers are accepted. For those desiring to make a memorial contribution, please consider Cancer Care of WNC, 21 Hospital Drive, Fourth Floor, Asheville, N.C., 28801. Arrangements are in the care of Harwood Home for Funerals, www.harwoodhomefor funerals.com. James "Jim" "Whitey" Bradley Hammond, 65, of Asheville, passed away April 18, 2014. Mr. Hammond was born July 28, 1948, in Buncombe County. Jim is preceded in death by his parents, Blane and Thelma Searcy Hammond; and sister, Juanita Carver. He is survived by his sons, Bradley Hammond (Sherrie) and Joey Hammond (Ann Marie); sisters, Mary Lou Edmonston (Jack), Janice Morrow (Bill), Kay Ponder; and grandchildren, Shane, Jocie, Sawyer, and Coy Hammond. A celebration of life service was held April 21 in the chapel of Harwood Home for Funerals. Arrangements are in the care of Harwood Home for Funerals, 669-2977, www.harwoodhomefor funerals.com. Mariella Talmage Provost Black Mountain - Mariella Talmage Provost died on April 15, 2014, in Black Mountain, the age of 91 with family at her side. Mariella was born on February 13, 1923, in Kwangju, Korea, to second generation missionary parents, John Van Neste Talmage II and Eliza Emerson Talmage. Mariella was preceded in death by her husband, Raymond C. Provost, Jr., her parents, and six older siblings. In her youth, Mariella attended Pyongyang Foreign School in Korea. She graduated in 1945 with a nursing degree from the Medical College of Virginia and returned to Korea as a medical missionary where she met her beloved husband, Raymond. Throughout their 44 years together, the Provosts served missions in Korea, the Moon Wha High School in Kyungju, and the Church of the Straits in Mackinaw City, Mich., before retiring to Black Mountain. Mariella devoted much of her time in recent years to the Ebenezer Institute of Learning in Nhkoma, Malawi, Africa. She was certainly known for her compassionate and humble spirit, devotion for Christian service, and her countless knitting projects. Mariella is survived by four children, David (Christine), Jonathan (Paulette), Elizabeth Anne (Paul Drummond), and Janet (David Cummings); 12 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and a wonderful extended family. She cherished her many friends at Highland Farms Retirement Center; the Black Mountain Presbyterian Church; as well as the fellowship of Christians in Korea, Malawi, and throughout the world. Mariella's life will be joyfully celebrated at 2 p.m., Friday, April 25, at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church, 117 Montreat Road, Black Mountain. Per her wishes, she will be interred at the church columbarium in a private ceremony. It was Mariella's request, in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to support her beloved Christian school in Malawi, Africa. Donations can be made to Black Mountain Presbyterian Church: "Provost Malawi Fund," P.O. Box 39, Black Mountain, N.C., 28711. Funeral arrangements have been made through Wilson Family Funeral Service, www.wilsonfamilyfuneralser vice.com. Leon Wayne Rayburn Leon Wayne Rayburn, 66, of Asheville, passed away Friday, April 18, 2014. Mr. Rayburn was born June 2, 1947 in Buncombe County. He is preceded in death by his parents, Wayne and Inez Boone Rayburn; and wife, Shirley Phillips Rayburn; and sister, Lisa Greene. Leon is survived by his sisters, Kay Gossage (Arnie) and Karrie Holloway; and brother, Tim Rayburn (Gail). A celebration of life service was held April 21 in the chapel of Harwood Home for Funerals with Rev. Frank Cantrell officiating. Burial was in Sky View Memorial Park. Flowers are accepted and appreciated. Those desiring to make a memorial contribution are encouraged to consider the John F. Keever Solace Center, P.O. Box 5779, Asheville, N.C., 28813. The family would like to express their deep gratitude to the nurses and staff of the John F. Keever Solace Center for all their love, care, and support. Arrangements are in the care of Harwood Home for Funerals, www.harwoodhomeforfuneral s.com. Sarah Dudley Whitmore Ricks Spartanburg, S.C. - Sarah Dudley Whitmore Ricks, 100, formerly of Baton Rouge, La., and Montreat, died on Thursday, April 16, 2014. Born February 27, 1914, she was a graduate of Peace College, Mary Baldwin College, and Presbyterian School of Christian Education with a master's degree in CE. She was director of Christian education of First ARP Church, Charlotte; Westminster Presbyterian Church, St. Louis, Mo.; First Presbyterian Church, Nashville, Tenn.; and First Presbyterian Church, Baton Rouge. She is survived by her daughter, Norwood Dudley Ricks Strasburger, of Spartanburg, S.C.; her son, George Harriss Ricks, Jr., of Richmond, Va.; and five grandchildren. Services will be private. No flowers please, in lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Mountain Retreat Association, P.O. Box 969, Montreat, N.C., 28757. An online guest register is available at www.floydmortua ry.com. Marion C. Taylor Marion C. Taylor, 96, of Nebo, went home to be with his Lord and Savior on Friday, April 18, 2014, at Rose Hill Retirement Community in Marion. A widower, he was born in Rutherford County on August 17, 1917, and was the last surviving child of the late George R. Taylor and Vader Hudgins Taylor. Marion was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, having served during World War II and was a member of Sunrise Baptist Church. He always led an active life, which continued after retiring from Kearfott, Inc., spending endless hours gardening and also joining the McDowell County Beekeepers Association, sharing his passion for beekeeping with other members and all who were willing to learn. The McDowell Senior Center was near and dear to him. He participated in numerous activities including the Senior Games and was dedicated to serving others by delivering Meals on Wheels for 11 years. Left to cherish Marion's memory include his son, Clyde Taylor, of Nebo; a daughter, Dawn Arrowood and husband, Randy, of Old Fort, two grandchildren, Ashley Taylor and Holly Frady and husband, Anthony; three great-grandchildren; and two step-great-grandchildren. A celebration of Mr. Taylor's life was held on April 21 in the chapel of Westmoreland Funeral Home with the Revs. Randy Arrowood and Larry Anderson officiating. Interment followed in Spring Hill Memorial Gardens in Chesnee, S.C., with military honors provided by the U.S. Navy. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Rutherford County, P.O. Box 336, Forest City, N.C., 28043. The family would like to express their heartfelt thanks to the staff at Rose Hill Retirement Community for their compassion and excellent care of Marion during his stay. Westmoreland Funeral Home and Crematory is assisting the family with arrangements. Words of comfort may be made by visiting www.west morelandfuneralhome.com. Rebecca Ann White Denver, Colo. - Rebecca Ann White, 25, died April 4, 2014, in an automobile accident in Denver, Colo., when she, her mother, Neva Johnson, and her daughter, Aerial, were returning home from a visit with family. Rebecca was born August 22, 1988, in Buncombe County. Becca had many friends and was a sweet, beautiful daughter, mother, granddaughter, sister, spouse, and friend. She was very happy with the loves of her life, Travis and Aerial. Becca is preceded in death by her maternal grandparents, Wilford Johnson and Joan Johnson Shephard. Rebecca is survived by her fiancée, Travis White; their baby daughter, Aerial Lei Elaine White; her mother, Neva Johnson; her father, Greg White and his fiancée, Kim Brown; paternal grandmother, Doris Brown; siblings, Brianne White, Bonnie Johnson, Rachael Smith, Chris Johnson, Tyson Sparks, Josh White, Blake Bosen, and T.W. Allen; many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends. A celebration of life service was held April 18 in the chapel of Harwood Home for Funerals. Arrangements are in the care of Harwood Home for Funerals, www.harwoodhomeforfunerals .com.

(Difference between revisions) (|group= animal husbandry) |Line 5:||Line 5:| | Beekeeping merit badge has been discontinued. (See discontinued merit badges.)| |Beekeeping merit badge| |Status:||Discontinued||BSA Advancement ID:||28| Beekeeping merit badge replaced Bee Keeping in 1956, and was discontinued in 1995. - The design of the patch has changed four times - with a different version of the bee each time.

I should probably send Rob Hopkins a thank you note. I’m not at all sure he meant to draw attention to the Green Wizards project just as the forum at http://www.greenwizards.org went live, but that’s the way it turned out, and the results have gone past my most improbable hopes. Measures of forum activity I’d hoped to pass in six months have been shouldered aside in six days, and the forum staff are scrambling to deal with a far more lively online community than any of us expected this soon. To all those who have participated in the Green Wizards forum so far, I certainly owe a hearty thanks, and to judge from comments fielded there and elsewhere, the best way to express it is to plunge onward into the next phase of green wizardry and start handing out more practical information. That’s the agenda for this week, certainly, and the subject under discussion ought to be dear to the hearts of prospective green wizards. By the time you’ve finished with this week’s work, you may not be able to call spirits from the vasty deep as Glendower claimed to do, but you’ll be able to call helpful critters from the surrounding ecosystems to help maintain the balance of your garden – and yes, to forestall Hotspur’s gibe, they will indeed come when you do call them, if you do it in the right way. Let’s start with basic concepts. A garden is an ecosystem managed in such a way that human beings get to eat a significant fraction of the net primary production of the plants that grow there. Net primary production? That’s the amount of energy each year that the plants in a given ecosystem take in from the Sun and store in the form of sugars and other compounds that can be eaten by some other living thing. Everything other than plants in any ecosystem gets its fuel from the net primary production of that ecosystem, or of another ecosystem that feeds energy into it. You’re not going to get anything close to a majority of the net primary production of your garden onto your dinner table, by the way, and it’s a mistake to try; if you do, you’ll starve other living things that depend on a share of net primary production to keep their own dinner tables stocked, and you need these other living things in order to have a healthy and productive garden. (Ignoring this latter point is one of the critical errors of today’s industrial agriculture.) Your goal instead is to make sure that as much of the net primary production diverted from your table as possible goes to living things that earn their keep by doing something for your benefit. Here’s an example. A certain amount of each year’s net primary production from your garden goes to feed earthworms. Any gardener with the brains the gods gave geese won’t grudge them their share, because earthworms break down organic matter into forms plants can use, and they improve the texture and drainage of soil as they do it. Charles Darwin – yes, that Charles Darwin – wrote a brilliant and too often neglected book on the role of earthworms in the creation of topsoil; what he found, to drastically simplify a classic piece of ecological research, is that earthworms are topsoil-making machines, and the more you’ve got, the better your soil and the higher your crop yields will tend to be. Now the logical conclusion to all this, at least according to the logic of modern industrial society, is that gardeners ought to run out and buy earthworms by the carload. As it happens, this is rarely a good idea. There are bound to be some earthworms in your soil, and since earthworms are hermaphroditic and fertile most of the time, there’s generally no shortage of baby earthworms starting out on their slimy and subterranean lives. The question, if you’ve got a worm shortage, is why so few of them grow up to become the big pink nightcrawlers that haunt fishermen’s dreams. This is where another of the fundamental principles of ecology comes into play. Liebig’s law, named after the 19th century German agricultural botanist Justus von Liebig, has the interesting distinction of being at one and the same time one of the most consistently valid principles of ecology and one of the most consistently rejected concepts in modern economics. The short form of the law is that for any organism, whatever necessary resource is in shortest supply puts an upper bound on the carrying capacity of the environment for that organism. To understand how this works, imagine a plant growing in your garden. That plant has a variety of needs – water, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, an assortment of trace elements, and so on. If the soil is short of any one of them, it doesn’t matter if all the others are abundant; the nutrient in short supply will determine how well that plant can grow in that garden. Readers familiar with the rhetoric of today’s economists will recall the claim that if humanity runs out of one resource, we can always replace it with another; this claim amounts to insisting that Liebig’s law doesn’t apply to human beings – though it’s a rare economist who knows enough about nature to recognize that. There are good reasons to think that the economists who make this claim are dead wrong, but that’s a topic for another time. The point that needs making here is that all the living things in your garden are subject to Liebig’s law, and if you want more of some particular organism in your garden, the way to get it is to find out what the resource in shortest supply is, and provide it. With earthworms, most often, it’s the sheer amount of organic matter in the soil that’s the limiting factor, and the more organic matter you put into the soil – by hoeing in compost, using mulches, planting green manures, or what have you – the more infant earthworms will mature to massive pink nightcrawlerhood and get to work improving your garden soil. The same rule governs all the other useful critters you might want to attract to your garden. Bats are an example too rarely considered by organic gardeners. Why so many people fear and dislike bats is beyond me; any animal that can eat its body weight in mosquitoes in a single night, after all, should be a welcome guest wherever it goes. Still, the benefits bats bring to the garden outweigh the simple pleasure of not being eaten alive by the insect world’s answer to Count Dracula. Many of the grubs that cause serious damage to food crops – the corn borer, the apple maggot, and more – are the larva of night-flying moths, and night-flying moths are prime bat food. The limiting resource for bats, nearly always, is daytime shelter during the non-hibernating months, and so one very easy way to bring bats to your garden is to build or buy a bat house and set it in an appropriate place. Both the house and its placement require a certain degree of care – bats, like nearly all other animals, are particular about their homes – but their preferences are well known and the resources given at the end of this post will provide you with the information you need. Get a proper bat house in place, and in most cases you can count on a crew of bats finding it and taking up residence in a fairly short time, and thereafter any problems you may be having with moth larvae will become a good deal less severe. You’ll also be doing a good turn for the bats themselves; recently, a fungal disease called white nose syndrome has caused high death rates in many North American bats, and ensuring plenty of housing and habitat for the survivors will help bat populations survive the epidemic and recover quickly once it begins to pass off. Birds are the day shift to bats’ night shift, and some varieties of birds are well worth attracting to your garden as well. Swallows, swifts, and martins – a closely related group of birds with tapering, pointed wings and a prodigious appetite for insects – are a classic example. Until the advent of chemical agriculture, farmers across North America went out of their way to encourage barn swallows to set up housekeeping in and around their farms, because swallows do exactly what their name suggests to a great many daytime insects that make life difficult for crops. Like bats and most species of birds, swallows and their relatives are particular about their homes; here, though, this is a double advantage, because homes well suited to swallows are uninviting to starlings and other birds that damage crops. Another set of living things your garden needs is pollinators. The collapse of honeybee populations over much of the industrial world has been all over the news over the last few years, and for good reason. Without pollination by insects, many food crops don’t produce or reproduce, and honeybees have long been the primary pollinators of most commercially grown fruits and vegetables, with hives being trucked from farm to farm over hundreds of miles in season. Exactly what is causing Colony Collapse Disorder is uncertain as yet, though some evidence points to a class of recently introduced pesticides – neonicotinoids such as imidacloprid – which are highly toxic to bees and can build up in a hive’s honey supply to lethal levels. Until the issue gets sorted out, making sure that your garden has backup pollinators in place is crucial. Domesticated honeybees are one option, but beekeeping is not a project for everyone; another, far less demanding option is to increase the population of local species of wild bees. Spend some time outdoors watching flowering plants and you’ll quickly discover just how diverse a range of insects can play the pollination game. Many of them are bees of one kind or another, for there are thousands of kinds of bees, each with its own lifestyle and preferences. Very few of them have the complex social structure and hive life of the honeybee, and even fewer of them have a sting painful to human beings. Most are solitary, harmless, and short-lived, hatching in the spring and mating almost immediately, after which the males die and the females spend the rest of their lives laying eggs in burrows of one kind or another; each egg will hatch out the next spring as a bee of the next generation. The orchard mason bee is one variety of solitary bee that has become a popular pollinator in some areas, especially where fruit trees are grown. The limiting factor for orchard mason bees is nesting sites for the females to lay their eggs, and this can be provided with a simple wooden block drilled with a lot of 5/16" holes. Nesting blocks for several other species with similar life patterns can also be made or bought; again, the resource section at the end of the post gives details. Another common wild bee with a somewhat more complex life pattern is the familiar bumblebee, large and furry, that can be found visiting flowers through the summer months in most of North America. There are many species of bumblebees; all of them dwell in small underground hives which they build in abandoned burrows, and they have queens who live for several years and workers who live only one. The limiting factor in their case is not homes, but homes safe from predators such as field mice, who like to dig down into hives and eat the larvae. The way to make Liebig’s law work in bumblebees’ favor is to take a small wooden box full of cotton wool, and with a short piece of old garden hose extending from a hole in the side maybe six inches. Bury the box in the ground in a secure, fairly dry place, so that the end of the hose just pokes out of the ground. Once a newly hatched queen finds it – which rarely takes more than a single spring – you’ll have a bumblebee hive full of pollinators who will do their duty for your garden and the wild plants around it as well. All pollinators need something in flower to feed on for the entire period they are active, which for orchard mason bees extends from March to the end of May in most areas, and for bumblebees, depending on the species, can run from sometime in the late spring well into autumn. The absence of flowering plants can be a limiting factor for all kinds of bees, and if the area around your garden is short on flowers at some point in the season, a flowering shrub or two to fill in the gaps is a good investment. We have a buddleia in our front yard that serves as lunch counter for a dizzying array of daytime insects, including nearly a dozen species of wild bees; your local ecosystem will have appropriate shrubs that will fill the same role. The same principle can be applied in many other ways. Just as you can encourage a species by figuring out what resource it needs is in shortest supply and providing that resource, in other words, you can limit an unwelcome species by figuring out its resource needs, and doing your best to make sure that one of those needs is as scarce as possible. As you work with your garden, and learn more about the complex ecosystem that an organic garden develops around it, pay attention to places where a little careful tinkering with variables can increase the population of something you want, and decrease the population of something you don’t want. It’s not so clumsy or random as a pesticide, as Obi-Wan might have put it: an elegant method of the more ecologically sane age toward which, willy-nilly, the pressures of the present are forcing us. Net primary production and Liebig’s law are covered in most college textbooks of ecology, and if you’ve got one of those, it may be worth your while to read back through the sections discussing these two concepts. For earthworms, Charles Darwin’s The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Action of Worms remains the classic study, and readers who can handle the leisurely pace and extensive vocabulary of an earlier age of scientific writing shouldn’t miss it. For bats, Merlin Tuttle’s America’s Neighborhood Bats is a good introduction, and Bat Conservation International provides extensive resources for bat house construction and other details of living around bats. For useful birds such as swallows, swifts, and martins, your local chapter of the Audubon Society can get you information about the species that are local to your area and their nesting requirements. For bees, two books by Brian L. Griffin, The Orchard Mason Bee and Humblebee Bumblebee, are good primers with plenty of detailed information; they are written from a Pacific Northwest perspective, however, and some of their advice may need adjustment in different climates.

Understanding the Role of the Drone Bee in a Hive The drone is the only male bee in the colony. Drones make up a relatively small percentage of the hive’s total population. At the peak of the season, their numbers may be in the hundreds. You rarely find more than a thousand. Procreation is the drone’s primary purpose in life. Despite their high maintenance (they must be fed and cared for by the worker bees), drones are tolerated and allowed to remain in the hive because they may be needed to mate with a new virgin queen (when the old queen dies or needs to be superseded). Bee mating occurs outside of the hive in mid-flight, 200 to 300 feet in the air. This location is known as the drone Mating Area, and it can be a mile or more away from the hive. The drone’s big eyes come in handy for spotting virgin queens taking their nuptial flights. The few drones that do get a chance to mate are in for a sobering surprise. They die after mating! That’s because their sex organ is barbed (like the worker bee’s stinger). An organ inside the queen called the spermatheca is the receptacle for the sperm. The queen will mate with several drones during her nuptial flight. After mating with the queen, the drone’s most personal apparatus and a significant part of its internal anatomy is torn away, and it falls to its death. Once the weather gets cooler and the mating season comes to a close, the workers will not tolerate having drones around. After all, those fellows have big appetites and would consume a tremendous amount of food during the perilous winter months. So in cooler climates at the end of the nectar-producing season, you will see the worker bees systematically expelling the drones from the hive. They are literally tossed out the door. For those beekeepers who live in areas that experience cold winters, this is your signal that the beekeeping season is over for the year. Depending upon where you live, the calendar of events for you and your bees varies depending upon temperature ranges and the time of year.

Founded under the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 as the Massachusetts Agricultural College, UMass Amherst has long been dedicated to the study and teaching of agriculture and the natural sciences. One of two land grant institutions in the Commonwealth (along with MIT), the university has played an important role in the development of scientific agriculture in New England and has been a major factor in agricultural instruction through its classes and extension service. SCUA’s collections contain a wealth of information on the history of agriculture and related fields, including horticulture, botany, entomology, animal husbandry, gardening, and landscape design. The strength of the collection lies in documenting the development of American agricultural sciences with an emphasis upon the northeastern states, but it is supplemented with numerous works on British, French, and German agriculture. Adding additional depth are the records of the several departments at UMass Amherst charged with instruction in the agricultural sciences and the papers of individual agricultural educators. Currently, SCUA is particularly interested in documenting the growth of organic agriculture, heritage breeds, and the practices of sustainable living. Significant Manuscript collections (view all) - Agricultural education - Papers of faculty members at Massachusetts Agricultural College and UMass Amherst, as well as educational organizations dedicated to instruction in the agricultural sciences. Among the individuals represented are the agricultural educator, Kenyon Butterfield; Levi Stockbridge, the first farm manager and long-time instructor at MAC; and William Smith Clark, William Penn Brooks, and William Wheeler, who were instrumental in the 1870s in establishing the agricultural college in Hokkaido, Japan. - Farming and rural life - Correspondence, farm accounts, and other records of farming and rural life, primarily in New England, as well as materials relating to the sociology of rural life. - Botany and horticulture - Collections relating to the scientific study of botany, horticulture, forestry, and related sciences. - Landscape and gardening - The papers and photographs of the landscape designer Frank Waugh, and other collections. - Other natural sciences - Including entomology and geology. Printed works: Collecting areas - Early works through the late nineteenth century on agriculture in America, Britain, and Europe, including those by John Fitzherbert, Thomas Hale, Arthur Young, “Columella,” John Smith, Gervase Markham, et al. - Animal husbandry - Works on sheep culture in the United States (Robert R. Livingston, Samuel Bard) and England (Lord Somerville, John Lawrence); dairy and beef cattle, horses, poultry science. - Beekeeping and entomology - Among the earliest rare books acquired by the Massachusetts Agricultural Library were a collections of rare books in beekeeping, including key works by Thomas Hill, John Keys, Daniel Wildman, Henry Eddy, from the late 17th through late 19th centuries. Works by Maria Sibylla Merian, John Curtis, Dru Drury, Johann Jakob Romer, Jacob l’Admiral - Botany and Silviculture - Important works on American botany by Frederick Pursh, Thomas Nuttall, Humphry Marshall’s Arbustrum Americanum, François André Michaux, early editions of Linnaeus - Gardening and landscape design - Three editions of Bernard M’Mahon’s American Gardener’s Calendar, William Cobbett, Alexander Jackson Davis, Humphry Repton, and others. - Genetics, eugenics, animal breeding - Essentially compete runs of Eugenics Quarterly, and key works in eugenics. - Pomology, viticulture, and fruit culture - William Prince, William Coxe, William Chorlton, et al. To spark researchers’ imaginations and to celebrate the legacy of innovation and the activist spirit, SCUA pursues an ambitious program of collecting materials of enduring historical value and offers strong support for research and learning. Through its collections, programs, public events, and exhibitions, SCUA promotes meaningful engagement with the broad record of social change in America, innovation and entrepreneurship, and the varied histories of the people of New England and the UMass Amherst community. We embrace the university’s historic role as a center of knowledge for the people of the Commonwealth and are committed to providing free and unfettered access to our holdings for all who wish to use them, using the highest professional standards and practices and the best technologies available. In 1931, nearly half a century after Librarian Henry Hill Goodell first authorized the permanent retention of the official records of Massachusetts Agricultural College, the Library established a College History Collection. Documenting the activities of the administration and faculty and the life of its students, this collection grew steadily, until in 1953, the Library dedicated a room named in honor of Dean William L. Machmer to serve as the first true home of the University Archives. The timing of Goodell’s proposal to preserve the College archives coincided roughly with the Library’s first efforts to assemble a collection of rare books to support its educational mission. Although the campus had no separate library building until 1885, the College accepted several significant gifts of books, beginning as early as 1868, when the apiarist and state Adjutant General Henry K. Oliver donated twenty scarce volumes on bee culture, followed by other donations of important works in agriculture, history, and science. By the time the library published its first catalogue in 1875, rare books were a small, but distinctive part of the collections. Among the Library’s earliest acquisitions were the first London edition of William Bartram’s Travels Through North and South Carolina (1792), François Augier de Marigny’s The History of the Arabians (London, 1758), and two early bee manuals by John Keys, The Practical Bee-Master (London, 1780) and The Antient Bee-Master’s Farewell (London, 1796) — both courtesy of Oliver. All remain part of the collections today. From its initial focus on agriculture, horticulture, and the natural sciences, the Library soon extended its collections to encompass the history and culture of New England. With the acquisition of the records of the Valley Peace Center and the papers of ethnographer Jozef Obrebski in 1973, the Library began to acquire collections of personal papers and organizational records of historical significance. The rare book and manuscript collections were combined administratively with the University Archives in the early 1990s to form the current Department of Special Collections and University Archives. Today, SCUA oversees a growing research collection of primary materials that includes rare books and manuscripts, historic maps, photographs, prints, and the official records of the campus at UMass Amherst. Linguistic Atlas of New England Records, 1931-1972. Call no.: MS 330 The Linguistic Atlas of New England project, begun in 1889 and published 1939-1943, documented two major dialect areas of New England, which are related to the history of the settling and dispersal of European settlers in New England with successive waves of immigration. The collection contains handwritten transcription sheets (carbon copies) in the International Phonetic Alphabet, with some explanatory comments in longhand. Drawn from over 400 interviews conducted by linguists in communities throughout New England in the 1930s, these records document the geographic distribution of variant pronunciations and usages of spoken English. The material, taken from fieldworkers’ notebooks (1931-1933), is arranged by community, then by informant, and also includes audiotapes of follow-up interviews (1934); phonological analyses of informants’ speech; character sketches of informants by fieldworkers; fieldworkers’ blank notebook; and mimeograph word index to the atlas (1948). - English language--Dialects--New England - Linguistic Atlas of New England New England Historical Association Records, 1965-1999. Call no.: MS 352 Records of the New England Historical Association including an organizational history, constitution and meeting minutes, correspondence, financial records, membership lists, committee reports, meeting programs, and newsletters. - History--Study and teaching - New England Historical Association New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse League Records, 1893-1977. Call no.: MS 331 When Charles Marsters founded the Boston Lacrosse Club in 1913, the club was the only one in New England to play teams from outside of the region. Under Marsters’s leadership, however, participation in the sport rose steadily at both the high school and collegiate level, helping establish New England as one of the centers of the American game. In 1935, he and Tom Dent founded the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse League (NEILL) to continue to build the sport. The NEILL records document the growth of lacrosse from informal club team play to a more regulated, interscholastic and intercollegiate varsity sport. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence, minutes, and agendas kept by co-founder Charles Marsters and a handful of other NEILL officers, but with material documenting the growth of the sport at UMass Amherst from the 1950s onward and the addition of women’s lacrosse as a collegiate sport. The collection also includes some printed material (including rulebooks), news clippings, and photographs. - College sports--New England - Lacrosse for women--United States - Lacrosse guide - Lacrosse--New England--History - School sports--New England - University of Massachusetts Amherst--Sports - Boyden, Frank L. (Frank Learoyd), 1879-1972 - Marsters, Charles E - New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse League New England Labor and Community Newsletters, 1979-1984. Call no.: MS 202 Includes eleven of the thirteen newsletters published by the Labor and Community Network, a group of academics and trade unionists interested in labor issues in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. - Labor--New England--Periodicals - New England--Social conditions--Periodicals - Working class--New England--Periodicals Types of material Western Massachusetts Ice Storm Photograph Collection, 1942. Call no.: MS 354 Approximately every twenty years, western New England suffers from devastating ice storms, leaving heavy ice coating on trees and buildings and hazardous conditions. Major storms struck in 1921, 1942, 1961, 1983, 1998, and 2008, with the storm of December 29-30, 1942, disrupting power and closing roads throughout a broad swath of the northeast. In northern New York state, ice depths reached six inches. The collection includes twenty six of an original thirty eight photographs depicting ice storm damage to power lines in the Pittsfield District (Windsor, Middlefield, Washington Mountain to Becket) resulting from the storm in December 1942. The collection also includes a cover letter pertaining to photos (not included) documenting a similar situation in Northampton, affecting the New England Power Service Co. - Electric lines--Massachusetts--Photographs - Electric power systems--Natural disaster effects --Massachusetts--Photographs - Ice storms--Massachusetts--Photographs - New England Power Service Company Types of material Western New England Poetry Collection, 1977-2008. Call no.: MS 561 Since 2004, the Florence Poets Society has been a hub of the poetry communities in Western Massachusetts, promoting the sharing, reading, and publication of works by its members. The group has sponsored outdoor poetry festivals, poetry slams, and readings and it has encouraged publication of poetry through its annual review, Established in partnership with Rich Puchalsky and the Florence Poets Society, the Western New England Poetry Collection constitutes an effort to document the vibrant poetry communities in Western New England. The collection includes all forms of poetry, from the written to the spoken word, in all formats, but with a particular emphasis upon locally produced and often difficult to find chapbooks, small press books, unpublished works, and limited run periodicals. The collection is not limited to members of the Florence Poets Society, and additions from poets in Western New England are eagerly welcomed. - Poetry--New England - Florence Poets Society - Puchalsky, Rich Farmers’ Produce Market Report Collection, 1935-1939. Call no.: MS 588 bd Established by the Department of Agriculture, the Division of Markets was responsible for determining the demand of agricultural products, encouraging their growth in Massachusetts, and informing purchasers and distributors of the condition of the markets. The division’s daily—except Saturday and Sunday—report provided vital information about the supply and demand of produce in the state. The Farmers’ Produce Market Report Collection consists of the division’s report for the years 1935-1939. Details recorded include the activity of the market, prices for specific produce, agricultural products shipped within the U.S., and weather forecasts. - Agricultural economics--Massachusetts - Massachusetts. Department of Agriculture New England Agricultural Economics Council Records, 1955-1966. Call no.: MS 031 NEAEC was formed in 1955 after the dissolution of the New England Research Council on Marketing and Food Supply, in order to promote education and research on economics and the social problems relating to the production, marketing, and consumption of agricultural products. The NEAEC Records include correspondence, minutes and proceedings, organizational and financial records, and newsletters. - Agricultural economics--New England - Dairy products--Marketing--New England - Food industry and trade--New England - Food--Marketing--New England - New England Agricultural Economics Council

- Media Type▼▲ - Author / Artist▼▲ - Top Rated▼▲ Number of Pages: 224 Publication Date: 2009 |Dimensions: 8.50 X 5.50 (inches)| Availability: In Stock Closer Than Your Skin: Unwrapping the Mystery of Intimacy with GodSusan HillWaterBrook Press / 2008 / Trade Paperback$14.39 Retail:4 Stars Out Of 5 3 Reviews $15.99Save 10% ($1.60)Availability: In StockCBD Stock No: WW073825 Looking for God: An Unexpected Journey Through Tattoos, Tofu, and PronounsNancy OrtbergTyndale House / 2008 / Hardcover$2.49 Retail:5 Stars Out Of 5 3 Reviews $14.99Save 83% ($12.50)Availability: In StockCBD Stock No: WW313320 The Bible is full of clever plots and compelling stories, laced with historic insights and literary beauty. Despite its richness and depth, many of us struggle to close the gap between the ancient world and our own. What does it mean to know that Jesus is the Good Shepherd when the only place youve encountered sheep is at a petting zoo? How can you understand the promise of a land overflowing with honey when you buy yours in a bear-shaped bottle? Can you grasp the urgency of Jesus invitation to abide in the vine when you shop for grapes at a local grocery store? Popular author and speaker Margaret Feinberg invites you to accompany her on the spiritual adventure of a lifetime. Explore how ancient livelihoods illuminate meaningful Christian truths that apply to life today. Spend time with a shepherdess, farmer, beekeeper, and vintner who each bring fresh insights to familiar Scriptures. Scout the divine and move from just reading the Bible to entering stories that can be touched, tasted, heard, seen, smelled, and savored. Casey Taylor5 Stars Out Of 5February 23, 2010Casey TaylorMargaret Feinbergs Scouting the Divine is a gem by someone unabashedly in love with stories, especially the Story of the Bible. This was my first encounter with Feinberg; it wont be my last.Feinberg loves Scripture, loves the stories and the tangled mess of messy characters in the Bible. But shes keenly aware that the 21st century is a much different place than agrarian ancient Israel. There are few shepherds roaming the American hills, and though many Americans love their alcohol, few see the patient process of wine making. Feinberg set out to change some of that with Scouting the Divine.She travels cross-country to experience firsthand the origins of wool, wheat, wild honey and wine. Spending time with a shepherd and her sheep, Feinberg hopes to better understand the numerous biblical references to shepherding, like describing God as Shepherd of Gods people. In Nebraska she reconnects with the earthiness of farming, a favorite field of metaphors for Jesus himself (cf. the parable of the sower, for example). In Colorado she visits a bee keeper, attempting to grasp what Old Testament writers meant by calling Israels promised land, Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey. Finally, Feinberg tramps into Napa Valley California to learn about the craft of winemaking. Feinberg is a gifted, lyrical writer, giving just the right amount of attention to each experience. Her earthy, hands-on engagement is the strength of Scouting the Divine. Without writing obsessively long and self-important theology (ironic as that may seem), she gives us a second-hand glimpse into the context of biblical stories and metaphors. She brings the Story to life. By books end, I wanted one finger in a fresh jar of honey and the other holding a glass of red wine.Nevertheless, I wholeheartedly endorse Scouting the Divine. Its a great book by a good writer. Best of all, itll make you hungry for the words of life found in Scripture. Tami5 Stars Out Of 5January 3, 2010TamiI loved this book! Most of the Christian books that I read have an 'educational' overtone that teach principles, facts, and Godly insight into the scriptures. This book not only does that but does so in a way that you imagine yourself in the hands of the great Shephard, alongside the beekeeper, and walking in the fields of the farmer and vitner. I can not wait to take a group of young girls to a local herder and let them experience the joy of sheep and teach them about the wonderments of God as we tread through 'sheep poo'! Debbie from ChristFocus Book Club5 Stars Out Of 5December 7, 2009Debbie from ChristFocus Book Club"Scouting the Divine" is Scripture-focused and a fast, enjoyable read. About half of the book was spent describing (in a "as it happened" style) how she found the expert, arriving and getting to know the expert, and what the author's day with them was like. She then would ask the shepherd/farmer/beekeeper/vintner questions about verses in the Bible that related to sheep and shepherding, farming, beekeeping, and growing grapes. They would answer, and she'd then apply what she learned to bring out insights about the Bible.Though I've read books on these topics before, the author still brought new insights to the subject. The sheep and vineyard sections were especially good. I'm a farmer, and I felt that the farm section could have been more insightful. I also didn't entirely agree with the farmers' take on one parable (about the tares), though the lesson they derived was Bible-based. The honey section didn't have much of a Bible-application section since there's not much about honey in the Bible, but what was there was interesting.Though the author was asking these questions of a modern shepherd, etc., she did research the ancient practices and brought up the differences where she knew about them. Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants further insight into the parables, metaphors, and events of the Bible. eleanor4 Stars Out Of 5November 27, 2009eleanorMargaret Feinberg's "Scouting the Divine" is a delightful read. She gracefully navigates through her encounters with a shepherdess and her sheep, a farmer and his crops, a beekeeper and his bees, and a vinter and his vineyards, with a transparency that causes the reader to experience some what she experienced. Narration and spiritual insight are delicately interwoven so that God becomes tangible rather than distant, paralelling the style of Jesus' teaching during His years on earth.While reading this book a reader can expect to be impacted according to their unique situation. As a farmer's daughter, despite my awareness of many of the details explored in Margaret's visit to a farm, my appreciation for them was deepened through her perspective. Misguided in my judgements of myself and others because of my judgments of sheep, Margaret's description of her visit with a shepherdess transformed what I saw as faults to be despised into reasons to receive and pass on love. My ignorant fear of bees, as a result of Margaret's interaction with them, has turned into a fascination with and fondness of honey. And through Margaret's insightful exploration of a vineyard, my dispair at difficult circumstances or unrighteous character was offered hope for change and future productivity.My sentiments of Margaret's book, "Scouting the Divine," echo her's of visiting a sheperdess, on page 68: "my weekend with the shepherd did more than open my eyes to passages of Scripture; it opened my heart anew to God." Margaret connects these spatterings of truths throughout the book into a personal conclusion that highlights how what she learned on her excursions has impacted her. Anyone willing to follow her example of receptivity to truth evident in this visceral collection of experiences, can expect to be refreshed, enlightened, and exhorted. Leah Farmer5 Stars Out Of 5October 12, 2009Leah FarmerEach time I read one of Margaret Feinberg's books I think "She won't top this one. THIS is my favorite." And the same is true with Scouting the Diving. Once again Margaret's voice captured me immediately and carried me through straight to the end. I love that this book gives me insight into some very detailed aspects of some of the most familiar concepts used throughout the Old and New Testament. I appreciated Margaret and Leif's willingness to hit the road to meet and spend time with people who have hands on experience as shepherds, farmers, vintners, and beekeepers just to find additional insight for not only the author but also for the reader. Some of the highlights for me included: (1) Seeing the tenderness of the shepherd Lynn with her sick and orphaned lambs and being reminded that God loves me even more than Lynn loves her sheep; (2) The reminder about the dedication it takes for a farmer to stay the course during rough/lean harvest years and wait on God's timing helped me to remember that my timing is not always Gods; (3) The amazing complexity of a beehive was astounding. I have continued to think about the idea that every bee has a role within a season and that sometimes the role of the bee can even change;(4) I so needed to hear someone say that it is okay for 2 vintners to have different goals such as quality versus quantity and that there is a place for both. Most of all I'm grateful for the reminder from Margaret (and from God) that He is still in love with His creation and will not ever abandon it. Margaret has a sweet and fun voice in her writing that makes you feel as though you are along for the ride. I appreciate her candor and willingness to express her own areas of struggle to the reader. I will be giving this book as a gift this holiday season and be looking forward to facilitating a Bible study about this book in the future. Other Customers Also Purchased His Comforting Embrace Sympathy Cards, Box of 12Marian Heath / 2012 / Gift$4.99 Retail: $5.99Save 17% ($1.00)Availability: In StockCBD Stock No: WW160951 Walk With Jesus Family Time Together Booklet, package of 10Group Publishing / 2014 / Trade Paperback$8.19 Retail: $9.99Save 18% ($1.80)Availability: In StockCBD Stock No: WW71135X Find Related Products - Books >> Biblical Studies >> Socio-Historical Studies - Books >> Christian Living >> Spirituality >> Personal Testimonies - Books >> Christian Living >> Spirituality >> Spiritual Growth >> Lessons from Scripture - Christian Living >> Spirituality >> Personal Testimonies - Christian Living >> Spirituality >> Spiritual Growth >> Lessons from Scripture - Start A New Christianbook.com Search

I have been interested in hobby beekeeping and have a chance to take a colony of bees from an old hive I found on some property I just purchased. I should be recieving in a couple of days a new hive set up w/ 2 deep hive bodies and all other nessecities. The old hive is just one body sitting on the ground, the bottom looks very fragile, the cover is ajar and the bees are coming and going from there. When I get the smoker and the suit I would like to try to get a look inside and am sure that all the frames are probably stuck fast. I have read a lot of books and some of this forum and would like some advise. I was going to try to get some of the old frames out, look for a queen and see what is going on, put most of the frames into the new body with the new second body on top for them to expand to. ( they look crowded hanging all out of the old box). Will they take to the new hive or just go back to the old? This time of year, there are not very many flowers, should I feed them? What would some of you guys do? I would like to set them up right. Thanks. If your moving frames over there should be no problem. Set the new hives next to the old hives, move frames and brood with queen. Shake all bees from the old hive out and remove all the old hive parts. They will have no place to go except the new hive. This should go rather smoothly. If you can't remove the old frames or they are not worth saving, this could present a small problem. But the key is getting brood with the queen to the new box. Where they go the other bees will follow. Thank you for the info, I hope it does go smoothly. I am very excited to give this a try. I agree with Bjorn. It will help to have a long knife (10" blade or more) to reach down and cut attachments that are a ways down in side to get the comb loose. Getting the first frame out is the hardest. Start at one end and try to cut and pry the first one loose. It will be glued to the rests and glued to the frame next to it. After the first one it will be easier but you need to cut and pry them over into the empty space you've created getting the first one out. Also, even if the bottom board is rotten, the boxes may be sound. After you get the frames out you can check it. Use a screwdriver or some other blunt semi sharp instrument and poke at the wood and see if it's soft or not. If the old hive is just a single box. You may simply want to place this body, even if not in the best shape, on a new bottom board. If the frames and box are in bad shape, this may be the best option as it saves the brood and food stores. You can add a new deep super (etc) on top of the old box. The bees will move up into the new box as they go. When they vacate the old box you can remove the box and inspect it and the frames without the chance of crushing bees and getting them worked up. If it were me I would do what Mountaincamp suggested. Just set the old box on a new bottom, add a new broodbox, inner and top cover and wait until next spring. Chances are that by next spring they will have moved up and out of the old box. Then you can add another new one on top and move out the old. That method takes more time and less work and has the same end results. It just depends on your patience. Another thought - if the frames are very difficult to move, you could destroy valuable comb at a time when they may not be able to build enough for Winter. If you don't have any extra comb to use as replacements you may be better off waiting until next spring. It really does depend, on a lot of things. This is one of those "gems" I spoke of not long ago. I don't know what the weather (season) is like in San Miguel. But if there is not enough time for a colony to build back up before winter you risk losing it. If the frames are in good shape and very little attachment, great. A simple swaping of the box. If the frames and box are very dilapidated you risk a lot of upheaval. Perhaps to the point of inadvertantly killing the queen. Things happen. I would not disturb it if it was here in the land of OZ. I would wait until next spring. There is no point in rummaging through the box. It is obvious that it is a thriving colony, it has been fine for years on it's own. My concern is for a novice beekeeper to get some experiance with a new colony and take special care with this "find". If the hive body is in bad shape you could use some Duct Tape to close up the bad places or even tape over the area between the old and new hive body. Sounds llike the best option would be to let the bees build in the new boxes and then next spring remove the old hive body. As MM says IT ALL DEPENDS. I have been transferring some of my hives into new boxes.Some of them were getting pretty ratty .So I just move the old hive to one side,set the new box in its place,and start transferring one comb at a time in the exact order it comes out of the old box.I check each comb for disease and judge the brood pattern of the queen as it is transferred.I use a capping fork to uncap drone brood to see how much varroa is in the hive.It is a routine operation that only takes a few minutes.As long as the frames are standard and in in good shape there should be no problem.The bees wont care what you do,but it is nice to have them in solid equipment. I'm with Bill, wait till next spring. Go buy your wood, build and paint it. Start collecting your other equipment you'll need and plan your beeyard. Plan your methods and other such as that there. Get enough wooden ware for two colonies and order a package for spring. Read what you can, find a beekeeper in your area, call and ask if you can visit on days when they're working with the bees, ask questions, help with the work, and by the time you get those bees, you'll know more about what to expect and do. You may even decide that beekeeping isn't really what you thought it would be and decide not to get involved. But either way, I don't think you'll regret waiting till spring........ I grew up in SLO County and first started keeping bees there when I was a teenager.I am 50 now.The climate there is so mild that you dont have to wait for spring if you dont want to.But because everything dries up in Ca. dont expect to get any foundation drawn unless you do lots of feeding.But since this IS Ca. you could probably pull it off.They will be ok in 1 box if they have enough honey to hold them till spring.If they are light they should be fed.I realize all this takes judgement that only comes with lots of experience.the best thing to do is find someone who sells local honey and make their acquaintance.This is much better than going it alone. I am thrilled at all the great advice that you guys on this board have, and the replys are so quick! It has given me a lot to think about I'm hoping to get the new hive bodies today. I am leaning toward putting a new body on top of the old and waiting till spring but the I will have to get the old hive on a new bottom board because the one that was there is now non-existant and they are coming in and out of the lid. I know by reading that a full hive can be pretty heavy so I'm hoping I don't end up with pieces of an old box and a ruined colony. Then again if the frames comeout rather easily I should just swap them to the new box. I have a lot to think about and as soon as I take a look in there for the first time it may become obvious what I should do. The duct tape is a great idea, that just added to its uses around my place! Duct tape and baling wire are great tools! Thanks a lot you guys are great! Heidi, Look around your area, you might find an experienced Beekeeper or someone that has been keeping bees a while to help you in the transiio to better hive parts. Most Beekeepers are more than willing to help as we all had to start somewhere. Usually if you just think about the problem you can come up with a solution or someone elses help. Just my thoughts. Good Luck. Yes, I have looked around for someone in my area but have come up with nothing but bee removal people that don't really want to talk to me unless I want them to come take the bees away. The people that do have hives on their property don't own them. Someone comes from a long distance only certain times a year. I was told that "they were very busy and would not have time for you". So I have books and this message board and have learned a lot. By the way, my area is inland from the central coast of Calif. Very mild winters, not a lot of rain, it is in the 100's now through Sept. Absolutly dry as a bone. Yes, I'm learning to make the connection regarding location. (embarassed). Just be prepared. Knowing the weight of the hive contents and the condition of the equipment will help you to avoid mistakes and that 20 20 hindsight issue. ;0) I'm turning into a real advocate for the welfare of bees. I like to err on the side of caution. And us ladies are more emotionally involved as a rule so we have a tendancy to kick ourselves in the pants for ignorant mistakes. IMO Not trying to be biased here. Take no offense anyone. I feel very responsible to the bees. After all we are partners. If I take too much honey and they starve I feel like I've let them down terribly. If I leave too much, that's a good thing.

As a new member you will: Receive a “Beekeeping in Indiana” book. Receive a Quarterly Newsletters. Receive a Membership Roster with over 1200 members. Free $2,500 accidental death policy Vote for Board Members at the Fall Meeting. November 9, 2014 McCormick's Creek Early notice of Bee School end of February with renowned national bee expert speakers. Indiana State Fair Sell your honey at the IBA booth Make money for your local organization Work the booth for a ticket to the Fair Access to Statewide Field Clinics dates and locations. Name on Swarm Call List on the web site. Name on Local Honey for sale list on the web site. Availability to the Young Beekeepers award. Availability to the Brent Bridwell award. As a new member your dues: Help fund the State Programs that the IBA supports. Help the IBA support the local clubs with advice and speakers. Help support this website which is available to all beekeepers. Every beekeeper has some effect on the other beekeepers around them. If other beekeepers bees are weak and sick then that can make mine weak or sick. Personally I'm interested in helping others and that helps me. Being a part of the IBA, helps you to be well informed and represented on a state level as well as nationally if possible. We need to get other beekeepers to see the big picture and get them to understand they are helping others as well as themselves." by Jim Owen, Director IBA Join the mainstream of Indiana beekeepers by joining IBA now! The form shown at the right is all you need to get started with your membership in the IBA. For more information about joining, call Debbie Seib at 317-432-9578 or email [email protected]. If you'd like to renew your membership or join the IBA using PayPal, please click on the Membership Page link below. There is a transaction fee added on.

My relationship with London has changed. Those who know me well know how much I have struggled with this relationship. The act of walking through it back in April shifted my perceptions somewhat; rather than popping up mole like and quite blind from an Underground experience, as has been the way I have always arrived, I had physically moved myself about the city, from Kingston in the west to Tooting in the central south and Belsize Park and Hampstead in the north, and begun to know for myself what London truly is, a conglomerate of villages, each one tacked onto the next in a ceaseless stream of road and building; of living, sprawling urban life. Yet each village lives still, and I begin to feel as a small plant that wheedles its way up through a crack in the tarmac, that there is a way of living beyond the enormity, of living a village life within the whole, something probably every Londoner could have told me if I had only been able to hear. What has changed then? Not London, at least not in its relating to me, no: I have changed. No longer overwhelmed by the sheer size, I am firmly and clearly myself, and that has made all the difference. I am myself in this place, so now the nature of the relationship has changed. I am not subsumed by the city, and therefore resenting it for encroaching. I am meeting it as an equal, another entity, and being willing to look in this way, have discovered that it is not one, but many, each a very distinct identity, and there is in me now, growing hour by hour, as I sit in SE London, in Westcombe, in the borough of Greenwich, a curiosity about this place, this piece of earth that has become a mighty human stronghold, its history, its tales, its collective identity. How did it get this way? What roots need following to their beginnings, what threads to follow to take us to a bright and healthy resilient city? Maybe it is there already, I have a sense it is; bubbling away in each and every settlement are the voices and actions of those who can see, can see the beauty and the pain of their place, can see the possibility and potential, and who have the energy and the belief to work for love of their place. So today I bring tales, fresh tales, from the Place of Tota’s People, from the Farm of Heoruwulf, and from the Grassy Place by a bend in the Dark River; tales that couldn’t be more different, and yet similar. How do we transition a city? I have thought almost endlessly about this question since the Transition Cities Conference in Nottingham exactly two years ago. And, I think maybe we have been asking the wrong question; What we really want to know is how do we all live together on our earth in a resilient way that ensures the well being of all who inhabit it, don’t we? The answer to that is perhaps, simply, for each of us look at a size that is manageable, and I don’t for one second mean by this that a city is too large, not at all, but what I do suggest is that we each ask ourselves a question; “What size of place feels manageable to me, personally?” This question brings the scale of things right back to where it counts, for we none of us are able to imagine that which we cannot see the boundaries for. Would we build a house without knowing where the walls should be, draw a picture without the size of paper visible, cook a soup without seeing the size of the pan we have? We all know what would happen if we cook too much soup for the pan, add too many ingredients, and watch the liquid spill out all over the cooker, we know too what happens when a child draws off the paper and onto the table, how much trouble we would be in if in our house building we built one of the walls on our neighbour’s land, and what happens when we build a settlement on a river’s floodplain... We transition a city just as we transition everywhere else. We first establish our own sense of place. This might mean many things; our old stomping ground from childhood if we are fortunate enough to have a good relationship with our hometown and have stayed put, it might be the bioregion that makes sense to us, where the river flows and the hillsides slope, it could be the people that make up our sense of place and if they went away we’d feel lost, it might be a familiar commuting route and all the landmarks we see each day and have become part of the fabric of our daily life. It may well mean different things to different people. Whatever it is that connects us to the place where we live is the key to transition. It is essential. As I walked I met many people transitioning many sizes of place. What I invariably found was that people had started big and gone smaller. This feels logical, makes sense to me on all levels. Ask a big question and we tend to look for BIG answers. We seek big answers, and more often than not retreat, overwhelmed. If we are serious about the question though we are soon right back with it, asking again, but with a little more humility this time round, we bring it back to ourselves; “What can I do?” Not, what would I do if I were omnipotent and the whole world would do my bidding, but simply, what am I personally, physically, emotionally, mentally, able to do right now? People in transition recognised symptoms of burn out, withdrew to lick their wounds, and then started, cautiously, to look around them again. They had narrowed their vision, and could see a new perspective; their home, their street, their immediate neighbourhood. They started again, this time thinking small. Narrow, small? I can hear the whirring of doubt, how can small and narrow be good? Well, if all we saw was small and narrow we might well not answer our question, and therein the paradox of Transition and our times. An often quoted statement “Think Global, Act Local” sums this up well. How do we transition a city? "Think City, Act Village". There is something incredibly and endlessly empowering about working in this way. The clearer the identity of the place the more can be achieved, the people are in relationship with the place, working together on three levels, as an individual, as a community, and as an integral part of the place. From this way of working the components, the cells, the villages of the city, each bring their own unique flavour and identity to the whole, bring of their best, their talents, skills, and experiences, and an acknowledgement too of their weaknesses, their difficulties, and their needs too. Only then can the city begin to function as a healthy whole. Working at city level is only echoing the Top Down structures that already exist. Working at village level, at street level, brings the power right back to where it belongs, in everybody’s hands, and heads, and hearts. Tooting – the place of Tota’s People I told tales of transition in Malvern in the summer, and last week I received an email from a woman called Helen Jolly. She’d a tale to share; it had been living in her ever since she’d heard the tales of the summer. It was a tale of Tooting. It is a tale of Tooting that has its seeds in Swaziland. A woman went to Africa; such an easily spoken statement. I wonder how that will sound to those born in 2030? The woman learnt much from her experience, she saw the poverty, more acute perhaps than anything we have experienced, but she saw something else too; she saw solutions; local solutions, she saw community gardens producing local food. She returned to Tooting, she was a medical student, she returned to St George’s Hospital. She saw the lack of well being in the patients, the lack of knowledge around the importance of good food for healthy bodies. She talked to fellow students, they found spare ground, they got permission to clear it; they started an allotment, an allotment that now supplies some of the food that is served in the hospital. The name George means farmer, how fitting that this hospital should honour its namesake by tilling the ground. Harledsen - Heoruwulf’s Farm I am invited to visit Heoruwulf’s Farm by journalist Rose Rouse. She has spent the past year whenever she can walking about her part of London, Harlesden, meeting the people who live around her, dipping into its history, delving into the change of use of the buildings, and inviting others to join her to talk as they walked. Rose came across me and Transition in an article in the magazine “Kindred Spirit” and was struck by the story walk similarity. We agree to meet to talk about Harlesden and about transition. I have been promising London another visit for a while. As I walked through it in May I met Irena & Edward Hill. “Are you coming to Greenwich?” they asked And I had to say that I wasn’t, not then. We met in Covent Garden and agreed I would come back, in the Autumn, and tell the tales I had gathered. So it was that I found myself on a train headed east yesterday; headed to the great city of London. When we were within an hour or so of the station the train decided to make its discomforts plain, one engine shut down first, and when that wasn’t sufficient warning that enough was enough, the brakes came on and they wouldn’t budge. I was going to be late, funny that, I wasn’t usually late when I walked. The frustration felt by the passengers served to make the driver do all he could and we limped into Paddington station one hour late. My travel companion said there was always a fault with this train – it was a trip she made every week. Poor train, struggling to be heard, much as our bodies do, a cold first, then flu, a viral infection, chronic fatigue, thyroid problems, chronic disease... paralysis. What is it that is inherent in our system that we don’t know how to listen, and if we do, we feel compelled to ignore the messages; desperately seeking continuation; at any cost. Meanwhile the delay had made community happen, we were all talking with our neighbours, Mine learnt I was writing a book, and was off to meet a journalist. I heard how she would have no hot water or heating if she didn’t get to her home in time for the plumber’s visit. The women behind us shared stories of an important job interview, and of a meeting. When we arrived in Paddington we parted with wishes of And the irritations of the delay melted away on a sea of goodwill. Although late, Rose and I were still able to meet, and I came up from Willesden Junction station to a long wet road; Harlesden in November. We walked along together, along the streets. It was quiet. There was traffic, but it was the level of traffic I remember from my childhood, safe to cross the roads, no one in a hurry, many on foot, or waiting for a bus. Rose pointed out the buildings, above their often shabby facades, many of them sporting a seventies look, in peeling paintwork, and faded plastic signs, they were magnificent; the architecture of the Georgians, and the Victorians, rising proudly to the skies. Time warp; multi faceted; Harlesden through the ages. The faces in the street, and the wares sold, multi faceted too; each and every glimpse, a smile or a grimace, a curly lock, or a stout wet weather jacket, a shiny cut glass bowl, or a golden swan; a tale to be told. A part of me longed for a day of my life to spend with each and every one of those glimpses, to delve into that life, that story, that piece of humanity; what riches to be had here, treasures untold, heroes unsung. Rose tells me of a hunt she once went on, to find the old Harlesden Hippodrome, she didn’t find it first time, but she knows where it is now, she points it out, or at least the site of it, it’s a brash seventies three storey block of Job Centre on the High Street. A sign of the times for sure; Victorian pleasure palace to functional soulless bureaucrat’s place of work. What will Harlesden in 2030 look like I wonder? Reggae music sounds cheerily out of one shop doorway, and I feel my feet change rhythm of their own accord, and through a big shop window we look in on three or four large male hairdressers gazing out into the street from their rodeo themed salon. We take a kind of survey of the shops we pass; there are more hair shops than anything else, selling real hair, imported from all over the world. We enter an emporium; it sells pans, washing up liquid... and giant animal sculptures. Rose asks where the glitzy golden swans and giant polar bears come from; Germany, and who buys them; mainly the Turkish. As we are leaving a young and beautiful Turkish matriarch, magnificently large in her black burkah, eyes a-flashing, manfolk trailing beside her, sweeps inside and demands her money back... There are fish shops too, dead fish beautifully laid out in intricate rows amongst the ice. We dip into one to ask where the fish comes from. “All over the world” says the owner proudly, “Nigeria, India...” We see blue parrot fish, red mullet, and so many varieties I have never seen before. It brings things home somewhat; here there is a community of fish eaters, but they are far from the fishing villages. I remember Brighton, playground to princes; would that once have served London with its fish? Rose points out the fishes’ eye; they are dead and old, curved inwards, how long dead? Many shops look like colourful market stalls, inside they are butchers, and grocers, outside they are vibrant with fresh fruit and vegetables. We try asking where the yams are brought in from but the young salesman doesn’t have enough English to help us; he keeps repeating a name we don’t understand, whether he’s correcting our use of “yam” to describe the vegetable, or telling us its providence it is hard to say. It may be difficult in the future for those that have become accustomed to receiving foods from their faraway places of origin, but there are those that have been part of the fabric of Harlesden for so long that they have found the timeless way to provide food and well being to their life. Rose takes me to JJ’s. JJ is Jamaican, 68 years old, bushy white hair in Rasta locks down his back, he came here following his parents who arrived in the sixties. He has a fast food joint serving Jamaican delicacies, beef jerky and coconut cakes; the faded seventies signs say “jus enouf” and “a likkle bit more”. Next door he owns the smooth blue sophisticated smoked glass wine bar, and behind the two businesses? His allotment. He’s had it four or five years he says. Its empty right now, all been harvested for the year. We are invited back to see it in the summer. He grows cabbage, carrots, spring onions, tomatoes; he reels off a list of the things he grew this season. What does he do with it all, does it feed him? Absolutely; him and his friends and family both. It seems that, whatever our environment, not all of us have forgotten what all our ancestors once took for granted, that food comes from the land around us, and that we can all grow it very easily. Rose and JJ talk local politics; it seems the political borders were moved around at the last election putting here in Harlesden two well liked female vocational candidates in competition with one another. There was a Labour MP and now there is a Liberal. Rose and JJ talk familiarly about Sarah and of Jane. I am warmed by the knowledge that this town (for townlike it feels, not city at all) is cared for, cared about. Rose asks JJ if he gets involved with youth work, if they help him in his allotment. Not as such he replies, though they are welcome if they come along, but he does his bit talking at the local schools as an Elder. Both Rose and I delight at the way in which he uses this term. It’s spoken as naturally as if he had said “I’m a postman” No shame, no disempowerment here, this is a man who is comfortable with his age, his position in society, what is more understands his role in the community, and is a positive pleasure to spend time with. “How long have you been here?” I ask. “too ooo long” he drawls. Too long, and yet even with this as his feeling, as a man born into sunshine stares out into the grey English afternoon, he is committed. Committed in a way that is a model for us all; growing vegetables in a yard he’s turned over to allotment, “it’s therapeutic,” he grins taking his role as an Elder seriously, taking active interest in the goings on in the place where he lives. Maybe commitment to place is about more than attachment to a place, maybe it’s about a commitment to life; being all of oneself no matter the circumstance, living our life fully, taking care of our own well being first and foremost, then that of those around us, and also that of our environment. This is surely no moral stance, but common sense. We take our leave and amble along the streets some more, we sneak down an alleyway following a gaggle of men so that Rose can show me a mosque in a garage next to a mechanic’s. Next on her list of adventures; a friendly bouncer to take her on the Harlesden club trail to take in the nightlife scene. We have tea and pastel de nata in the Portuguese cafe, Tamiza, that leaves traces of nostalgia pulling at my heartstrings long after our departure. I could be in Lisbon, every nuance of the small corner cafe is Portuguese from its best of all sweets, tartlet like tiny round cases of browned genuine vanilla slice filling, to its smiley- serious proprietor and its Portuguese speaking customers, and yet I felt its Portuguese-ness long before we entered it; what is it I wonder, that indefinable something that gives a place a stamp of origin though it might be far from where it physically sits? We talk of Transition, Rose has tried hard to do her homework and feels she’s failed; she still doesn’t have a clear sense of what Transition is from looking at our website, finding it impenetrable. I try in bits as we walk to tell the tale of Rob’s revelation in Kinsale, of the viral spread of initiatives across the world and across our land, and come back to the phrase that always works: “It’s about Having Fun together” We talk of community, local food, and sense of place, and I feel that Rose has got it more than most. It’s in her very bones, it’s in her every move as she weaves together the people, places, and past of Harlesden, invites others in to share it, to comment on it, and to learn from it. I feel deeply touched that she has invited me in to explore this place, and though neither of us managed to find any signs of a transition movement in the neighbourhood, my sense it is happening just the same. As Rose weaves those tales, as she meets the people and asks the questions, the community of Irish, Jamaican, Trinidadian, Afghan, and Somalian incomers will find a way to bring in all of their native knowledge and meet the challenges of our times. Rose’s blog of her adventures is here http://roserouse.wordpress.com/about-harlesden. I think it’s over, my little foray into Harlesden, and then Rose walks me back to the station, past the red clock tower that is the town’s landmark, by another way, and we come to the Brazilian quarter. It’s visible from afar, the yellow and green paint work vibrant against the grey skies. A little cluster of Brazilian businesses, hot food from Minas Gerais, region famed for the best home cooking in the land, and an acougue and merceria (butchers and grocers) – I look into the window, spot havavianas and regular readers of my blog will know what those mean to me... the bright coloured rubber flip flops which took me all round the country! In we go to investigate. I find the flop flops expensive compared to the prices in Brazil (£13.50 a pair) but I soon get into conversation with the young female manageress and we work out they are the same price here once the currency change from Real to Sterling has been made. We fall into easy conversation, a two way exchange of mutual pleasure to share our experience of the world through the medium of Portuguese. With an invitation to come back and visit anytime, and a moment of laughter as Rose points out that whilst my feet are adorned in bright red flip flops the Brazilian girl’s feet are encased in fur lined boots, we leave, and Rose bids me farewell at the entrance to the train station. It has been a lovely afternoon well spent, I feel as though I have had a journey through time, space, and culture all within a couple of hours. London has taken on new meaning for me, and, with a vow made to fly no more, here is the world, laid out before me, in my very own capital city. The Green Place by a bend in the Dark River (Greenwich) It is not over yet, my experience of the city’s diversity. I take the train to Baker Street and emerge from the Underground at North Greenwich to come face to face with O2. O2, I discover, is the renamed Millenium Dome. It is the first time I have been so close to the controversial monument, and against the greying half light of a late November afternoon, through a filter of autumnal rain and garish orange street lights, its immense white light topped antennae and Las Vegas style advertising cylinders give it altogether the air of belonging on some distant alien Star Trek planet. Red double-decker buses ply between the various station bus stops and in the distance the already lit towers of neighbouring Canary Wharf rise space age like above the horizon in an eerily lit sky behind a petrol blue fence with ivy creeping over it. The future predicted by countless sci fi novels is here. I stand in wonder, two feet strong on the concrete floor of a bus shelter, awaiting Irena, at the juxtaposition between past and future, as indeed we ever stand. Irena arrives, apologetic, the traffic is backed up to beyond the Blackheath tunnel and she has been sitting in a traffic jam. Yet again I recall the simplicity of the walking. It is lovely to see Irena and Edward again. We chat about plans for the evening storytelling, and the school visit the next day. We have dinner and walk down the hill to the Vanbrugh pub. We are in a side room to ourselves till Quiz Night begins. It is a cosy circle of transitioners and storytellers, from Greenwich and from nearby New Cross. I hear tales of beekeeping happening now in Greenwich, and the Chorlton honey now being produced, of new orchards that have just been acquired and plans being hatched for the types of trees to be planted and Cynthia, local vicar as well as transitioner, offers hazel and walnut saplings from her garden. She also laments the annual battle with the squirrels which she lost this year, getting none of the walnuts from her tree. Another of the circle suggests the squirrels’ avarice may well have to do with hunger, as she has seen troupes of people stripping trees bare, collecting up bagfuls of the squirrels’ usual fare; the chestnuts. Community building is happening in all sorts of inventive ways; Guerrilla Golf is played along one street, with each participating household providing a hole, from pieces of turf laid on the pavement outside their gate, to ingenious contraptions for the ball to roll into. The Equestrian element of the Olympic Games are to be held in Greenwich Park, much to the disgust of local residents who have already lost access to parts of their public green space, 2 years in advance of the Games, as preparations are made. The greatly treasured ancient site of the Celtic and then Roman temple to Minerva has been cordoned off and being turned into a horse jump. Public consultation has not happened and opinion has been disregarded and Transition Westcombe have decided to hold a Winter Pantomime Horse Event in the park, engaging the local dog walkers to participate as well. If nothing else they intend to have some fun together. The tale reminds Rich of the time he dressed up as a giant panda for an event and to practice the walking through water element of his performance he got into the pond in the park and was reprimanded by park officials and evicted! It seems fun in the park for the locals is not given the priority that fun for wealthy international visitors is by those who are charged with its care. Everyone is thrilled with the visitor from New Cross, excited at having transition neighbours, and even more delighted by news of their latest project. One of their number has the skill of Opera. Opera, you may well ask, how is that a Transition Skill? Aha, well perhaps when you have had the pleasure of seeing their performance; “The Climate Chronicles” in your area, you will understand. Transition Greenwich book the company to come to them and perform; they are very excited. Andy tells us about the other things New Cross have been doing including a series of up cycling workshops where unwanted garments and household fabrics are given a new lease of life, as a bag, or new garment. I am given gifts of the Transition Westcombe logo, a photosphere of an ancient local tree, and a cartoon of a future man, breathing with the aid of a tree in his oxygen mask. Storyteller Rich Sylvester comes up to me and presents me with a copy of the map of Greenwich he and Greenwich school children compiled (www.EastGreenwichHistoryMap.co.uk ). It is full of local history; a wonderful reminder that the key to a healthy future lies in the past. As we leave the pub the Quiz Night has begun, we creep past full tables of eager locals, and acknowledge the part these events play in community cohesion. Next morning Edward takes me on a tour of his photospheres; he is the artist who created the 360 degree circular photographs that enable us to see a familiar view from every angle of perception (www.glartists.com ). He presents me with the one I have admired most; a limited edition of Wells Cathedral, it reminds me of my walk, and is for me the most beautiful of the circular landscapes on display, the sturdy cathedral blending with its watery spring and the misty day in a most unusual fashion. We go to the John Roan School where I am to spend an hour with a class of year 9s. I enter the room with the head of year, and meet the teacher and the PGCE teaching assistant. Some of the class are already in place, I am shocked by the way there are only 6 of them here yet but they are sitting as far away from one another as possible. I ask for the tables to be brought together and chairs brought round. By the time we start we have 14 students, two teachers, and me, all sitting around a big table together. That feels better! I start off with a “how are you feeling” activity and can almost feel some of the children drinking in the opportunity to be treated as individuals with separate feelings going on inside. I look round the faces at the table, barely a one similar to the other; there are African, Indian, and Caucasian types. There are blondes, head dressed ones, tall, short, shy and cheeky, the usual mix of any classroom and yet for me the diversity of ethnicity is a total delight. How refreshing, how many opportunities for learning from one another, and yet no, the children, though they are clearly interested, fascinated by the tale of my walk, and intrigued by transition, are unable to hold their attention for more than a couple of minutes at a time. My heart reaches out to them, what have we done that our children no longer have the capacity to take in anything new, and give it their full attention. It is no surprise, how could we expect anything else, these children are sent from place to place, home to school, classroom to classroom, adult to adult, and where is the reflection time? Where is the time to be with their own company to know how it is to be themselves in their own skin, from moment to moment, how does it feel when dad is made redundant, another baby is born, when a parent leaves home, how does it feel when huge changes are happening inside their bodies, when their emotions are in turmoil, when there is no quiet undemanding time in which to rest, to puzzle it out, to feel comfortable with self. When too the time to spend quality time with peers, without peer pressure to perform in a certain way. All of this time stolen from them as we desperately educate them for a world that no longer even makes sense to us. The temptation to allow the children to simply be is almost irresistible and we get through only a small part of my plan. They have learnt what Transition is, that grass roots means they have the power to make things happen, and that the well being of everyone, including themselves, is important. They have had a bit of time to be, to laugh, to ask questions, to wonder, they have been noisy, but not wilfully so, lacking in attention, but not through boredom, and hyper, but then they are 13 years old and cooped up in a small room in a building that does not look out over fields and the voice that has just come over the tannoy American style and has eaten into 5 minutes of our time together has just informed us that outside it is raining so there will be no going out at break, but all will be herded into the sports hall. “Shut up” mutters a blonde girl in exasperation as the voice drones on and on. In the midst of all of this, an Afro Caribbean boy, Bobby, let us call him, says, as I ask the class to stand up and stretch, to yawn, and wriggle, to stretch their bodies, and notice how they are feeling “I was feeling angry about something a few minutes ago, but it has gone now and I feel fine” It is lovely to hear; this young boy has understood that feelings are not fixed, but pass through us like the weather. A lesson many adults seem loath to learn. The children are amazed by my walk; they cannot comprehend the distances involved. When I show them on a map where Devon is, I have to explain it is 3 hours by train, but it still doesn’t register. For some, it seems, barely leave their home-school route, haven’t heard of Mount Pleasance, the local park where the Transition Westcombe Orchard is to be along with an eco cafe, and just one boy knows where it is. The concept of locale, sense of place, seems even more pertinent than ever before. Reaching out into my resources I ask myself how best to engage these children in a way that would be meaningful. “Would you like to do a community walk around Greenwich?” I ask, and finish my session by talking about the collective 2012 walk around Britain I have begun to vision. I ask for a volunteer to be class spokesman to share information as soon as it is ready with the others. At the end of the class an earnest Indian boy comes up and gives me his e mail address. When asked what tales of Greenwich they want to contribute to the tale there is silence, the kind of silence that is not pregnant with yet to be expressed contributions, but the kind that is fearful, full of the expectation of being forced to answer something you do not know how to respond to. Then Bobby says “Your tale, the tale of you coming all this way to visit us” I feel embarrassed, and then I realise that it is true, for these children who have barely left their neighbourhood a visitor from across the country is a tale to tell! It awakens me to a piece of truth I have not been looking closely enough at. Not only is sense of place the crucial piece of this puzzle, it is only by accessing, acknowledging, and valuing each and every person’s sense of place that we can truly be said to be inclusive. As the children leave and we adults tidy up the maelstrom of discarded books; the session has run over and the kids have to be elsewhere, we share our observations; the students had been interested, the glimmer of something outside of their own lives had shone through the layers. I found myself wishing I could come back and get to know them more. Later I talk with Rahima, the head of year, and we establish that the liaising with the walk will have to happen through members of staff; we are not allowed to have the children’s e mail addresses. The doors are open though, and I feel welcome to come back. Later Ed and I walk through the park to the train station, past the preparations for the forthcoming Games, areas of fenced off grass full of machinery and workers. Saddened by the impact the Games are already having on the landscape I wonder if this disregard for the local community always happens when a country hosts the Games and Ed says yes, he has been researching the impact they have, often felt for years afterwards as the chemically injected and concrete topped ground struggles to regenerate, the landscape changed forever by externally imposed structures that never had any sense of blending into their local environment, but were branded, homogenised pieces of a 4 yearly world that sought familiarity no matter what land it found as its host. Parasitic. Isn’t it time we asked ourselves a few deeper questions about the nature of this relationship; is the parasite in healthy symbiosis with its hosts, or does it kill them over time? I catch my train and for the first time in the 35 years in which I have been paying London brief visits, I feel I have left a piece of my heart there. For the very first time I catch myself wondering when the next visit might be, what new wonders I will see, and how I can make time to explore this living, breathing organism that is our capital city. I think of those multi coloured, multi cultural children, and the land they are inheriting, and I grieve for the damage the Games will cause their parkland. Suddenly it matters. It deeply matters. Each and every place on our earth matters, and each and every person finding their way in the environment they find themselves in matter. I can feel that the most important thing of all, for me, is to continue collecting, and sharing, stories; real stories, the stories of our times.

- CryptoWall ransom Trojan has infected 625,000 systems, says Dell SecureWorks - Backoff malware infections are more widespread than thought - How a hacker could cause chaos on city streets - Can SDN usher in better IT security? - CryptoWall held over half-a-million computers hostage, encrypted 5 billion files robots - News, Features, and Slideshows robots in pictures The Bledisloe Cup of robotics competitions will take place in Sydney during September with four New Zealand universities taking on 14 Australian universities in the National Instruments Autonomous Robotics Competition (NI ARC) final. What man breaks, man can fix ... at least, that's what we like to think. Consider, for example, bees. Bees of all species are dying off in the US and Europe and over the last few years we've seen the commercial beekeeping industry decimated by a syndrome called colony collapse disorder (CCD). The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is hoping to do better than the Socceroos at their version of the FIFA World Cup, the RoboCup Championships. There isn't a radio-control handset in sight as a nimble robot briskly weaves itself in and out of the confined tunnels of an underground mine. Powered by ultra-intelligent sensors, the robot intuitively moves and reacts to the changing conditions of the terrain, entering areas unfit for human testing. From the new Bionic Man to robotic bartenders, machines are looking and acting more human that ever. In honor of Towel Day, and the Glorious 25th of May, here are ten of our most favorite hacks featured in Geek Tech in the last five months, running the gambit from phone, car, and CPU mods. Read on for some great moments in geek! It seems like a question ripped from the back of a cheap sci-fi novel: What happens when the robots are turned against us? A Thai hospital famous for medical tourism and celebrated for its use of new technologies is turning to robotics to become more efficient and improve patient safety. - Telstra strikes Cloud deal with Telkom Indonesia - Brocade deploys router for new high-speed research network platform - EXCLUSIVE: Tonnex International falls into liquidation after lengthy court battle - SAP backs innovation centre launch with $60m investment in Victoria (+15 photos) - Inabox Group revenue reaches $46.9m but profit slips again

Just Posted – Apply Now – Accepting Qualified Students as Applications Arrive Get a Foundational Permaculture Education with Hands-on Experience Join us for a 3, 4 or 5 week spring, summer, or fall internship session to learn an amazing amount about permaculture while getting plenty of hands-on experience as we begin to implement our 8.7-acre Permaculture Design. |Please Note: A PDC Certificate is a prerequisite of these internships. If you have already earned your certificate… great! We recognize most teachers and trainings offered from around the world. You may also take our PDC course as a refresher for a discounted price. If you have not earned your PDC yet, no problem! You can register for the PDC Course immediately preceding the internship hands-on portion you are interested in.| Sessions for 2013 Choose from one (or more) of the following sessions: What is Included in Each Internship: About our Program Join our community in the midst of transition—with many minds and hands working together—building resources for resilience and abundant living. On the heels of a Permaculture Design Course, you will join us and become part of the force of the community, in day-to-day work and in bringing to life our permaculture design on the 8.7-acre property of the Center for Sustainable Community (CSC). The purpose of this program is to combine formal training (via a Permaculture Design Course) with practical experience in implementing a permaculture design, growing food, and homesteading with the community. Interns will leave with an internationally-recognized PDC Certificate and have the added option of spending time working on their own projects (both land-based and social projects) with coaching from our lead teachers. Participants will work hard, share in the bounty they help to create, and emerge with a much higher level of competency and confidence in their life skills and understanding of the applicability of permaculture in their lives and communities. This program is based in rural Stelle, IL for periods of 3-6 weeks (see below). Structurally, Stelle is a typical suburban town; socially, it attracts those with an enthusiasm for sustainable design, solar energy, lifelong learning, and co-operative enterprises. It was designed in the 1970’s as an intentional community; in 1982, Stelle restructured as an open, conventional homeowner’s association, as it is today. The non-profit, Center for Sustainable Community, and business, Midwest Permaculture, are both based in Stelle, and have partnered to create the internship program. The first week of the program will be a Permaculture Design Course taught through Midwest Permaculture. Our PDC courses include 10-25 students and cover the foundations of permaculture design as well as some in-depth discussions. For more information about Permaculture Design Courses, click here. Those already holding certification in the form of a PDC are eligible to take the course at a reduced rate (see below) or opt to arrive after the PDC has ended. Following the course, interns will move into planning and preparation for the hands-on portion in the following weeks; we will try to focus your involvement in projects based on your interests and talents. For instance, if your interest lies in broiler chickens, we will plan to focus your efforts in that area. The CSC has set several goals to accomplish during the year, so the hands-on period will include work in any of the following areas: While your work will focus on two or three areas, we will educate you on all of these projects—why we’re doing them, how they’re going to work, and what will be needed to accomplish them. For more information on the CSC design, click here. During this time, your hours will be task-based and irregular depending on what needs to be done that week; we ensure weekly days off for everyone’s health, safety and good spirits. Part of the Community As part of the Stelle community, interns will also be involved in our efforts to share resources and build resilience and skill sets. We cultivate both traditional homesteading skills (canning, fermenting, brewing, beekeeping, and baking/cooking) and modern homesteading skills (website development, social media outreach, and video and film production). You will have an inside look at what is involved in running a non-profit organization with invitations to all events, gatherings, and possibly some conferences. We also look forward to learning from what you might have to contribute! The Fees Charged for this Internship The emphasis of our internships are educational and include hands-on experience. Our students are not left out in a field to weed all day. What we charge for this educational opportunity is based on what it costs us for your stay here, including all food, camping space, water, electricity (internet), staff support, and maintenance supplies. The rates are based on space for camping; housing in a private room in Stelle is available for an additional $75 per week. In special circumstances, we can discuss payments and time frame modification; call Becky at Midwest Permaculture (815-256-2215). Already Earned Your PDC Certificate? PDC graduates are eligible to take a course for a 33 percent discount; PDC graduates from Midwest Permaculture can take a course for a 50 percent discount. Is this a Good Fit for Me? “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” --Ghandi If you are looking for a way to gain practical knowledge in transitioning to a sustainable lifestyle, this is your place. If you envision a time when humanity will be able to meet its needs without harming the planet (and even improve it!), and want to help discover and design the path there, this is your place. If you want to change paradigms in small but steady steps, this is your place. We are looking for you! Download and fill out this application and return by email or US mail. There is no charge for submitting an application. Each application will be reviewed upon receipt; telephone interviews may be arranged soon afterwards for some applicants. Qualified applicants will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis, so interested individuals are encouraged to apply as early as possible. If accepted, a $200, non-refundable deposit is due to hold one’s place. Full payment is due on or before the beginning of the training. Financial details can be worked out with Becky at MWP (email or call 815-256-2215).

STATE OF MICHIGAN PROBATE COURT COUNTY OF OTTAWA PUBLICATION OF NOTICE OF HEARING FILE NO. 14-78311-NC In the matter of Joshua Michael Hankins TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS including: whose address(es) are unknown and whose interest in the matter may be barred or affected by the following: TAKE NOTICE: A hearing will be held on September 29th at 8:30 a.m. at 12120 Fillmore Street, West Olive, Michigan 49460 before Judge Mark A. Feyen P32369 for the following purpose: name change, Joshua Michael Hankins to Joshua Conrad Hankins Joshua Michael Hankins 15773 Charles Ct. Grand Haven, MI 49417 (616) 847-6118 August 20, 2014 GARDEN HOSE - New, 3/4" x 75ft. Brass nozzle. Never kinks. $17. Call 616-844-5189. SNAPPER Snowthrower - LE17, runs good. $120. Call 616-250-7176. POWER WASHING Free Estimates on Decks, Houses, Concrete: Driveways, Patios, Sidewalks. Call 616-250-8727 A SPECTACULAR VIEW OF LAKE MICHIGN at GH State Park Beach. Furnished winter rental. $600. 616-402-9911. AVAILABLE Sept.-May. 3 Bedroom, 3 bath. $1500/ month, utilities included. Please call 708-813-0754. CITY OF FERRYSBURG PLANNING COMMISSION NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS Notice is hereby given of two (2) a public hearings to be held by the City of Ferrysburg Planning Commission on Thursday, September 4, 2014, at or after 7:00 p.m. at Ferrysburg City Hall, 17290 Roosevelt Road, Ferrysburg, MI 49409. The purpose of the first public hearing is to consider a proposed ordinance to amend the City Code, Chapter 154 Zoning, Article II and Article III, as follows: 1.Section 2.20 Definitions: Lot, Flag and Lot Line are amended, a new figure titled Figure 2-7: Flag Lot is included and subsequent figures in the Article are renumbered. 2.Section 3.160 a, adding: for cul-de-sac lots, minimum required street frontage is 50 . For all other lots, the minimum street frontage requirement is equal to the minimum required lot width. The purpose of the second public hearing is to consider a proposed ordinance to amend the City Code, Chapter 154 Zoning, Article II and Article III, as follows: 1.Amend Section 2.20, Definitions, by adding new definitions: Animal, Household or Domestic and Apiary. 2.Amend Article 3 by adding a new section, Section 3.330, Keeping of animals which would read: To promote the health, safety, and welfare of City residents, the following applies to keeping of animals: a) Household and Domestic Animals. If household or domestic animals are kept within a dwelling, in a yard, in a structure, or upon a property, the owner or occupant shall remove any odorous, unsafe or unsanitary condition. b) Farm Animals and Beekeeping. Farm animals and apiaries are prohibited on properties other than farms. c) Wild Animals. Wild animals shall not be kept by any property owner Copies of the proposed amendments are available for inspection at Ferrysburg City Hall during regular business hours. Written comments can be mailed to Ferrysburg City Hall, 17290 Roosevelt Road, P.O. Box 38, Ferrysburg, MI, 49409-0038 and will be presented to the Commission if received by Thursday, September 4, 5:00 p.m. Any person who needs special accommodations to participate in the public hearing must notify the City Clerk at least one (1) week prior to the scheduled hearing. Questions about these proposed amendments may be directed to Debbie Wierenga, City Clerk, at 842-5803 between 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Debbie Wierenga City Clerk August 20, 2014 LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE TO CREDITORS Decedent's Revocable Trust Revocable Trust of Elwood M. Bender, Deceased TO ALL CREDITORS: NOTICE TO CREDITORS: The Settlor, Elwood M. Bender, born July 12, 1929, died on August 3, 2014. Creditors of the decedent are notified that all claims against the Elwood M. and Mary Lou Bender Trust under Trust Agreement dated November 11, 1993, as restated in its entirety by an Amendment to and Restatement of Elwood M. and Mary Lou Bender Trust dated August 21, 2002, as amended, will be forever barred unless presented to Mary Lou Bender, 11355 168th Avenue, Grand Haven, Michigan 49417, Trustee, within four months after the date of publication of this notice. Dated: August 18, 2014 Ryan C. Keenan (P66323)Scholten Fant P.O. Box 454 Grand Haven, MI 49417 (616) 842-3030 Mary Lou Bender, Trustee 11355 168th Ave. Grand Haven, MI 49417 (616) 846-1094 August 20, 2014 STATE OF MICHIGAN PROBATE COURT COUNTY OF OTTAWA NOTICE TO CREDITORS Decedent's Estate FILE NO. 14-61046-DE Estate of Arthur Carl Brown Date of birth: April 6, 1936 TO ALL CREDITORS: NOTICE TO CREDITORS: The decedent, Arthur Carl Brown, died August 8, 2014. Creditors of the decedent are notified that all claims against the estate will be forever barred unless presented to Timothy John Villerot, named personal representative or proposed personal representative, or to both the probate at 12120 Fillmore Street, West Olive, Michigan 49460 and the named/proposed personal representative within 4 months after the date of publication of this notice. August 18, 2014 Timothy J. Villerot 15910 Cedar Ave. Grand Haven, MI 49417 (586) 214-5878 August 20, 2014 VINTAGE - Japanese black lacquer and gold painted wooden sake glasses (6) with tray. Approximately 5". $40. Call 616-235-8300. VINTAGE Orange and Purple 10 Piece Set of LUSTERWARE - Marked Japan and Germany. $30. Call 616-235-8300. VINTAGE Shuttlecock - with real feathers. Rally brand. 1 shuttlecock with original packaging. $15. 616-443-9203. BASKETBALL CARDS - 1990 Hoops set, 90-91 Fleer. 198 total. Magic, Jordan, Rodman, etc. in collectors box. $25. Call 616-402-9922. BEER CANS - Iron City Beer; Pittsburgh Steelers. 1975, 1976 and 1980. Great condition. Lot of 7 for $25. 616-402-9922. BELL COLLECTION - Approximately 60 pieces. Includes display cabinet with glass doors. $30. Call 616-842-5548. SPORTS CARDS - Upper deck baseball cards. 1990 complete set in box: 1-700. Mint condition. $10. 616-402-9922. 1 and 2 BEDROOM Apartments with Garage - Heat, clubhouse and pool. Newly redecorated. 842-1860. 1 or 2 BEDROOM - Alpine Rentals. Quiet setting, appliances, heat included. No pets/no smoking. 616-842-6637, 846-4815. Awesome Location in Grand Haven! Williamsburg Apartments 1 and 2 Bedroom Apartments 616-846-1510 or email [email protected]. Visit www.williamsburgGH.com for pricing and additional info! DISHWASHER - Kenmore, black front, works great. $50. 616-846-2069. - 1 of 14 - next ›

Just ask any of our beekeeping customers! The Walter T. Kelley Company provides bees, supplies and equipment to meet the needs of any apiary. Beekeeping – it’s life changing! (Free Shipping: Minimum Order = $200, Some Restrictions Apply) Our New Products, Seasonal Products, and Hot Products section highlights many of the items you need to be successful in your beekeeping endeavors. We may feature the latest in queen rearing one week to a wonderful extraction kit the next week. Choose the type of queen below and place your order today. Place your order today to be delivered to EAS.

High School First Prize StudentCam Contest Winners The high school section first prize-winning video, Requiem for the Honeybee, was shown. The producers, Charles Greene and Eliza… read more The high school section first prize-winning video, Requiem for the Honeybee, was shown. The producers, Charles Greene and Eliza McNitt, 12th-grade students at Greenwich High School in Greenwich, Connecticut, were interviewed by remote video from Stamford, Connecticut. Kevin Hackett of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Research Service particpated in the C-SPAN studio for an in-depth look at the issue of colony collapse disorder (CCD) and the impact it has on society. Kim Flottum, the editor of Bee Culture magazine and author of numerous books on beekeeping, participated by telephone. He talked about his experience as a crop grower and the impact of bees, as well as the impact of colony collapse disorder (CCD) on farmers. C-SPAN Classroom’s StudentCam video documentary contest was a national competition in which middle and high school students produced a documentary exploring an issue of national significance that they believe is in need of urgent attention from the new president of the United States using some C-SPAN footage and covering multiple viewpoints. The local cable company was Cablevision. close *The transcript for this program was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning. People in this video - Hackett, Kevin Program Leader Department of Agriculture->Agricultural Marketing Service - McNitt, Eliza Contest Winner Greenwich (CT) High School - Scully, Steven Host C-SPAN More Videos From Washington JournalMore Videos Economic Cost of Stink Bugs Kevin Hackett and Tracy Leskey talked about the economic cost of the brown marmorated stink bug, accidentally brought… Economy, Congress, and the First 100 Days Gregory Ip and Perry Bacon reviewed the news of the week and looked ahead to the upcoming week. Mr. Ip talked… WJ: Kim Flottum 9:30 On the Phone Phoner KIM FLOTTUM Bee Culture Magazine Topic: Guest, who is the editor of Bee Culture… Book Discussion on The Nixons: A Family Portrait Edward Nixon talked about the book he wrote with co-author Karen Olson, The Nixons: A Family Portrait (Book Publishers…

Date: 15 October 2011 Time: 8:00 AM till 4:00 PM Cost: $25.00 Children under 18 free Location: Public Safety Building Community Room, 116 Zack Hinton Parkway South, McDonough, Georgia Most beekeepers are in it for the honey, although others maintain colonies of bees to pollinate crops, or for the beeswax, propolis, pollen or royal jelly. But did you know it could be a Family Hobby? Join us on Saturday, October 15th, 8:00 A.M., Public Safety Building Community Room, 116 Zack Hinton Parkway South, McDonough, Georgia, when the Henry County Beekeepers will host a Beekeeping Short Course. To print out the registration application, go to our Internet website at www.henrycountybeekeepers.org or for more information call 770-473-5434.

Need to make some weekend plans? Join us for a Fresh City Life My Branch program on Saturday, July 21 and Grow Your Mind! Do you have a little horse lover in your life? Join us for a family-friendly author talk by Peg Sundberg, author of the Cowgirl Peg series at Schlessman at 10 a.m. Her series uses horses and dogs to deliver character building messages to young readers. Dress in your best Western wear! Fresh City Life My Branch has a lot to offer this weekend, whether you're looking to learn about yoga, beekeeping, want to hear an author read, or make a candle in a teacup! All of these adult events are happening on Saturday, May 7: Interested in urban beekeeping? Denver beekeeper Siobhan Keleher will talk about helpful books, websites, and local organizations for the beginning beekeeper, along with an overview of bees and equipment. She'll also answer questions about types of hives, styles of beekeeping, and how to decide what's right for you. 1 p.m. at the Ross-University Hills Branch.

by Walt Wright This article has been modified from the text that appeared in the April 07 issue of Bee Culture. Portions of the submitted draft that were deleted by the editor prior to publication have been restored. A brief description of colony reproductive swarm preparations has been added. The editor had trouble understanding how the reserve influenced the swarm process. The reserve, and time spent building brood nest size to it, affects the timing of steps in the swarm process. How the timing is affected has been added. Unfortunately, the revision did not reach the magazine before their deadline for printing. Be advised that this discussion is overly long and dull, but we should have started here ten years ago. Nectar management/ checkerboarding grew out of these observations. There might have been less resistance to the application techniques if the foundation had been properly emphasized up front. The Capped Honey Reserve This submittal is a general discussion of an obvious feature of the honey bee hive internal content. When opening the hive from the top, capped honey and bees are the first evidence that a functional colony resides there. Accumulation of that capped honey is the basic reason that most beekeepers provide the residence in the first place. While the honey is basic to beekeeping and well understood from a harvest standpoint, very little attention is paid to the bees dependence on survival rations, or how that influences colony activities. The following is a collection of observations relevant to effects on colony activities caused by the bees deliberate care in accumulation, supplementation, replenishing, and protection of their capped honey reserve. Starting with the boring obvious, this submittal will proceed through several aspects of the bees reverence for their reserve that are not treated in the popular literature. Although this is oriented to informing the beginning beekeeper, the experienced beekeeper may find useful a tidbit in this discussion. Maintenance of the overhead capped honey reserve is critical to colony survival. There are times when field forage is not available to sustain the needs of the colony. Over-winter is the worst case, but forage dearths are not limited to that calendar period. Field forage is dependent on the mix of plant species available within flying range. Locations only a few miles apart can vary greatly in available forage. The survival format of the colony must accommodate great variation in field forage availability and seasonal timing of that forage. Long term storage of both pollen and honey provides the flexibility to adapt to local forage patterns. The first-year colony, operating in the establishment mode, starts very early in the establishment process building their capped honey reserve. When they first occupy the empty cavity, getting comb built, rearing replacement bees, and feeding the colony have top priority. But when those priority tasks are well underway, some incoming nectar is diverted to start building the reserve honey. In the Langstroth hive the reserve shows up typically, first in the upper, outside corners of the brood frames. As the brood nest grows both downward and laterally more honey is added at the top, and may stretch all the way across the brood frames. Its obvious that the starter is doing its best to build a reserve while the spring flow lasts. Soon there will be a trail off of field nectar into the mid summer doldrums – through which they will have to depend on the reserve. In my area the starter is seldom successful because of the short spring flow and long summer dearth. They typically need feeding in mid summer unless they have access to agricultural sources that span that period. Those dependent on native sources can starve or be severely damaged by lack of resources in the field. Rearing of brood is a heavy drain on nectar/honey. Larval brood must be fed and a large brood volume is a major contributor to consumption. Adult bees, when the need arises, become inactive and consume less stores. One of the colony’s first reactions to a nectar dearth is to reduce adult bee activity. The adult bee at rest consumes very little. The fully established colony with a comfortable honey reserve has at least three levels of protection of the reserve. The lowest level of limiting adult bee activity during a dearth to limit consumption is automatic, and does no harm. A few scouts go to the field on a continuous basis to monitor for available sources. The nurse bees go about the business of rearing brood, but typically the brood nest volume is being reduced during a dearth – less need for workers during a dearth and less wear and tear on quiescent bees. Foragers don’t age much when they stay at home. When nectar is again available in the field, the colony can pick up where they left off in supplementing honey stores. A second level of protection of stores is cannibalism of drone brood. Before the colony depletes their reserve of honey they sometimes resort to recovering the nutrients already applied to the rearing of drones. Survival of the colony has higher priority than rearing additional drones. Drone pupa are uncapped and their internal juices used as feed. The empty shells of the drone pupa are often scattered on the landing board. The colony is so dedicated to conservation of energy and food that the shells are not carried away. In better times dead bees are carried some distance away and dropped. To prevent attracting attention of area predators the colony will often clean up dead bees on the ground out front of the hive. But in hard times limiting drain on accumulated resources take priority. A third preemptive action to protect the reserve is the stopping of brood rearing. As noted above brood rearing uses stores at an accelerated rate. The established colony has a level of capped honey reserve that is considered mandatory. When the reserve falls below their judgment level, they can stop feeding larval brood. The brood yellows and turns brown as it starves. My exposure to this condition was reported elsewhere and will not be reported here, but to note that suspecting a brood disease that I couldn’t identify, two colonies were unnecessarily destroyed by fire. A few years later another colony with yellow brood was given a super of honey and recovered promptly. The above odds and ends have been described to give you some insight into the significance the colony attaches to the capped honey reserve. For reasons unknown, the significance of maintaining the reserve during the swarm prep period has been overlooked by the beekeeping community. I consider my interpretation of the role of the reserve in the swarm process to be my major contribution to the craft we enjoy. My observations may not attain general acceptance in my lifetime, but that will not keep me from promoting them. In the following, an effort will be made to describe the role of the reserve in the reproductive process of the honey bee. As plain a language as I can muster will be used to describe how the colony insures survival rations while generating the reproductive swarm. During the early build up in late winter the colony builds brood volume to the amount of capped honey reserve that it considers appropriate. Each colony makes an independent judgment of how much reserve to leave unopened, but they are surprisingly consistent in their judgment. When wintered in a deep and a shallow (plenty in my mild, short winter) nearly all colonies will leave all the honey in the shallow at the top unopened. When wintered in a double deep with the cluster in the lower and a full deep of honey at the top, they typically expand the brood volume into half of the upper deep. The expansion dome of brood may reach nearly to the top bars at its peak, but the colony generally leaves a band of capped honey across the top of the expansion dome. Leaving the thin band of capped honey across the top of the brood nest expansion dome appears to be deliberate. I suspect that the band might be more uniform when housed in the peaked or domed tree hollow, but we give them a flat surface to work to. That thin band of capped honey at the top added to the unopened honey in the corners of the box is roughly equivalent to a half deep of capped honey reserve, or a shallow supers worth. When a shallow of honey is added above the double deep configuration, the colony fills the two deeps with brood, and again stops brood nest expansion short of the shallow of honey at the top. The significant point of the above observations is that swarm preparations start when brood nest expansion reaches the limit of minimum honey reserve. It works both ways. The colony that reaches the limit starts swarm preps, and the weaker colony that doesn’t reach the limit doesn’t start swarm preps. Starting swarm preps does not necessarily mean the colony will swarm. They must complete swarm preps and start swarm queen cells before the seasonal cut off timing. Contrary to literature descriptions, the starting of swarm cells is the point in the bees schedule where the colony commits to swarm and not the start of the swarm “impulse.” They have been working toward reproductive swarming for two months prior to starting swarm cells. The first activity of reproduction is building the brood volume to the limiting reserve. Then swarm preparations start. This submittal is about the role of the reserve in initiating swarm preps. Preps take place in the month prior to swarm issue timing. The colony that is on schedule to generate a reproductive swarm will top out maximum brood nest expansion at the limiting reserve in advance of the swarm prep period. How the reserve affects swarm potential is a little obscure, but bear with me on this. The amount of reserve capped honey (nectar if an empty, is reversed) determines how large the brood volume grows during buildup. When the colony expanding the brood nest to support swarm population reaches their minimum reserve limit, brood nest expansion stops. They have expanded the brood nest to the maximum safe limit and have optimized population potential for division by the reproductive swarm. At that point they can move into swarm preparations. The first action of swarm preps is to reduce brood volume by backfilling the upper area of the broodnest. As brood emerges, those cells are filled with incoming forage – preventing those cells from being used to recycle brood. Brood nest reduction has benefits for both the parent colony and the offspring swarm. Two that are easy to see are that the parent colony survival is helped by starting to resupply stores, and the swarm is helped by freeing up young bees needed in the establishment process. From a timing standpoint, the reserve is a critical factor. Broodnest expansion must reach the limiting reserve at least three weeks prior to reproductive cut off. To solidly backfill an area of comb containing worker brood of all ages takes at least three weeks. Drone brood, with longer development time, is exempt from backfilling requirements and those cells may be recycled with brood to support the impending mating season. Repro c/o is the point in the vegetative development where all colonies in a given area abandon swarm ambition if they have not started swarm queen cells. (Normally apple blossom timing in the wooded east.) In summary, the turn-around from brood nest expansion to reduction must precede apple blossom timing by three weeks or reproductive swarm ambition is canceled for that season. They can still generate an overcrowded swarm after that point in the season, but that swarm is oriented to protecting parent colony survival. In the swarm prep period maintenance of the reserve is crucial to parent colony survival. In late winter the season change often comes with late freezes or extended periods of non-flying weather – either of which restricts forage availability. That’s the period that the colony is building population with maximum brood volume to support division by the reproductive swarm. Mother Nature takes care of her own. The colony instinctively protects the reserve during swarm preps. If field nectar can be collected, the colony feeds on incoming. If not available, they can dip into the reserve – that’s what it’s there for. In short, maintaining the reserve is quite deliberate and necessary. Concluding that the reserve initiated swarm preps, I too was skeptical. Was it possible that thousands of beekeepers had overlooked an obvious factor in the swarm process? It seemed like a point of vulnerability in the swarm process that could be exploited. My first test of the preliminary conclusion was to increase overhead honey for wintering. It takes time to consume overhead honey for brood nest expansion and reproductive cut off was hypothesized at that time. Increasing overhead honey was done in two steps – double deeps and 2 ½ stories. For each step up in overhead honey swarming was reduced. That seemed to validate the conclusion. Then the search was on for some other way to disrupt the swarm game plan by attacking the reserve. Checkerboarding was the result. The highlighted extraction from ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture is the only entry in the popular literature that I could find that treated the reserve from the standpoint of swarming. The author of that passage had swarm prevention in the palm of his hand and let it slip through his fingers. “Colonies are honey-bound when a band of honey above the brood deters the queen from moving upward. The band of honey need only be half an inch wide to prevent the queen from moving upwards into an empty comb. Colonies that are honey bound usually have congested brood nests and swarm readily. Using extra deep frames, deeper than normal Langstroth frames, may give rise to this problem. The best way to break a honey-bound condition is to remove one or two such frames from the center of the brood nest and to place them in a super above it.” Note three things about this literature entry: 1.) The honey bound condition is treated as though it is a problem for the bees, but it is quite deliberate. 2.) It’s also associated with congestion, but the PhDs do not recognize that congestion, in all its forms, are deliberate elements of the swarm generation process. 3.) The recommended corrective action of raising frames into the next higher box is a variation of Nectar Management – much like Dee Lusby’s pyramiding up. Both pyramiding up and checkerboarding break up the reserve overhead and disrupt the colony swarm game plan. I didn’t invent the reserve. It’s been an integrated part of the bee’s survival format for eons.

Re: RUSSELL APIARIES- FACTS, and first hand knowledge... He taught me how to raise be I was going to try to avoid comment here but..it really does appear that this thread will be a candidate for most bizarre thread of 2013 so far. Maybe Barry will have to start a new forum titled "Soap Operas" Sippy quite frankly your barrage of posts here are redundant and appear to lack any possible benefit regarding beekeeping. I couldn't help but notice that your profile occupation is stated as "Chemist"..might I ask what you are currently ingesting? "Tradition becomes our security, and when the mind is secure it is in decay".....Krishnamurti

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The red palm mite (RPM), Raoiella indica Hirst, is a predominant pest of coconuts, date palms and other palm species, as well as a major pest of bananas (Musa spp.) in different parts of the world. Recently, RPM dispersed throughout the Caribbean islands and has reached both the North and South American continents. The RPM introductions have caused severe damage to palm species, and bananas and plantains in the Caribbean region. The work presented herein is the result of several acaricide trials conducted in Puerto Rico and Florida on palms and bananas in order to provide chemical control alternatives to minimize the impact of this pest. Spiromesifen, dicofol and acequinocyl were effective in reducing the population of R. indica in coconut in Puerto Rico. Spray treatments with etoxanole, abamectin, pyridaben, milbemectin and sulfur showed mite control in Florida. In addition, the acaricides acequinocyl and spiromesifen were able to reduce the population of R. indica in banana trials. PMID:21983877 Rodrigues, Jose Carlos Verle; Peńa, J E A review of all the available information about the natural enemies reported in association with the red palm mite, Raoiella indica is presented. Twenty-eight species of predatory arthropods, including mites and insects, have been reported in association with R. indica in Asia, Africa and the Neotropics. In addition, pathogenic fungi associated with R. indica in the Caribbean have been reported. The available literature indicates that each site has a different natural enemy complex with only one predator species, Amblyseius largoensis (Acari: Phytoseiidae), present in all the geographical areas. The phytoseiids, Amblyseius caudatus Berlese, Amblyseius channabasavanni Gupta and A. largoensis, were regarded as important natural enemies of R. indica, and their predatory efficiency was studied in some detail. Among the predatory insects the coccinellids Stethorus keralicus Kapur and Telsimia ephippiger Chapin were reported as major predators of R. indica. The known distribution, abundance and relative importance of each species reported in association with R. indica are discussed. PMID:21972084 Carrillo, Daniel; Frank, J Howard; Rodrigues, Jose Carlos V; Peńa, Jorge E The red palm mite (Raoiella indica), an invasive pest of coconut, entered the Western hemisphere in 2004, then rapidly spread through the Caribbean and into Florida, USA. Developing effective sampling methods may aid in the timely detection of the pest in a new area. Studies were conducted to provide and compare intra tree spatial distribution of red palm mite populations on coconut in two different geographical areas, Trinidad and Puerto Rico, recently invaded by the mite. The middle stratum of a palm hosted significantly more mites than fronds from the upper or lower canopy and fronds from the lower stratum, on average, had significantly fewer mites than the two other strata. The mite populations did not vary within a frond. Mite densities on the top section of the pinna had significantly lower mite densities than the two other sections, which were not significantly different from each other. In order to improve future sampling plans for the red palm mite, the data was used to estimate the variance components associated with the various levels of the hierarchical sampling design. Additionally, presence-absence data were used to investigate the probability of no mites being present in a pinna section randomly chosen from a frond inhabited by mites at a certain density. Our results show that the most precise density estimate at the plantation level is to sample one pinna section per tree from as many trees as possible. PMID:22402941 Roda, A; Nachman, G; Hosein, F; Rodrigues, J C V; Peńa, J E Field surveys were conducted monthly between December 2008 and July 2009 in Kerala, south-west India to compare the population dynamics of the red palm mite Raoiella indica (RPM) on two host plants Areca catechu and Cocos nucifera during one non-monsoon season when, in general, RPM populations increase. The aim was to examine the effects of host plant, host plant locality and the impact of climatic factors on RPM and related phytoseiid predators. There were significantly higher RPM densities on areca in peak season (May/June) compared to coconut; although significantly more coconut sites were infested with RPM than areca. Although no one climatic factor was significantly related to RPM numbers, interactions were found between temperature, humidity and rainfall and the partitioning of host plant locality showed that where conditions were warmer and drier, RPM densities were significantly higher. Specifically on coconut, there was a significant relation between RPM densities and the combined interaction between site temperature, site humidity and phytoseiid densities. There was a marked difference in the density of phytoseiids collected between areca and coconut palms, with significantly more on the latter, in several months. Amblyseius largoensis was the most commonly collected phytoseiid in association with RPM, although Amblyseius tamatavensis species group and Amblyseius largoensis species group were collected in association with RPM also. There was also evidence of a weak numerical response of the combined phytoseiid complex in relation to RPM density the previous month on coconut but this was not observed on areca. PMID:21915684 Taylor, B; Rahman, P M; Murphy, S T; Sudheendrakumar, V V Phytoseiid populations imported from Mauritius for evaluation for a classical biological control program in Florida, USA, were morphologically identified as Amblyseius largoensis Muma, a species associated with the red palm mite in south Florida and the Caribbean. Bayesian analysis and sequence divergences of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA and nuclear Elongation factor--I alpha (EF-I?) genes and Neighbor-Joining analysis of High-fidelity-RAPD-PCR markers were used to discriminate between the south Florida and Mauritius populations. High-fidelity-RAPD-PCR markers in addition to Bayesian and sequence divergence analyses of the 12S rRNA sequences suggest that the Mauritius and south Florida populations are genetically different but whether these are species or population differences is unknown. The degenerate EF-I? primers used to survey the phytoseiids amplified two different elongation factor sequences with distinct amino acid translations, the putative EF-I? and an unknown elongation factor. Variability within the 12S gene was used to develop population-specific primers for identifying the Mauritius phytoseiids in the event they are released in south Florida. PMID:22527831 Bowman, Heidi M; Hoy, Marjorie A The red palm mite (RPM), Raoiella indica Hirst (Acari: Tenuipalpidae), is an invasive pest in the New World, where it is currently considered a serious threat to coconut and banana crops. It was first reported from northern Venezuela in 2007. To determine its current distribution in this country, surveys were carried out from October 2008 to April 2010 on coconut (Cocos nucifera L.), banana (Musa spp.), ornamental plants and weeds in northern Venezuela. Higher population levels of RPM were registered on commercial coconut farms in Falcón and Sucre states but also on other plant species naturally growing along the coastal line in Anzoategui, Aragua, Carabobo, Monagas and Nueva Esparta states. Out of 34 botanical species evaluated, all RPM stages were observed only on eight arecaceous, one musaceous and one streliziaceous species, indicating that the pest developed and reproduced only on these plants. Mite specimens found on weeds were considered spurious events, as immature stages of the pest were never found on these. Amblyseius largoensis (Muma) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) was the most frequent predatory mite associated with RPM in all sampling sites. The results indicate that RPM has spread to extensive areas of northern Venezuela since its initial detection in Güiria, Sucre state. Considering the report of this pest mite in northern Brazil in the late 2009, additional samplings in southern Venezuela should be carried out, to evaluate the possible presence of RPM also in that region. PMID:23065034 Vásquez, Carlos; de Moraes, Gilberto J Information is provided on the steps involved in classical biological control programs, with an outline of the steps achieved in the classical biological control of the red palm mite, Raoiella indica (Acari: Tenuipalpidae), in Florida. An overview is provided of the results and an accompanying paper by Bowman and Hoy (2012) describes the molecular analyses conducted to characterize phytoseiid predators of the red palm mite collected from Mauritius. The Mauritius phytoseiids were identified as Amblyseius largoensis, using morphological criteria, and compared to four populations of A. largoensis from Florida. The difficulties encountered in the systematics, rearing, and evaluation of the Mauritius phytoseiids are described. A method was tested for obtaining DNA from single mites without destroying the body so that voucher specimens can be maintained. Ultimately, the project was terminated due to constraints expected in obtaining permission to make releases. PMID:22456811 Hoy, Marjorie A The red palm mite, Raoiella indica (Acari: Tenuipalpidae), is an important pest of palms (Arecaceae) and other species within the Zingiberaceae, Musaceae and Strelitziaceae families. Raoiella indica was discovered in the USA (Palm Beach and Broward counties, Florida) late in 2007, and it subsequently spread to other Florida counties. The predatory mite Amblyseius largoensis (Acari: Phytoseiidae) has been found associated with R. indica in Florida. In order to verify whether A. largoensis can develop and reproduce when feeding exclusively on R. indica, the biology of this predator was evaluated on various food sources, including R. indica. Five diets [R. indica, Tetranychus gloveri Aonidiella orientalis, Nipaecocus nipae, oak (Quercus virginiana) pollen] and a no-food control were tested to determine the predators' development, survivorship, oviposition rate, sex ratio and longevity at 26.5 +/- 1 degrees C, 70 +/- 5% RH and a 12:12 L:D photophase. Amblyseius largoensis was able to complete its life cycle and reproduce when fed exclusively on R. indica. The development of immature stages of A. largoensis was faster and fecundity and survivorship were higher when fed on R. indica or T. gloveri compared to the other food sources. The intrinsic rate of natural increase of A. largoensis was significantly higher when fed on R. indica than on other diets. These results suggest that, despite earlier assessments, A. largoensis can play a role in controlling R. indica. PMID:20333446 Carrillo, Daniel; Peńa, Jorge E; Hoy, Marjorie A; Frank, J Howard Raoiella indica has spread rapidly through the Neotropical region where the mite damages economically and ecologically important plants. Three studies were conducted to determine the host plant range of R. indica, using the presence of colonies containing all life stages as an indicator of reproductive suitability. Periodic surveys at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (Miami Dade County, FL, USA) and the Royal Botanical Gardens (Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago) identified 27 new reproductive host plants. The reproductive suitability of two dicotyledonous species and three native Florida palm species was examined. An updated list of reproductive host plants of R. indica is presented. All reported reproductive hosts (91 plant species) of R. indica are monocots from the orders Arecales (Arecaceae), Zingiberales (Heliconiaceae, Musaceae, Strelitziaceae, Zingiberaceae) and Pandanales (Pandanaceae). Most are palms of the family Arecaceae that originated in areas of the Eastern Hemisphere; about one fourth of the reported hosts are native to the New World and could be considered new host associations of R. indica. Six years after the initial detection in the Caribbean, R. indica has expanded its host plant range. Here we report 27 new reproductive host of R. indica that represent 30% of increase on previous host plant records. As this mite continues spreading in the Neotropical region a great diversity of plants is potentially affected. PMID:21915682 Carrillo, Daniel; Amalin, Divina; Hosein, Farzan; Roda, Amy; Duncan, Rita E; Peńa, Jorge E Raoiella indica Hirst (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) is considered a pest of coconut palm in Asia and the Middle East. This mite was recently introduced in the Americas, where it spread to several countries and expanded its range of hosts, causing heavy losses to coconut and banana production. The phytoseiid mite Amblyseius largoensis (Muma) is one of the predators most often encountered in coconut palms. Because the current prospects for the control of R. indica in the New World indicate the use of acaricides and the management of their natural enemies, the objective of this study was to evaluate the toxicity of selected acaricides to R. indica and the selectivity (i.e., toxicity to the predator relative to toxicity to the prey) for A. largoensis. Assays were performed by the immersion of banana leaf discs in acaricide solutions, followed by the placing of adult females of the pest or predator on the discs. Mortality of the mites was evaluated after 24 h, and the data obtained were subjected to probit analysis. Abamectin, fenpyroximate, milbemectin and spirodiclofen were the products most toxic to R. indica adults, whereas fenpyroximate and spirodiclofen were the most selective for A. largoensis. PMID:23229493 de Assis, Carla P O; de Morais, Elisângela G F; Gondim, Manoel G C Raoiella indica Hirst (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) is a phytophagous mite that recently invaded the Western Hemisphere. This mite is a multivoltine and gregarious species that can reach very high population densities and cause significant damage to various palm species (Arecaceae). The predatory mite Amblyseius largoensis (Muma) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) has been found associated with R. indica in Florida. This study evaluated A. largoensis for potential to control R. indica by (1) determining predator preferences among developmental stages of R. indica, and (2) estimating predator functional and numerical responses to varying densities of its most preferred prey-stage. Under no-choice conditions A. largoensis consumed significantly more eggs than other stages of R. indica. In choice tests A. largoensis showed a significant preference for R. indica eggs over all other prey stages. Amblyseius largoensis displayed a type II functional response showing an increase in number of prey killed with an increase in prey population density. Consumption of prey stabilized at approximately 45 eggs/day, the level at which oviposition by the predator was maximized (2.36 ± 0.11 eggs/day; mean ± SEM). Results of this study suggest that A. largoensis can play a role in controlling R. indica populations, particularly when prey densities are low. PMID:21915681 Carrillo, Daniel; Peńa, Jorge E The red palm mite, Raoiella indica Hirst (Acari: Tenuipalpidae), was recently introduced in the Americas. It spread quickly throughout coconut palm growing areas, expanding considerably its host range. The invasion of this species has caused high economic impact in several countries. In Brazil, extensive areas are expected to be affected. For logistical reasons and other concerns, chemical control does not seem desirable for the control of this pest in most Latin American countries. Biological control of R. indica by introducing exotic natural enemies seems to be an important control measure to be considered. Surveys in many countries have shown that Amblyseius largoensis (Muma) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) is a very common predator on coconut palms. This study compared the biology of a population of A. largoensis found for a long time in association with R. indica in La Reunion Island (Indian Ocean) with a population from Roraima State (northern Brazil), where R. indica was first found about two and a half years ago. No significant differences were observed between populations in relation to the duration of different immature stages or total survivorship. However, the oviposition period, prey consumption and net reproductive rate were significantly higher for the La Reunion population, warranting further investigation to determine whether that population should be released in Roraima to control the pest. PMID:23100107 Domingos, Cleiton A; Oliveira, Leandro O; de Morais, Elisângela G F; Navia, Denise; de Moraes, Gilberto J; Gondim, Manoel G C Molecular detection of predation by identifying prey markers in the digestive tract of predators has developed into a powerful tool to assess predator-prey systems in which diet identification is too time consuming or impossible. Here we explore its utility for detecting predation of the pest mite Raoiella indica Hirst by the predatory mite Amblyseius largoensis Muma, taking advantage of the color the predator acquires after eating this mite to cross-reference our results. For this, a ~410 bp segment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) mitochondrial gene marker specific for the subfamily Tetranychoidea was used. Amblyseius largoensis that had recently eaten were collected from greenhouse colonies containing both mites, and isolated from any other food source. Predator mites were taken for fingerprinting at 24, 48, 72 and 96 h of starving after collection, and the same process was repeated a second time, offering pollen as an alternative food source to see whether detection changed. Lastly, a sampling trial was conducted in the greenhouse, in which mites were collected regardless of their color and frozen immediately for fingerprinting. Raoiella indica DNA was detected for 48 h on starving predators, and for 96 h on those who had eaten pollen. The segment was detected in 26 % of the samples collected on the trial. This technique needs refinement specific for this system, but the results obtained here confirm that it could turn into a very useful tool for assessing aspects of this predator-prey system. PMID:22476445 Rivera-Rivera, Carlos; Galindo-Cardona, Alberto; Rodrigues, Jose Carlos Verle \\u000a Résumé Les espčces de ce genre sont bien connues par leur action prédatrice particuličrement efficace vis-ŕ-vis des Acariens phytophages.S. keralicus ne fait pas exception ŕ cette rčgle, il est spécialement inféodé ŕ l'AcarienRaoiella indica\\u000a Hirst qui attaque les feuilles de l'Aréquier (Palmier) en Inde dans la région de Quilon (Kerala). A. P. Kapur The effects of oral ingestion of a hot water extract of matured fruit of the date palm tree (Phoenix dactylifera L.) on allergic responses were investigated in mite-sensitized mice. Sneezing and nose rubbing events in mice given a date extract-added diet were significantly lower than in those given an extract-free (control) diet. The serum total and mite antigen-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) E levels, and the number of spleen interleukin-4(+)CD4(+), IgE(+)B220(+) and Fc?RI?(+)CD117(+) cells was significantly lower in mice given the date extract-added diet than in those given the control diet. Chlorogenic acid, pelargonin and ferulic acid significantly reduced the number of IgE(+)B220(+) cells, while chlorogenic acid and pelargonin significantly decreased the number of Fc?RI?(+)CD117(+) cells in mouse spleen cell cultures. These results suggest that some polyphenols in the date may reduce mite-induced allergic symptoms in mice via a decrease in the number of IgE-producing plasma cells and high-affinity IgE receptor-expressing mast cells. PMID:23132311 Karasawa, Koji; Otani, Hajime In this overview of investigations into mite allergy in Iceland and of the current understanding of the sources of exposure, 2 major categories of mite-induced allergies were encountered. The first was house dust mite allergy due to house dust mites from unknown sources, and the second was barn allergy caused by mites connected with the degradation of stored hay. Characteristics of these diseases have been obtained from surveys where skin prick tests were made with commercially available extracts of mites and from zoological investigations where mites had been found in different kinds of dusts relevant for the tested persons. The investigations uncovered a discrepancy between the capital Reykjavik and countryside farms. While the frequencies of sensitization to house dust mites and barn mites are rather similar in the capital area and in the rural area, the exposure to these mites is unexpectedly low in the capital area. Thus, sensitization appears to take place preferably in the rural area. PMID:21736264 Hallas, Thorkil E; Gislason, Thorarinn; Gislason, David Alien invasive species are non-native organisms that occur outside their natural adapted habitat and dispersal potential. They are seen as a threat not only to biodiversity and ecosystems, but also to socioeconomic development, livelihood and human well-being. In India, the bioinvasion of coconut palms by an alien invasive mite species Aceria guerreronis, popularly known as ‘Coconut mite’ accounting for enormous Military equipment often requires significant amounts of electrical power, and it is important for power supplies to be portable and to have large capacities. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency realizes this need for efficient power sources, so it is investigating alternatives to conventional batteries. High energy fuels are the primary focus of the Palm Power project. This Web site discusses the details and goals of the project in introductory sections. More specific information can be found in the Briefings section, which has a collection of presentations on different aspects of Palm Power research. Despite the economic importance of palms, little is known of palm morphogenesis and especially of means to induce their mass vegetative propagation. Limited suckering occurs among the species (for example, date palm), but numerous species cannot be vegeta... A review is made of public health aspects of some arthropods that might be seen on a college or university campus. The diseases and infestations caused by mites, lice, bed bugs, fleas, and ticks are discussed. (JMF) Reed, George H., Jr. Sixty-four samples of house dust from 16 long-established households in the Denver, Colorado area were analyzed for the presence of house dust mites (Dermatophagoides sp.). No mites were found in house dust from 12 of the sampled houses and small numbers (10 to 40 mites/g of house dust) were found from the other four. In an additional four houses which contained furniture recently imported from other areas, 100 to 360 mites/g of dust were found, and 2 years later up to 200 mites/g were still present. Twenty-eight percent of the mites in repeat collections from the latter homes were alive. The mite allergen content of house dust samples was analyzed by RAST inhibition against pooled sera from mite allergic patients. When dust from four long-established Denver households where no mites were found was employed, there was an average binding of 37.2%; with dust from the four Denver households with low levels of mites and no imported furniture, binding averaged 39.5%. In contrast, with house dust from four "positive control" homes in California and New York there was only 26.1% binding (P less than .005). The results of this study suggest that there are small numbers of nonintroduced house dust mites in some Denver houses, but that they contribute little mite antigen and are probably of minimal clinical significance in mite-sensitive patients. Large numbers of mites can be introduced with furnishings and may persist for at least 2 years. Similar small mite populations might be expected in other areas with comparable relative humidity. PMID:4061975 Moyer, D B; Nelson, H S; Arlian, L G We describe the development of an efficient cryopreservation protocol for proembryogenic masses (PEMs) of date palm variety 'Barhee'. Proembryos were induced by inoculating small pieces of juvenile leaves on MS medium supplemented with 0.3 mg per liter 2,4-D. Application of these in vitro conditions led to true-to-type plants as observed after plant fructification. When compared to the standard vitrification protocol, the ultra-rapid droplet-vitrification technique proved to be superior. Sucrose preculture considerably increased post-cryopreservation recovery. The highest regeneration after cryogenic exposure reached 63.3 percent when PEMs were treated with PVS2 for 30 min at 0 degree C and 56.7 percent when PVS2 treatment lasted for 15 min at 25 degree C. The first signs of regrowth of cryopreserved PEMs were observed after 2 to 3 weeks. Cryopreservation did not affect the morphogenetic capacities of the plant material. Moreover, highly proliferating suspension cultures could be established from the cryopreserved material. The overall production of somatic embryos from 500 mg cryopreserved PEMs reached 1030 +/- 50 units after 1 month. The morphological study of date palms regenerated from cryopreserved material confirmed the stability of clonal material following cryopreservation. PMID:22227705 Fki, Lotfi; Bouaziz, Neila; Sahnoun, Nahed; Swennen, Rony; Drir, Noureddine; Panis, Bart This article reports on a 45-year-old woman who presented with pruritus and was diagnosed as having chigger mite infestation, a rare condition. The chigger mite larvae were encountered while the patient was traveling in South America. A small erythematous area with a well-circumscribed papule in the sulcus of the second digit of the right foot was incised and drained. Follow-up examination showed relief of all symptoms, including pain and pruritus. This unusual case presentation underscores the need for all podiatric physicians to obtain a comprehensive history, including history of travel, along with performing a thorough physical examination. PMID:13130088 Axman, Wayne R; Brummer, John J The facultative predacious mite, Amblyseius gossipi El-Badry was able to develop, survive and reproduce on molasses, royal jelly and yeast hydrolysate diets. Compared with a palm tree pollen grain diet, the maximum number of individuals attaining maturity was on royal jelly or a combination of royal jelly and molasses. The duration of the development time, from larva to adult, was A. K. Nasr; E. M. El-Banhawy House dust mites can be found all over the world where human beings live independent from the climate. Proteins from the gastrointestinal tract- almost all known as enzymes - are the allergens which induce chronic allergic diseases. The inhalation of small amounts of allergens on a regular base all night leads to a slow beginning of the disease with chronically stuffed nose and an exercise induced asthma which later on persists. House dust mites grow well in a humid climate - this can be in well isolated dwellings or in the tropical climate - and nourish from human skin dander. Scales are found in mattresses, upholstered furniture and carpets. The clinical picture with slowly aggravating complaints leads quite often to a delayed diagnosis, which is accidently done on the occasion of a wider spectrum of allergy skin testing. The beginning of a medical therapy with topical steroids as nasal spray or inhalation leads to a fast relief of the complaints. Although discussed in extensive controversies in the literature - at least in Switzerland with the cold winter and dry climate - the recommendation of house dust mite avoidance measures is given to patients with good clinical results. The frequent ventilation of the dwelling with cold air in winter time cause a lower indoor humidity. Covering encasings on mattresses, pillow, and duvets reduces the possibility of chronic contact with mite allergens as well as the weekly changing the bed linen. Another option of therapy is the specific immunotherapy with extracts of house dust mites showing good results in children and adults. Using recombinant allergens will show a better quality in diagnostic as well as in therapeutic specific immunotherapy. PMID:22477664 Carrard, A; Pichler, C Mite allergens belong to the group of inhalant allergens and represent antigenic substances which are particutlarly important in the pathogenesis of respiratory system diseases and skin diseases. The most common diseases associated with chronic exposure to these aeroallergens include: allergic rhinitis, bronchial asthma and atopic dermatitis. Mite allergens are simple proteins or glycoproteins with different molecular structures and various biochemical functions. The sensitizing capacity of these proteins is connected from their physicochemical properties. Individual allergens perform, among others, the functions of structural proteins, act as enzymes, transport lipids, bind metal ions, and are capable of glycosylation. In addition, mite allergenic proteases degrade proteins of the skin epithelium-resulting in a weakening of its natural protective barrier-and induce the immune response. The proteases also induce the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines: interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 8 (IL-8), eotaxin, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor-GM-CSF. The article presents the tertiary structure of major and mid-range mite allergens and their classification. Based on literature reports concerning the chemical structure of allergenic proteins, it was emphasized that the structural differences between homologous proteins with allergenic pozoproperties relate to the distribution of amino acid residues on the surface of the molecule. IgE binding affinity and the similarities and differences in the amino acid sequence of the allergens were also the basis for determining cross-reactivity of allergenic proteins. The paper shows an example of this phenomenon, describing the existence of common allergens for various mite species. PMID:24864088 Siwak, Emilia; Skotny, Anna; Zbrojewicz, Ewa; Wola?czyk-M?drala, Anna; M?drala, Wojciech; Kustrzeba-Wójcicka, Irena A study of trombiculid mites was conducted in Sunter, North Jakarta, Indonesia. Trombiculid mites were collected by mammal trapping and black plating. Trapped in ricefields were 127 small mammals of four species of rodents and trombiculid mites were colle... T. R. Hadi S. Sarbini 1. View along centerline of Palm Avenue, showing 212 Palm (right center) in setting; building at extreme right center is 208 Palm (HABS-CA-2211); view to northeast. - Albert Hayman Cottage, 212 Palm Avenue, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County, CA Tree palms are a promising source of fuel extenders and substitutes. They are perennials which bear oil for a period of two to three decades after a roughly four year preliminary growth period. Tree palms are now one of the most efficient energy crops: the best modern varieties can provide up to 6 tonnes per hectare per year of mesocarp A. L. Compere; W. L. Griffith; J. M. Googin Tree palms are a promising source of fuel extenders and substitutes. They are perennials which bear oil for a period of two to three decades after a roughly four year preliminary growth period. Tree palms are now one of the most efficient energy crops: th... A. L. Compere W. L. Griffith J. M. Googin Oral mite anaphylaxis is a new syndrome characterized by severe allergic manifestations occurring in atopic patients shortly after the intake of foods made with mite-contaminated wheat flour. This clinical entity, observed more frequently in tropical/subtropical environments, is more often triggered by pancakes and for that reason it has been designated "pancake syndrome". Because cooked foods are able to induce the symptoms, it has been proposed that thermoresistant allergens are involved in its production. A novel variety of this syndrome occurs during physical exercise and therefore has been named dust mite ingestion-associated exercise-induced anaphylaxis. To prevent mite proliferation and the production of anaphylaxis, it has been recommended that wheat flour be stored at low temperatures in the refrigerator. Research progress is reported on (1) biotic associates of free-living stages of chigger mites, (2) extraction efficiencies for different methods, (3) food preferences of adult Eutrombicula, and (4) vertebrate host associations for the chigger fauna. Adult... D. A. Crossley The objectives of this research include (1) establishing laboratory methods for rearing trombiculid mites, (2) identifying the ecological requirements of the freeliving adult stages, and (3) ascertaining the biotic associations of freeliving stages. The f... D. A. Crossley We evaluated economically feasible release rates of the western predatory mite, Galendromus occidentalis, for spider mite control in organically and conventionally managed commercial cotton fields. An important feature of the experimental design was the evaluation of predatory mite releases at a large spatial scale; the majority of plots were near 2ha. Predatory mite releases did not enhance the density of Ramana G. Colfer; Jay A. Rosenheim; Larry D. Godfrey; Cynthia L. Hsu Demodex mite is an obligate human ecto-parasite found in or near the pilo-sebaceous units. Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis are two species typically found on humans. Demodex infestation usually remains asymptomatic and may have a pathogenic role only when present in high densities and also because of immune imbalance. All cutaneous diseases caused by Demodex mites are clubbed under the term demodicosis or demodicidosis, which can be an etiological factor of or resemble a variety of dermatoses. Therefore, a high index of clinical suspicion about the etiological role of Demodex in various dermatoses can help in early diagnosis and appropriate, timely, and cost effective management. Rather, Parvaiz Anwar; Hassan, Iffat Demodex mite is an obligate human ecto-parasite found in or near the pilo-sebaceous units. Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis are two species typically found on humans. Demodex infestation usually remains asymptomatic and may have a pathogenic role only when present in high densities and also because of immune imbalance. All cutaneous diseases caused by Demodex mites are clubbed under the term demodicosis or demodicidosis, which can be an etiological factor of or resemble a variety of dermatoses. Therefore, a high index of clinical suspicion about the etiological role of Demodex in various dermatoses can help in early diagnosis and appropriate, timely, and cost effective management. PMID:24470662 Rather, Parvaiz Anwar; Hassan, Iffat The parasitic mite Varroa-jacobsoni is one of the most serious pests of Western honey bees, Apis mellifera. The mites parasitize adult bees, but reproduction only occurs while parasitizing on honey bee brood. Invasion into a drone or a worker cell is therefore a crucial step in the life of Varroa mites. In this thesis, individual mites, the population of mites W. J. Boot RationaleThe factors involving the quality and the efficacy of the mite allergenic extracts include the source of the raw material (the mite culture) and the conditions of storage. In this study, pure mite bodies (PMB) and spent mite medium (SMM) were extracted from Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, and D. farinae culture to evaluate the best part used for the manufacture of mite V. Mahakittikun; C. Bunnag; P. Vichyanond; S. Wongkamchai; C. Komoltri; P. Eakpo; J. J. Boitano Coconut is an important crop in tropical and subtropical regions. Among the mites that infest coconut palms, Aceria guerreronis Keifer is economically the most important. We conducted surveys throughout the coconut growing areas of Brazil. Samples were taken from attached coconuts, leaflets, fallen coconuts and inflorescences of coconut palms in 112 localities aiming to determine the occurrence and the distribution of phytophagous mites, particularly A. guerreronis, and associated natural enemies. Aceria guerreronis was the most abundant phytophagous mite followed by Steneotarsonemus concavuscutum Lofego & Gondim Jr. and Steneotarsonemus furcatus De Leon (Tarsonemidae). Infestation by A. guerreronis was recorded in 87% of the visited localities. About 81% of all predatory mites belonged to the family Phytoseiidae, mainly represented by Neoseiulus paspalivorus De Leon, Neoseiulus baraki Athias-Henriot and Amblyseius largoensis Muma; 12% were Ascidae, mainly Proctolaelaps bickleyi Bram, Proctolaelaps sp nov and Lasioseius subterraneus Chant. Neoseiulus paspalivorus and N. baraki were the most abundant predators on attached coconuts. Ascidae were predominant on fallen coconuts, while A. largoensis was predominant on leaflets; no mites were found on branches of inflorescences. Leaflets harboured higher mite diversity than the attached coconuts. Mite diversity was the highest in the state Pará and on palms surrounded by seasonal forests and Amazonian rain-forests. Neoseiulus paspalivorus, N. baraki and P. bickleyi were identified as the most promising predators of A. guerreronis. Analyses of the influence of climatic factors revealed that dry ambient conditions favour the establishment of A. guerreronis. Neoseiulus paspalivorus and N. baraki have differing climatic requirements; the former being more abundant in warm and dry areas, the latter prevailing in moderately tempered and humid areas. We discuss the significance of our findings for natural and biological control of A. guerreronis. PMID:18062836 Lawson-Balagbo, L M; Gondim, M G C; de Moraes, G J; Hanna, R; Schausberger, P Oryctes agamemnon arabicus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is one of the main pests on date palm trees in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Two mite species were found associated with this beetle: Sancassania sp. (Acari: Astigmata: Acaridae) and Hypoaspis rhinocerotis Oudemans (Acari: Mesostigmata: Laelapidae). Sancassania deutonymphs (hypopi) were phoretic on O. a. arabicus adults and larvae. However, they were also necromenic, because once the host dies they feed on its carcass. The highest deutonymph load was found in the subelytral space of O. a. arabicus adult. The phoretic and necromenic interactions between Sancassania sp. and O. a. arabicus need to be investigated in more detail. H. rhinocerotis was recorded for the first time in UAE. Its role has not yet been studied in the date palm agricultural ecosystem. Al-Deeb, Mohammad Ali; Muzaffar, Sabir Bin; Sharif, Eyas Mohammad Queen palm, Livistona rotundifolia foliage contributes greatly in export industry. Red spider mite (RSM) (Tetranychus urticae) infests on the foliage and reduces its affordable market quality. T. urticae is found in dry environment and is one of the phytophagous mite belongs to family Tetranychidae. Different chemicals such as 80% sulphur + Diazinon @ (50g+12ml/10L) are recommended against red spider mite, but these have lesser effect on this tiny mite. Since these chemicals are not environment friendly, Green Farms Ltd., in Sri Lanka prefers to use biological agents for mite management. Extracts of Curcuma aeruginosa rhizome and Adhatoda vasica plant parts were studied separately causing mortality on T. urticae. Field experiments were conducted to study the efficacy of C. aruginosa extract for controlling RSM on L. rotundifolia leaves. Curcuma aruginosa was tested at concentrations of 2, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 g/L and a control with equal amount of water. C aruginosa extracts of different concentrations were treated six times at five days interval on the palms separately. Living spider mites and eggs were pre-counted in marked leaves before applying C. aruginosa extracts. Next count was taken a day prior to next spraying. The result revealed that all the concentrations except 2 g/L were found to be effective compared to control. However there was no difference between the concentrations from 5 to 25 g/L. Hence C. aruginosa rhizome extract at its lowest concentration of 5 g/L is equally effective for the control of RSM on L. rotundifolia leaves. In another experiment extracts of Adhatoda vasica bark, leaves, and flower and water as control were applied thrice with three days interval. Pre treatment counting of living spider mites and eggs were taken in marked leaves. Post count was taken a day prior to next spraying. Third and forth counting were done after three days and four weeks from final spraying respectively. The results revealed that bark, flowers were found to be more effective compared to control. Flowers and bark were the best and hence there is no need of third sprayings as almost all the spider mites population were eradicated after second spraying. Flower extraction showed best performance until three months since final spraying. Flower and bark extracts showed higher acaricidal property and leaf showed moderate acaricidal property. PMID:21539258 Svinningen, A E; Rashani, K P; Jegathambigai, V; Karunaratne, M D S D; Mikunthan, G Fundamental knowledge on the morphology, biology, ecology, and economic importance of Eriophyoidea has been exhaustively compiled by Lindquist et al. (Eriophyoid mites--their biology, natural enemies and control; Elsevier, 1996). Since that time, the number of recognized species and the economic importance of the taxon have increased substantially. The aim of this paper is to analyze and briefly review new findings from eriophyoid mites' literature after Lindquist et al. book, stressing persistent gaps and needs. Much recent attention has been given to sampling and detection, taxonomy and systematics, faunistic surveys, internal morphology, rearing techniques, biological and ecological aspects, biomolecular studies, and virus vectoring. Recommendations are made for integrating research and promoting broader dissemination of data among specialists and non-specialists. PMID:19760102 de Lillo, Enrico; Skoracka, Anna The atherogenic effects of refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD) palm oil were compared with those of randomized RBD palm oil and red palm oil. RBD palm oil contains 41.2% palmitic acid, 2.6% at the SN2 position. In randomized palm oil, 13.6% of the palmitic acid is in the SN2 position. Randomized palm oil is significantly more atherogenic for rabbits than David Kritchevsky; Shirley A. Tepper; Arnis Kuksis; Scott Wright; Susanne K. Czarnecki Background: Monkeys are considered to have an immune system very similar to that of humans, as compared with mice, rats, and guinea pigs. Although primate allergic models to several pollen allergens have been developed, no model of house dust mite allergy has been reported. In this study, we attempted to induce type I allergy to mite allergens in rhesus monkeys. Masaaki Yasue; Shin Nakamura; Toyokazu Yokota; Hirokazu Okudaira; Yasushi Okumura Background: Blood sucking mites are important avian ectoparasites which being found on bird species worldwide. Their presence are problematic for the producers either through potential direct effects on weight gain, egg production, sperm production in roosters or as nuisance pests on worker handle hens and eggs. The aim of this study was pointing out of the status of haematophagus mites. Methods: Eight caged layer and four breeder flocks were visited, monitoring for the presence of chicken mites performed by removing and examining debris from poultry house, infested nesting material collected into zip lock plastic bags and at least 20 birds were also randomly selected to examine the presence of chicken mites. Mites obtained from each population were mounted in Hoyer’s medium on microscope slides and identified. All eight caged layer and four breeder flocks were inspected, which were infested with chicken blood feeding mites. Results: Massive infestations of Dermanyssus gallinae were common with huge numbers of parasites on birds, cages and the conveyor belts for egg. Only one farm from Mazandaran Province was infested to Ornithonyssus bursa. Conclusion: Dermanyssus gallinae was the most prevalent blood feeder mite in the breeder and caged layer flocks in Iran, while O. bursa was reported as a first record, which found only in a breeder flock in Mazanderan Province. It seems that its presence is limited into the area which affected by both warm and humid environmental conditions. Rahbari, S; Nabian, S; Ronaghi, H Available epidemiologic data on the occurrence of house-dust mites in dwellings demonstrates a clear association between increased indoor air humidity and the increased occurrence of house-dust mites in house dust. Furthermore, in temperate climates, there is a threshold level of indoor air humidity of 7 g/kg (45% relative humidity at usual indoor air temperatures). Indoor air humidities below this level for extended periods will eradicate house-dust mites from dwellings. A reduction in inhabitant exposure to house-dust mites is implemented by reduction of indoor air humidity by controlled mechanical ventilation. Individual ventilation levels are estimated from the actual size of house, number of inhabitants, and average outdoor air humidity in winter. In contrast, more humid areas of the world with average outdoor humidities above 6-7 g/kg in winter will support uniformly large populations of house-dust mites, and reductions in indoor air humidity will have a comparatively minor effect on the occurrence of house-dust mites. Present-day building of energy-efficient houses with increased sealing of the building envelope, paralleled by a similar renovation of older houses, has increased indoor air humidity and is probably the cause of the almost fourfold increase in the occurrence of house-dust mites in Danish dwellings. PMID:10096805 The palm fruit (Elaies guineensis) yields palm oil, a palmitic-oleic rich semi solid fat and the fat-soluble minor components, vitamin E (tocopherols, tocotrienols), carotenoids and phytosterols. A recent innovation has led to the recovery and concentration of water-soluble antioxidants from palm oil milling waste, characterized by its high content of phenolic acids and flavonoids. These natural ingredients pose both challenges and opportunities for the food and nutraceutical industries. Palm oil's rich content of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids has actually been turned into an asset in view of current dietary recommendations aimed at zero trans content in solid fats such as margarine, shortenings and frying fats. Using palm oil in combination with other oils and fats facilitates the development of a new generation of fat products that can be tailored to meet most current dietary recommendations. The wide range of natural palm oil fractions, differing in their physico-chemical characteristics, the most notable of which is the carotenoid-rich red palm oil further assists this. Palm vitamin E (30% tocopherols, 70% tocotrienols) has been extensively researched for its nutritional and health properties, including antioxidant activities, cholesterol lowering, anti-cancer effects and protection against atherosclerosis. These are attributed largely to its tocotrienol content. A relatively new output from the oil palm fruit is the water-soluble phenolic-flavonoid-rich antioxidant complex. This has potent antioxidant properties coupled with beneficial effects against skin, breast and other cancers. Enabled by its water solubility, this is currently being tested for use as nutraceuticals and in cosmetics with potential benefits against skin aging. A further challenge would be to package all these palm ingredients into a single functional food for better nutrition and health. PMID:14506001 Sundram, Kalyana; Sambanthamurthi, Ravigadevi; Tan, Yew-Ai Mites are well documented as vectors of micromycetes in stored products. Since their vectoring capacity is low due to their small size, they can be serious vectors only where there is selective transfer of a high load of specific fungal species. Therefore the aim of our work was to find out whether the transfer of fungi is selective. Four kinds of stored seeds (wheat, poppy, lettuce, mustard) infested by storage mites were subjected to mycological analysis. We compared the spectrum of micromycete species isolated from different species of mites (Acarus siro, Lepidoglyphus destructor, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, Caloglyphus rhizoglyphoides and Cheyletus malaccensis) and various kinds of stored seeds. Fungi were separately isolated from (a) the surface of mites, (b) the mites' digestive tract (= faeces), and (c) stored seeds and were then cultivated and determined. The fungal transport via mites is selective. This conclusion is supported by (i) lower numbers of isolated fungal species from mites than from seeds; (ii) lower Shannon-Weaver diversity index in the fungal communities isolated from mites than from seeds; (iii) significant effect of mites/seeds as environmental variables on fungal presence in a redundancy analysis (RDA); (iv) differences in composition of isolated fungi between mite species shown by RDA. The results of our work support the hypothesis that mite-fungal interactions are dependent on mite species. The fungi attractive to mites seem to be dispersed more than others. The selectivity of fungal transport via mites enhances their pest importance. PMID:14580060 Hubert, Jan; Stejskal, Václav; Kubátová, Alena; Munzbergová, Zuzana; Vánová, Marie; Zd'árková, Eva ... photomicrograph of a skin scraping that contains a scabies mite, eggs, and feces. This animal burrows into the skin, depositing both eggs and feces. A scabies infestation causes intense itching (pruritus) which leads to ... Carpet is known to be a reservoir for biological contaminants, such as dust mites, dust mite allergen, and mold, if it is not kept clean. The accumulation of these contaminants in carpet might trigger allergies or asthma symptoms in both children and adults. The purpose of this study is to compare methods for removal of dust mites, dust mite allergens, and mold from carpet. Carpets were artificially worn to simulate 1 to 2 years of wear in a four-person household. The worn carpets were inoculated together with a common indoor mold (Cladosporium species) and house dust mites and incubated for 6 weeks to allow time for dust mite growth on the carpet. The carpets were randomly assigned to one of the four treatment groups. Available treatment regimens for controlling carpet contaminants were evaluated through a literature review and experimentation. Four moderately low-hazard, nondestructive methods were selected as treatments: vacuuming, steam-vapor, Neem oil (a natural tree extract), and benzalkonium chloride (a quaternary ammonium compound). Steam vapor treatment demonstrated the greatest dust mite population reduction (p < 0.05) when compared to other methods. The two physical methods, steam vapor and vacuuming, have no statistically significant efficacy in inactivating dust mite allergens (p = 0.084), but have higher efficacy when compared to the chemical method on dust mite allergens (p = 0.002). There is no statistically significant difference in the efficacy for reducing mold in carpet (p > 0.05) for both physical and chemical methods. The steam-vapor treatment effectively killed dust mites and denatured dust mite allergen in the laboratory environment. PMID:24467247 Ong, Kee-Hean; Lewis, Roger D; Dixit, Anupma; MacDonald, Maureen; Yang, Mingan; Qian, Zhengmin This paper reviews the occurrence of mites of the infraorder Astigmata in situations involving the legal system, particularly in the area of medicocriminal entomology. Species in the families Acaridae, Lardoglyphidae and Histiostomatidae are encountered in stored food products and in vertebrate carrion, including human remains. Some of these species are incidentals, whereas others are obligate necrophages. Phoretic associations between these mites and insects allows for rapid dispersal and colonization of such patchy resources. PMID:19609687 Oconnor, Barry M Summary Typhlodromalus aripo is the most successful of the Neotropical predatory mites released for the classical biological control of the cassava green mite, Mononychellus tanajoa, in Africa. A few isolates of the entomopthoralean fungus, Neozygites tanajoae, which causes epizootics in M. tanajoa populations in Brazil, were imported to be released in Africa for the control of M. tanajoa. Th e Serge L. ARIORI Malaysia is the major producer of palm oil in the world. It produces 8.5 million tonnes per year (8.5×106ty?1) of palm oil from 38.6×106ty?1 of fresh fruit bunches. Palm oil production generates large amounts of process residues such as fibre (5.4×106ty?1), shell (2.3×106ty?1), and empty fruit bunches (8.8×106ty?1). A large fraction of the fibre and much of the shell are Z Husain; Z Zainac; Z Abdullah Unproductive > 7-year-old greenhouse cultures of citrus nematode (Tylenchulus semipenetrans) had a well-developed soil invertebrate fauna that included nematophagous mite species characteristic of Florida citrus groves. Nematophagous mite densities in box cultures were 285 +/- 42 mites/liter, 2.5 to 25 times higher than densities in citrus nematode-infested groves. Vigorous root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) cultures grown in steam-pasteurized soil had few nematophagous mites until more than 3 months after inoculation. Mite species diversity had a significant (P < 0.0001) positive linear relationship with culture age that explained about one-half the variance in species number. Nematophagous mite densities rose and then fell with culture age. In root-knot cultures > 3-months-old, mite densities often exceeded 1,000 mites/liter. Twelve species of nematophagous fungi also were isolated from greenhouse nematode cultures. PMID:19279841 Walter, D E; Kaplan, D T; Davis, E L Many of the previously characterized allergens of house dust mites are known to be proteases, and this enzymatic activity is thought to contribute to their allergenicity. Other astigmatid mites, including stored-product mites and the ectoparasitic itch mite, Sarcoptes scabiei De Geer, are also known to be allergenic, but little or nothing is known about their enzymatic activities. The purpose of this study was to characterize the enzymatic activities present in extracts of the parasitic itch mite and from eight other species of free-living astigmatid mites. Extracts were prepared from one parasitic mite (S. scabiei), five stored-product mites (Chortoglyphus arcuatus (Troupeau), Lepidoglyphus destructor (Schrank), Blomia tropicalis Bronswijk, Cock, Oshima, Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank), and Acarus siro L.), and three house dust mites [Dermatophagoidesfarinae Hughes, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Troussart), and Euroglyphus maynei (Cooreman) ]. ApiZym strips were used to screen for the presence of 19 individual enzyme activities. Digestion of nine other substrates was evaluated by spectrophotometric or electrophoretic methods. All mite extracts exhibited some form of phosphatase, esterase, aminopeptidase, and glycosidase activity, although their substrate specificities varied considerably. Itch mite extract did not possess detectable serine peptidase activity nor was it able to hydrolyze gelatin or casein, whereas all other mite extracts exhibited these activities. Storage mite extracts possessed enzymes capable of degrading the widest range of substrates, whereas itch mite extract had the most limited proteolytic capacity. Extracts of nine species of allergy-causing astigmatid mites contain wide and diverse repertoires of enzymatic activities. These catalytic activities may be important contributors to the induction and manifestation of inflammatory and immune responses to mites in patients. PMID:17162954 Morgan, Marjorie S; Arlian, Larry G Background: Mite allergen vaccines are important diagnostic and immunotherapeutic reagents. Previous studies on mite allergen stability under different storage conditions have yielded contradictory results. Objective: We sought to compare, over a 12-month period, the stability of mite allergens reconstituted in 50% glycerol and stored at different temperatures and to examine the role of protease inhibitors in enhancing allergen stability. Methods: Lyudmila N Soldatova; Elizabeth J Paupore; Suzann H Burk; Richard W Pastor; Jay E Slater Allergen-specific immunotherapy with house dust mite (HDM) aller- gen extracts can effectively alleviate the symptoms of allergic rhinitis and as- thma. The efficacy of the immunotherapeutic treatment is highly dependent on the quality of house dust mite vaccines. This study was performed to assess the stability of house dust mite allergen vaccines prepared for sublingual immuno- therapy. Lyophilized Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus Lidija Burazer; Katarina Milovanovic; Tanja Cirkovic-Velickovic; Marija Gavrovic-Jankulovic Phoretic oribatid mites are recorded from specimens of 31 insect species, mostly passalid beetles. Mites were predominantly of the families Mesoplophoridae, Oppiidae and Oribatulidae. The former attaches by grasping a hair between the aspis and genital plate. A degree of attachment site specificity, but not host-species specificity, is exhibited by certain mites. Roy A. Norton This paper presents an innovative contactless palm print and palm vein recognition system. We design a hand sensor that could capture the palm print and palm vein image using low-resolution web camera. Both the visible and infrared images can be captured at the same time, and we do not need specialized infrared sensor to image the vein pattern. The design Michael Goh Kah Ong; Connie Tee; Andrew Teoh Beng Jin In recent years, the begonia mite (Polyphagotarsonemus lotus) has become an important threat to different ornamental cultures in warm greenhouses. At present there are no professional plant protection products registered in Belgium for the control of mites of the Tarsonemidae family. In a screening trial, we evaluated the efficacy of a range of different acaricides: abamectin, milbemectin, pyridaben, spirodiclofen. Based on the results of the screening trial several products were selected for a full efficacy trial following EPPO guidelines. The best control results were obtained with two products from the avermectine group: abamectin and milbemectin. As growers currently have to rely solely on the use of natural enemies there is a strong need for practical evaluation of efficacies of the various predatory mite species (Amblyseius swirskii, A. cucumeris, A. andersoni) used in biological mite control. In a series of experiments, we screened the use of different species of predatory mites. The first efficacy trials on heavily infested plants at different rates of dosage and under different circumstances (temperature, dose rate, application technique) were started in May 2008. In these experiments Amblyseius swirskii showed good efficacy. But temperature was the limiting factor: the predatory mite needed a minimal temperature of 18 degrees C to obtain good results. Further research is necessary to search for predatory mites that can be used in winter conditions (lower temperatures, less light). PMID:20218530 Audenaert, Joachim; Vissers, Marc; Haleydt, Bart; Verhoeven, Ruth; Goossens, Frans; Gobin, Bruno Laboratory and field studies were conducted to examine the prospect of mycelial application of Hirsutella thompsonii as an alternative to the use of mycelial-conidial formulations of the fungus in the suppression of the coconut mite, Aceria guerreronis. In a series of laboratory experiments, glycerol, yeast extract powder and dehydrated malt extract broth were found to be the best among nine substances investigated as possible adjuvants for use on coconut palms in the field along with H. thompsonii mycelia. H. thompsonii biomass in the presence of adjuvants not only produced more colonies but also yielded more conidia per pellet. In terms of the density of conidia generated on a mycelial mat the treatments varied highly significantly in two methods, with glycerol showing an average of 106% increase over control. Though irradiance with simulated sunlight resulted in reduced conidiogenesis, in general, adjuvant-treated pellets, both exposed and unexposed to simulated sunlight, produced substantial conidiation compared with control, irrespective of the two incubation conditions. Better conidiation was observed under alternating light-dark regime than under total darkness in all the treatments. Glycerol boosted the pathogenicity of H. thompsonii by 16.5% over control. In the field, a newly developed mycelial formulation of H. thompsonii applied after tank-mixing separately with the three selected adjuvants brought down the post-treatment population of the coconut mite by 85.6-97.1%. Application of the fungus in combination with glycerol resulted in a tolerable mean nut damage grade of 2.0 during the pre-harvest stage, compared with an acute score of 4.0 in control palms. PMID:18685957 Sreerama Kumar, P; Singh, Leena Palms are also monocots and have only one seed leaf (dicots have two seed leaves). The flowers of palms have leaves in multiples of three. Monocots differ from dicots in root and tissue structure also, but all are angiosperms. Katie Hale (California State University, Fullerton;Student, Biological Sciences) Storage mites of the families Acaridae and Glycyphagidae attracted attention as the source of household allergens. Storage mites occurring in house dust were studied. The fauna of storage mites in house dust was represented by two families. The dominating species, both in the relative amount and occurrence, were Tyrophagus putrescentiae and Chortoglyphus arcuatus. In addition, Caloglyphus rodionovi and Carpoglyphus lactis occur regularly. The specific activity of allergenic extracts obtained from storage mites was studied in ELISA. They were shown to have sensitizing and immunogenic properties. The study revealed that storage mites possessed specific determinants and those common with pyroglyphid, not linked with allergens of groups 1 and 2. PMID:9460873 Zheltikova, T M; Gervazieva, V B; Zhirova, S N; Mokronosova, M A; Sveranovskaia, V V Storage mites may be considered important allergens in dogs with atopic dermatitis. High sensitization rates to Tyrophagus, Acarus, and Lepidoglyphus species have been reported in atopic dogs, and dry pet food has been suggested as a potential source of storage mite exposure. The aim of the present study was to evaluate commercial dry dog food for contamination with storage mites, and how storage time and conditions could influence the risk of contamination. Ten different premium commercial dry dog foods formulated for skin disorders were selected. Food bags were opened and stored for 6 weeks under two different environmental conditions. At different time points, samples from each bag were collected and analysed by microscopy, guanine test, storage mite-specific traps, and a modified flotation technique. On opening, two storage mites identified as Acarus siro were isolated from one of the 10 bags by flotation technique, indicating that storage mites can be present in packaged dry dog food bags. After 5 weeks of storage under environmental conditions optimal for mite growth (23.2 +/- 2.1 degrees C and 71 +/- 5.6% of relative humidity), mites were detected by microscopic observation in nine of the 10 diets. When mites were identified by the flotation technique, Tyrophagus spp. were found to be the most common contaminating species. These results show that dry dog food can be a suitable substrate for storage mite reproduction, and that environmental and storage conditions may influence food contamination and mite development. PMID:18494758 Brazis, Pilar; Serra, Montserrat; Sellés, Alex; Dethioux, Fabienne; Biourge, Vincent; Puigdemont, Anna Anaphylaxis after eating mite-infested wheat flour has been recently reported. This paper is to describe two cases and examine the occurrence of mite contamination in wheat flour in Japan. Packages of wheat flour from retail outlets and homes were examined microscopically for the presence of mites. Three of 176 packages from retail outlets and seven of 127 from homes were infested with mites, and it seems likely that the mite contamination takes place in most cases at homes after the packages have been opened. No mites were found in packages stored in a refrigerator, therefore, mite-sensitive patients must be advised to store wheat flour products in a refrigerator. PMID:15482524 Matsumoto, Tomoaki; Satoh, Ayumi Miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs) are prevalent in eukaryotic species including plants. MITE families vary dramatically and usually cannot be identified based on homology. In this study, we de novo identified MITEs from 41 plant species, using computer programs MITE Digger, MITE-Hunter and/or Repetitive Sequence with Precise Boundaries (RSPB). MITEs were found in all, but one (Cyanidioschyzon merolae), species. Combined with the MITEs identified previously from the rice genome, >2.3 million sequences from 3527 MITE families were obtained from 41 plant species. In general, higher plants contain more MITEs than lower plants, with a few exceptions such as papaya, with only 538 elements. The largest number of MITEs is found in apple, with 237 302 MITE sequences. The number of MITE sequences in a genome is significantly correlated with genome size. A series of databases (plant MITE databases, P-MITE), available online at http://pmite.hzau.edu.cn/django/mite/, was constructed to host all MITE sequences from the 41 plant genomes. The databases are available for sequence similarity searches (BLASTN), and MITE sequences can be downloaded by family or by genome. The databases can be used to study the origin and amplification of MITEs, MITE-derived small RNAs and roles of MITEs on gene and genome evolution. PMID:24174541 Chen, Jiongjiong; Hu, Qun; Zhang, Yu; Lu, Chen; Kuang, Hanhui The study was carried out from April 2004 to March 2005, when 65 samples of dust, litter, debris and residues from the Silesian Zoo were examined for the presence of mites. Mites were found in all the samples; a total of 5,†315 mites were isolated and 26 species of astigmatid mites were identified. These mites constituted 84% of the total PIOTR SZILMAN; EWA SZILMAN; MAGDALENA SZILMAN; HANNA MANIURKA; KRZYSZTOF SOLARZ Summary Mite composition of samples of house dusts of atopic Nigerian patients were analysed. Out of a total of 263 mites isolated,\\u000a 10 different species, all of which are being documented for the first time in Nigeria have emerged. The result of this analysis\\u000a was correlated with provocative allergic skin tests performed on these patients using allergenic reagents. The role of A. O. Somorin; O. O. Hunponu-Wusu; Y. Mumcuoglu; D. C. Heiner Microwave heating was determined in this study to be suitable for the detachment and drying of palm fruits from whole bunches, cut bunches and spikelets. Microwave treatment of the palm fruits was able to attain the objectives of conventional fresh palm fruits sterilization processeses such as fruit softening, nut conditioning and halting of enzymatic lipolysis. Palm oil and kernel oil solvent extracted respectively from the microwave treated whole fruits and kernel were found to have a good quality of low free fatty acid content. This technology, together with the solvent extraction of the dehydrated fruits, may have the potential to be a continuous, dry and clean technology for palm oil milling. PMID:17645207 Chow, Mee Chin; Ma, Ah Ngan A faunistic survey of mites was conducted in many product stores during a 6-year study period, 2000-2005, in Greece. A total of 1,073 samples were taken from 34 Greek counties. The survey was carried out on grains (wheat, maize, oat, barley), flour, bran, manufactured agricultural foodstuffs, dried fruits (figs, raisins), residues and dust, stored in varying quantities in five types of storage facilities (stores of agricultural cooperative unions, farm stores, commercial stores, flour mills and silos). Dominance-frequency analysis and redundancy analysis (RDA) were used to reveal the preferences of the collected taxa. Approximately 55% of the samples contained mites and 65 mite taxa were identified, belonging to 15 families in four orders. Six species, namely, Acarus gracilis Hughes, A. immobilis Griffiths, Caloglyphus oudemansi (Zachvatkin), Suidasia medanensis Oudemans, Tyrophagus perniciosus Zachvatkin and Kleemania plumigera (Oudemans), were new to the fauna of Greece. Five species, Tyrophagus similis Volgin, Blattisocius mali (Oudemans), Neoseiulus barkeri (Hughes), Cheyletus cacahuamilpensis Baker and Storchia robustus (Berlese), were recorded for the first time in stored products in Greece. Lepidoglyphus destructor (Schrank), Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank) and Acarus siro L. were dominant or intermediate in all storage facilities examined. Cheyletus malaccensis Oudemans was the most common predatory mite. The highest percentage of infestation (65.3) was recorded in the samples from stores of agricultural cooperative unions. Residue-type materials had the highest degrees and percentages of infestation. PMID:18379887 Palyvos, Nickolas E; Emmanouel, Nickolas G; Saitanis, Costas J The bulletin includes descriptions and figures for 165 species of plant-feeding false spider mites (Tenuipalpidae) of Mexico, of which 65 are described as new to science. Less than one-third (48) of the Mexican tenuipalpids are distributed in 8 genera (Ae... D. M. Tuttle E. W. Baker Twenty-eight genera and 143 species of the plant feeding mites from Mexico are recognized; many of these are found in the United States and Central and South America. A new genus Sonotetranychus is described for Anatetranychus daleae Tuttle, Baker and Abbatiello, and A. albiflorae Tuttle, Baker and Abbatiello. Twenty-six new species are described: Monoceronychus erythrinae, M. littoralis, M. pachucensis, Langella Donald M. Tuttle; Edward W. Baker; Michael J. Abbatiello Pyroglyphid mites are primarily associated with allergen exposure at home; hence the name house dust mites. However, we have found numerous studies reporting pyroglyhid mite levels in public and occupational settings. This review presents the findings of house dust mite allergens (family Pyroglyphidae, species Dermatophagoides) as potential work-related risk factors and proposes occupations at risk of house dust mite-related diseases. Pyroglyphid mites or their allergens are found in various workplaces, but clinically relevant exposures have been observed in hotels, cinemas, schools, day-care centres, libraries, public transportation (buses, trains, taxies, and airplanes), fishing-boats, submarines, poultry farms, and churches. Here we propose a classification of occupational risk as low (occasional exposure to mite allergen levels up to 2 ?g g(-1)), moderate (exposure between 2 ?g g(-1) and 10 ?g g(-1)), and high (exposure >10 ?g g(-1)). The classification of risk should include factors relevant for indoor mite population (climate, building characteristics, and cleaning schedule). To avoid development or aggravation of allergies associated with exposure to house dust mites at work, occupational physicians should assess exposure risk at work, propose proper protection, provide vocational guidance to persons at risk and conduct pre-employment and periodic examinations to diagnose new allergy cases. Protection at work should aim to control dust mite levels at work. Measures may include proper interior design and regular cleaning and building maintenance. PMID:22548853 Macan, Jelena; Kanceljak-Macan, Božica; Milkovi?-Kraus, Sanja This work presents the application of response surface methodology (RSM) to the study of the effects of three factors (temperature, percent stripping steam and the stearin\\/olein ratio) on the losses\\/transfer of fatty compounds during the steam deacidification of blends of palm oil fractions (stearin and olein) as model systems. The responses of interest were the final oil acidity and the Klicia A. Sampaio; Roberta Ceriani; Simone M. Silva; Thiago Taham; Antonio J. A. Meirelles Granuloma annulare (GA) is a common, benign skin condition, which was first described over a century ago, but still remains an enigma with respect to etiology, associated systemic diseases, and treatment. A number of clinical variants have been classified. We report an atypical presentation of GA localized to the palms. PMID:21635829 Stewart, Larissa R; George, Saira; Hamacher, K Lyn; Hsu, Sylvia House dust mites play an important role in the pathogenesis of allergic diseases. Many factors may influence mite growth. The presence of mites is related to mean temperature and humidity as well as altitude. The aim of this study was to analyze the mite fauna in 5 regions of western Anatolia, Turkey, that have similar climatic properties with low mean temperature and humidity, but differ in altitude. During the period October-November 2004, house dust was collected from 290 homes in 5 different cities. House dust mites were isolated in 67 (23.1%) of 290 samples. The family Pyroglyphidae (Astigmata) was present in all positive samples. This study suggests that the selected western Anatolian regions that share similar environmental conditions host similar dust mite populations. Cetinkaya, Zafer; Atambay, Metin; Kiyildi, Nilay; Aycan, Ozlem M.; Daldal, Nilgun Feather mites are a diverse group of ectosymbionts that occur on most species of birds. Although Darwin’s finches are a well-studied group of birds, relatively little is known about their feather mites. Nearly 200 birds across 9 finch species, and from 2 locations on Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos, were dust-ruffled during the 2009 breeding season. We found 8 genera of feather mites; the most prevalent genus was Mesalgoides (53–55%), followed by Trouessartia (40–45%), Amerodectes and Proctophyllodes (26–33%), Xolalgoides (21–27%), Analges and Strelkoviacarus (0–6%), and Dermoglyphus (2–4%). There was no evidence for microclimatic effects (ambient temperature and relative humidity) on mite diversity. Host body mass was significantly correlated with mean feather mite abundance across 7 of 8 well-sampled species of finches. Certhidea olivacea, the smallest species, did not fit this pattern and had a disproportionately high number of mites for its body mass. Villa, Scott M.; Le Bohec, Celine; Koop, Jennifer A. H.; Proctor, Heather C.; Clayton, Dale H. Several species of phytoseiid mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae), including species of the genera Amblyseius, Galendromus, Metaseiulus, Neoseiulus, Phytoseiulus and Typhlodromus, are currently reared for biological control of various crop pests and\\/or as model organisms for the study of predator–prey\\u000a interactions. Pathogen-free phytoseiid mites are important to obtain high efficacy in biological pest control and to get reliable\\u000a data in mite research, Conny Schütte; Marcel Dicke Several species of phytoseiid mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae), including species of the genera Amblyseius, Galendromus, Metaseiulus, Neoseiulus, Phytoseiulus and Typhlodromus, are currently reared for biological control of various crop pests and\\/or as model organisms for the study of predator–prey\\u000a interactions. Pathogen-free phytoseiid mites are important to obtain high efficacy in biological pest control and to get reliable\\u000a data in mite research, Conny Schütte; Marcel Dicke The color of refined palm oil and palm oil products is conventionally measured using the manually operated Lovibond Tintometer. In the present study, one manual\\/visual and three automatic colorimeters for the measurement of vegetable oil\\u000a color were used for color measurements of refined palm oil. All colorimeters used were commercially available instruments\\u000a except for an automatic palm oil colorimeter developed Yew-Ai Tan; Ainie Kuntom; Chak Khiam Lee; Kum Sang Low Malaysia produces ca. 65% of the world’s palm oil, or (in 1982) ca. 3,500,000 metric tons. By 1985, this will increase to\\u000a 80% of world production, or ca. 4,800,000 metric tons. Palm oil products are refined, bleached and deodorized oil for edible\\u000a purposes, palm olein for edible use, palm stearin for edible or industrial use, and the acid oil or Roy J. de Vries Mites that affect animals (acariasis) can occasionally be transmitted to humans by incidental contact producing pruritus and dermatitis. Animals such as dogs, cats, mice, birds and reptiles, harbour several mite species. Hemophage mites and those that feed on lymph have the potential of transmitting important zoonotic agents (cuales??). The presence of lesions of unclear origin and a history of contact with pets or wild animals should alert towards the possibility of acariasis. Diagnosis is based on direct visualization of the mite,analysis of its morphology and obtaining information on the animal host. Awareness of these acarosis and the responsible care of pets and animals are the most relevant preventive measures. PMID:19621159 Jofré M, Leonor; Noemí H, Isabel; Neira O, Patricia; Saavedra U, Tirza; Díaz L, Cecilia The palm fruit (Elaies guineensis) yields palm oil, a palmitic-oleic rich semi solid fat and the fat-soluble minor components, vitamin E (tocopherols, tocotrienols), carotenoids and phytosterols. A recent innovation has led to the recovery and concentration of water-soluble antioxidants from palm oil milling waste, characterized by its high content of phenolic acids and flavonoids. These natural ingredients pose both challenges The induction times for the crystallization, under isothermal conditions, of refined, bleached, and deodorized palm oil from\\u000a the melt were studied by viscometry. At temperatures below 295 K, the crystallization of palm oil was observed to occur in\\u000a a two-stage process. This two-stage process was caused by the fractionation of palm oil, most probably into the stearin and\\u000a olein fractions. C. W. Chen; O. M. Lai; H. M. Ghazali; C. L. Chong Production and consumption of palm oil and its products are discussed as they relate to industrial products. The large volumes\\u000a of palm oil being produced and projected for future production should increase the use of its byproducts in oleochemicals.\\u000a Tallow is the most competitive fat to palm oil in these applications, but its market share (at least in Japan) seems Yoshiteru Akaike; Amagasaki Factory The predominant role of mites in house dust respiratory allergy is now well established. Our laboratory has spent an important part of its time and activity studying the antigens present in D. farinae mites extracts and characterising the specific allergens responsible of respiratory allergy to D. farinae. Physicochemical and immunochemical studies let us to define major allergens in different biochemical fractions obtained from D. farinae extracts used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Amongst the D. farinae specific antigens defined, one (Ag 11) is a specific major allergen and it has been isolated and chemically analysed. It is polypeptide of molecular weight of 28,000 d with p I not equal to 7 containing 5% of cysteine residues. The good stability and resistance to denaturation are in favour of numerous disulfide bonds. PMID:7316612 The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and species of house dust mites (HDM) in Kutahya (Turkey). The prevalence of house dust mites (HDM) was found to be 18.05%. The following species were identified: Tyrophagus putrescentiae, (43.96%), Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (31.03%), Acarus siro (13.79%), Lepidoglyphus destructor (1.72%), Glycphagus domesticus (2.58%) and Cheyletus spp. (1.72%). HDM were found from April to October and a high rate, from April to June. A very high rate of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus was found in August and of Tyrophagus putrescentiae and Acarus siro in July. The number of collected HDM was high in July. The amount of HDM per gram was determined to be 0.13. PMID:17160837 Akdem?r, Cihangir; Gürdal, Hülya A faunistic survey of mites was conducted in many product stores during a 6-year study period, 2000–2005, in Greece. A total\\u000a of 1,073 samples were taken from 34 Greek counties. The survey was carried out on grains (wheat, maize, oat, barley), flour,\\u000a bran, manufactured agricultural foodstuffs, dried fruits (figs, raisins), residues and dust, stored in varying quantities\\u000a in five types Nickolas E. Palyvos; Nickolas G. Emmanouel; Costas J. Saitanis The thermal preferences in a grain mass and respiration at various temperatures in mites (Acari: Acarididae) of medical and economical importance [Acarus siro (L. 1758), Dermatophagoides farinae Hughes 1961, Lepidoglyphus destructor (Schrank 1871), and Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank 1781)] were studied under laboratory conditions. Based on the distribution of mites in wheat, Triticum aestivum L., grain along a thermal gradient from 10 to 40 degrees C, L. destructor, D. farinae, and A. siro were classified as eurythermic and T. putrescentiae as stenothermic. The lowest preferred temperature was found for D. farinae (28 degrees C), followed by A. siro (28.5 degrees C), L. destructor (29.5 degrees C), and T. putrescentiae (31.5 degrees C). The relationship between the respiration rate and the temperature was similar for all four mite species. The highest respiration was found in the range from 31 to 33 degrees C. This is approximately 2 degrees C higher than the preferred temperature of these species. The lower temperature threshold of respiration ranged from 1 to 5 degrees C and the upper threshold ranged from 45 to 48 degrees C. Acclimatization of A. siro to temperature regimes of 5, 15, and 35 degrees C resulted in thermal preferences between 9 and 12 degrees C, 9 and 20 degrees C, and 28 and 35 degrees C, respectively. The respiration rate of acclimatized specimens increased with the temperature, reaching a maximum at 29.0 degrees C for mites acclimatized at 5 and 15 degrees C and a maximum at 33.7 degrees C for those acclimatized at 30 degrees C. PMID:21309251 Hubert, J; Pekár, S; Nesvorná, M; Sustr, V To discriminate mixing ratios for mixtures of palm olein oil and palm stearin oil, an electronic nose based on mass spectrometer\\u000a (MS-electronic nose) and GC were used. The intensities of each fragment from the palm olein oil and palm stearin oil by the\\u000a MS-electronic nose were used for discriminant function analysis (DFA). When palm olein oil is mixed with palm Eun Jeung Hong; Sue Jee Park; Jin Young Choi; Bong Soo Noh The production, composition, and food uses of palm oil are outlined in this introduction to a detailed appraisal of the nutritional and health implications of the use of palm oil in the food supply. The putative role of dietary fats and oils in general, and of palm oil in particular, in the etiology of coronary heart disease and cancer is critically assessed. It is concluded that the evidence available is difficult to interpret unambiguously. Some evidence to suggest that the minor components of palm oil might have useful biological effects is also discussed. PMID:2012022 Cottrell, R C The study was carried out from April 2000-March 2001. During this period 49 samples of dust, litter, debris and residues from cages and run-offs of mammals, birds and reptiles in the Silesian Zoo, were examined for the presence of mites, especially the allergenic taxa. Mites were extracted using the Berlese method and preserved in 70 % ethanol. For identification, the mites were mounted in Hoyer's medium on microscope slides. Mites were found in 44 of 49 samples analyzed (89.8 %). A total of 5,097 mites were collected, from which 60.3 % were found in samples collected in spring, whereas only 13 % in summer and 24.1 % in autumn. The remaining 2.6 % of the total mite population was found in winter. Majority of mites (82.7 %) were collected from aviaries of macaws and cockatiels (Ara ararauna and Nymphicus hollandicus). A total of 10 species of astigmatid mites were identified that belong to 4 families--Acaridae, Glycyphagidae, Anoetidae and Pyroglyphidae. Generally, the allergenic mites of the order Astigmata constituted 49.5 % of the total count. Among them Acarus farris was predominant (34 % of the total count), followed by Tyrophagus putrescentiae (4.7 %), Caloglyphus sp. (4.35 %) and Acarus immobilis (4.31 %). Dermatophagoides farinae, the house-dust-mite species, was for the first time found in this environment. D. farinae (0.05 % of the total population) was associated with parrots, canids and artiodactyls. Summarizing, it should be stressed, that cages and run-offs of different mammals, aviaries of parrots and terrariums of snakes are important sources of some allergenic mites, especially A. farris and T. putrescentiae, that might cause allergies in workers. PMID:15236495 Solarz, Krzysztof; Szilman, Piotr; Szilman, Ewa Microsatellites are the most promising co-dominant markers, widely distributed throughout the genome. Identification of these repeating genomic subsets is a tedious and iterative process making computational approaches highly useful for solving this biological problem. Here 38,083 microsatellites were localized in palm sequences. A total of 2, 97,023 sequences retrieved from public domains were used for this study. The sequences were unstained using the tool Seqclean and consequently clustered using CAP3. SSRs are located in the sequences using the microsatellite search tool, MISA. Repeats were detected in 33,309 sequences and more than one SSR had appeared in 3,943 sequences. In the present study, dinucleotide repeats (49%) were found to be more abundant followed by mononucleotide (30%) and trinucleotide (19%). Also among the dinucleotides, AG/GA/TC/CT motifs (55.8%) are predominantly repeating within the palm sequences. Thus in future this study will lead to the development of specific algorithm for mining SSRs exclusively for palms. Palliyarakkal, Manju Kalathil; Ramaswamy, Manimekalai; Vadivel, Arunachalam The influence of dietary palm-oil fractions on protein utilisation has been investigated in the growing rat. At 30 days of age, 4-6 groups of four animals were offered one of six semi-purified diets that differed only in the palm-oil fraction. Diets contained 200g casein, 550 g carbohydrate, and 200g fat/kg. The different palm-oil fractions were: crude palm oil (CPO), refined palm-kernel oil (PKO), refined palm olein (RPO), refined palm stearin (RPS), refined palm oil (RPOL). The control groups were given Olive oil (OO) as the dietary fat source. The conversion efficiency of dietary protein was assessed as Net Protein Utilisation (NPU), using a 10-day comparative carcass technique. Weight gain and food intake were not altered by the various palm-oil fractions. However, the NPU of rats given RPO was significantly higher (p<0.05) than that of rats given all other palm-oil fractions or the OO control. It is concluded that the RPO has the potential to significantly improve NPU in the rat, compared to four other palm-oil fractions as well as olive oil. PMID:24394656 Henry, C J; Ghusain-Choueiri, A; Gurr, M I Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted from 2003 to 2005 to determine the effectiveness of two predatory mite species, Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot and Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor), and a reduced-risk miticide, Acramite 50 WP (bifenazate), for control of twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, in strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa Duchesne). In greenhouse tests, three treatments consisting of releases of P. persimilis, N. californicus, and an untreated control were evaluated. Both species of predatory mites significantly reduced twospotted spider mite numbers below those found in the control during the first 3 wk of evaluation. However, during week 4, twospotted spider mite numbers on the plants treated with P. persimilis increased and did not differ significantly from the control. Field studies used releases of P. persimilis and N. californicus, applications of Acramite, and untreated control plots. Both N. californicus and P. persimilis significantly reduced populations of twospotted spider mite below numbers recorded in the control plots. During the 2003-2004 field season P. persimilis took longer than N. californicus to bring the twospotted spider mite population under control (< 10 mites per leaflet). Acramite was effective in reducing twospotted spider mite populations below 10 mites per leaflet during the 2003-2004 field season but not during the 2004-2005 field season, possibly because of a late application. These findings indicate that N. californicus releases and properly timed Acramite applications are promising options for twospotted spider mite control in strawberries for growers in north Florida and other areas of the southeast. PMID:16937684 Rhodes, Elena M; Liburd, Oscar E In recent years, the allergological importance of different mite species not belonging to the family Pyroglyphidae has been demonstrated. These mites, commonly named storage mites, include Lepidoglyphus destructor, Glycyphagus domesticus, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, Acarus siro, Aleuroglyphus ovatus, Suidasia medanensis and Thyreophagus entomophagus. Several allergens from these species have been purified, sequenced and cloned. Many of these allergens have shown sequence homology and a biological function similar to those previously described in Blomia tropicalis and the Dermatophagoides spp. The main allergens described in storage mites include fatty acid binding proteins, tropomysin and paramyosin homologues, apoliphorine like proteins, alfa-tubulines and other, such as group 2, 5 and 7 allergens, which definitive biological function has not been described yet. Besides the purification and characterization of allergens, the allergenicity of other species such as Acarus farris, Austroglycyphagus malaysiensis, Blomia kulagini and B. tjibodas, Cheyletus eruditus, Chortoglyphus arcuatus, Gohieria fusca, Thyreophagus entomophagus and Tyrophagus longior has been investigated. Research has also been conducted to identify allergens in parasitic mites, such as Psoroptes ovis, Sarcoptes scabiei, Varroa jacobsoni, Diplaegidia columbae and Hemisarcoptes cooremani. The allergenicity of mites present in agricultural environments has been investigated. Crossreactivity studies have also been performed to elucidate to what extent all these mites share common, or species specific epitopes. Herein we present a comprehensive review of the allergenicity of mite species which have been implicated in human respiratory and/or dermatological diseases. PMID:18220992 Fernández-Caldas, Enrique; Iraola, Victor; Carnés, Jerónimo The examination of house dust mite extracts has indicated that over 30 different proteins can induce IgE antibody in patients allergic to the house dust mite. There are however dominant specificities especially the group 1 and 2 allergens which can account for much of the allergenicity of extracts. Of the 19 denominated allergens, the major IgE binding has been reported Wayne R. Thomas; Wendy-Anne Smith; Belinda J. Hales; Kristina L. Mills; Richard M. O’Brien Causes of spider mite (Acari: Tetranychidae) population resurgences consequent upon exposure to synthetic pyrethroid (SP) treatments are reviewed. Resurgences may be seen as soon as 1 week, or even as late as a whole season, post-treatment. Synthetic pyrethroids vary in their adverse effects on spider mites, and also differ in their ability to invoke resurgences of different spidermite species on Uri Gerson; Ephraim Cohen A significant-source of allergens come from house dust that contain particles derived from arthropods, molds, and pet dander. This study evaluated mite and booklouse fauna from vacuumed dust samples in Beijing China (a temperate zone). Our survey was carried out in Beijing in the homes of mite allergic patients who visited our Allergy Department. In total, 38 homes were selected for the collection of dust samples by vacuuming, from December 2008 to January 2010. The flotation method was used to isolate mites from house dust. Permanent slides were prepared for mite specimens and mites were identified and counted under a microscope. In total, 1,798 separate mite and insect specimens were found in 345 dust samples taken from 38 homes. A total of 95 individual Dermatophagoides (D) siboney were detected in 35 dust samples from 19 homes (representing 5.3% of all mite and insect species found in house dust); in addition, this mite was found to co-exist with D. farinae (Hughes, 1961) in 33 dust samples. Our results demonstrated the presence D. siboney that co-existed with D. farinae in house dust in Beijing China (a temperate zone). Sun, Jin-Lu; Shen, Lian; Chen, Jun; Yu, Jin-Miao Acarodomatia are small tufts of hair or invaginations in the leaf surface and are frequently inhabited by several taxa of non-plant-feeding mites. For many years, ecologists have hypothesized that these structures represent a mutualistic association between mites and plants where the mites benefit the plant by reducing densities of phytophagous arthropods and epiphytic microorganisms, and domatia benefit the mite by Andrew P. Norton; Greg English-Loeb; Edward Belden This paper discusses the contactless palm vein authentication device that uses blood vessel patterns as a personal identifying factor. The vein information is hard to duplicate since veins are internal to the human body. The palm vein authentication technology offers a high level of accuracy, and delivers the following results: a false rejection rate (FRR) of 0.01%, and a false Masaki Watanabe; Toshio Endoh; Morito Shiohara; Shigeru Sasaki Predaceous arthropods are frequently more abundant on plants with leaves that are pubescent or bear domatia than on plants with glabrous leaves. We explored the hypothesis that for some predatory mites this is because pubescence affords protection from intraguild predation. In laboratory experiments, we tested whether apple leaf pubescence protected Typhlodromus pyri eggs from predation by western flower thrips, Frankliniella A. Roda; J. Nyrop; M. Dicke; G. English-Loeb The authors studied the relationship between dust mite antigen concentrations in house dust samples and the occurrence and frequency of wheezing in 58 children with dust mite allergy (wheal > or = 4 mm. mean diameter in response to a prick test with eithe... F. W. Henderson A. B. Lindstrom M. A. Beck D. M. Barnes M. M. Henry We studied the relationship between dust mite antigen concentrations in house dust samples and the occurrence and frequency of wheezing in 58 children with dust mite allergy (wheal > 4 mm. mean diameter in response to a prick test with either D-. farinae or D pteronyssinus antige... Various mite species referred to collectively as house dust and storage mites are recognized worldwide as a cause of allergic airway disease. Our study aimed to investigate the frequency of sensitization and potential importance of mite species in farmers using a broad mite spectrum. A total of 86 German farmers with rhinitis and/or asthma were studied by skin prick testing and/or enzyme allergosorbent test (EAST) with the following mites: Blomia tjibodas, Blomia tropicalis, Blomia kulagini, Glycyphagus domesticus, Thyreophagus entomophagus, Euroglyphus maynei, Chortoglyphus arcuatus, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides farinae, Acarus siro, Lepidoglyphus destructor, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, Acarus farris and Cheyletus eruditus. Sensitization to at least one mite species was detected in 51 patients (59%) by skin prick testing, and in 31 patients (36%) by EAST. The most frequent sensitizations determined by skin tests were found for the three Blomia species, E. maynei and G. domesticus. Twelve patients (14%) gave a positive EAST with the predator mite C. eruditus. A total of 22 patients gave positive EAST results with the Dermatophagoides species. We were able to document sensitization to C. arcuatus, E. maynei and T. entomophagus for the first time in Germany. A considerable proportion of the German farmers tested were sensitized to storage mites. The allergological potential of various mite species has been recognized, some for the first time. It was concluded that B. tjibodas, G. domesticus, C. arcuatus and C. eruditus in particular should be included in an allergy diagnosis. Further investigations into the clinical relevance of the sensitizations and possible cross-reactivity between the mite species are necessary. PMID:11206935 Müsken, H; Franz, J T; Wahl, R; Paap, A; Cromwell, O; Masuch, G; Bergmann, K C This paper analyses the role of palm oil and its sustainability from different perspectives. We consider the role of palm oil within the GHG context. We discuss the impact of palm oil on biodiversity and analyse how palm oil can contribute to economic growth and development in tropical countries. Finally, based on this analysis, we assess the current concerns about Gernot Pehnelt; Christoph Vietze Palm oil is considered as plant oil in which two types of cooking oil, palm seed oil and palm oil are derived. Palm oil has almost 50% saturated fatty acid and 50% poly unsaturated fatty acid. It i s considered to be useful due to metabolites products such as prostacycline and antithrombois in cardiovascular disease (C.V.D) and variation in lipoprotein. Emission rates of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from Pirus malus L. subsp. mitis (Wallr.) var. Golden Delicious and var. Starking attacked by the phytophagous mite Panonychus ulmi Koch, and their attractiveness to the predatory mites Amblyseius andersoni Chant and Amblyseius californicus McGregor, were studied during three years. A large variability was found in the emission of individual VOCs depending on the infestation, the apple tree variety and the date. There were larger total VOC emission rates and larger total VOC leaf concentrations in apple trees attacked by phytophagous mites, especially in the var. Starking. In infested trees of this variety, there were also more predatory mites. An olfactometer assay showed that predatory mites preferentially chose branches infested by Panonychus ulmi (85% went to infested branches vs 15% to uninfested control branches) indicating that volatiles may be used as cues to find their prey. PMID:11508530 Llusiŕ, J; Peńuelas, J In a multicenter study (7 participating centres) 132 patients with bronchial asthma (grade II or III) and sensitization to storage mites (SM) and/or house dust mites (HSM) were screened and asked to undergo further allergological evaluation. 90 patients agreed. In addition to routine skin prick tests and RAST, quantitative skin prick tests (QSPT) and bronchial provocation tests (BPT) were also performed with the suspected mite allergens. The results were correlated with aspects of the domestic and working environments. Furthermore we questioned whether the outcome of BPT could be predicted from the results of the routine skin tests/RAST and QSPT respectively. Out of a total of 145 BPTs there were 79 positive results with SM and/or HSM. Three patients were mono-allergic to SM. The correlation with the domestic environment was unremarkable. Correlation with occupational factors revealed a strong predominance of farmers (42 of 90) and suggested the same for professions involved in work in dust-laden environments like bakers (5 of 90) and workers in wood- and paper industry (7 of 90). This also means, that SM-allergy occurs in persons not occupationally exposed to dust. A prediction as to the allergological relevance of SM-allergen was not possible from viewing the routine skin prick test however positive RAST data showed a significant correlation with positive BPT to SM Lepidoglyphus. Similarly it was possible to draw an inference from QSPT as to the relevant allergy. With a positive QSPT to the SM Lepidoglyphus destructor a positive result with a BPT was highly probable. Due to small numbers it is not possible to make a similar statement for the other SM species (Acarus and Tyrophagus). PMID:17583823 Kroidl, R F; Schwichtenberg, U; Frank, E Background Miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs) are widespread in plants and animals. Although silkworm (Bombyx mori) has a large amount of and a variety of transposable elements, the genome-wide information of the silkworm MITEs is unknown. Results We used structure-based and homology approaches to search for MITEs in the silkworm genome. We identified 17 MITE families with a total of 5785 members, accounting for ~0.4% of the genome. 7 of 17 MITE families are completely novel based on the nucleotide composition of target site duplication (TSD) and/or terminal inverted repeats (TIR). Silkworm MITEs were widely and nonrandom distributed in the genome. One family named BmMITE-2 might experience a recent burst expansion. Network and diversity analyses for each family revealed different diversification patterns of the silkworm MITEs, reflecting the signatures of genome-shocks that silkworm experienced. Most silkworm MITEs preferentially inserted into or near genes and BmMITE-11 that encodes a germline-restricted small RNA might silence its the closest genes in silkworm ovary through a small RNA pathway. Conclusions Silkworm harbors 17 MITE families. The silkworm MITEs preferred to reside in or near genes and one MITE might be involved in gene silence. Our results emphasize the exceptional role of MITEs in transcriptional regulation of genes and have general implications to understand interaction between MITEs and their host genome. This study evaluated for the first time the grooming response of honey bees to Varroa mites of different ages and reproductive statuses in the laboratory. Plastic cages containing a section of dark comb and about 200 bees were inoculated with groups of four classes of mites: gravid, phoretic foundresses, phoretic daughters and a combination of gravid and phoretic foundress mites. Each cage received 20 mites belonging to one of these classes. Our results showed that, 1 day after mite inoculation, phoretic daughter mites were the most prone to grooming by honey bees with an average mite drop of 49.8 ± 2.6 %. The lowest mite drop was recorded for bees inoculated with phoretic foundresses (30.3 ± 3.6 %) but was comparable to bees inoculated with gravid mites (31.8 ± 3.8 %) and the combination of gravid and phoretic foundress mites (34.2 ± 3.2 %). No differences among mite types were detected during the second and third days of observation. Regardless of mite type, the highest mite drop was recorded on the first day (35 ± 2.1 %) compared to the drop for any subsequent day (<10 %). Because of the great reproductive potential of daughter mites, their inclusion in assessments of grooming behaviour may increase our insight into the importance of grooming in mite resistance. PMID:22752670 Kirrane, Maria J; de Guzman, Lilia I; Rinderer, Thomas E; Frake, Amanda M; Wagnitz, Jeremy; Whelan, Pádraig M Samples were taken from a flat storage facility located in central Greece, filled with approximately 45 tons of hard wheat, to assess the spatiotemporal distribution of stored-product insects and mites. The wheat was stored in a 1.5-m-deep bulk from June 2001 until March 2002. The samples were taken with a partitioned grain trier during the entire storage period, at 10-d intervals. The trier samples were examined separately for the upper, medial, and lower 0.5 m of the bulk. The spatial distribution of the insect and mite species found was examined by contour analysis based on the numbers of individuals in the trier samples. Nine insect and 20 mite taxa were found during the sampling period. The most abundant insect species were Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens), and Rhyzopertha dominica (F.); the most abundant mite species were Lepidoglyphus destructor (Schrank), Acarus siro L., and the predator Cheyletus malaccensis Oudemans. The highest population densities for the majority of the insect and mite species were recorded during autumn. The majority of the individuals of the most abundant insect and mite species were found in the upper 0.5 m of the bulk, with the exception of C. malaccensis, which was equally distributed in the upper and medial 0.5 m of the bulk. The spatiotemporal distribution during the entire experimental period was notably varied according to the insect and mite species. PMID:16022339 Athanassiou, Christos G; Kavallieratos, Nickolas G; Palyvos, Nickolas E; Sciarretta, Andrea; Trematerra, Pasquale Background Many recent papers have documented the phytochemical and pharmacological bases for the use of palms (Arecaceae) in ethnomedicine. Early publications were based almost entirely on interviews that solicited local knowledge. More recently, ethnobotanically guided searches for new medicinal plants have proven more successful than random sampling for identifying plants that contain biodynamic ingredients. However, limited laboratory time and the high cost of clinical trials make it difficult to test all potential medicinal plants in the search for new drug candidates. The purpose of this study was to summarize and analyze previous studies on the medicinal uses of American palms in order to narrow down the search for new palm-derived medicines. Methods Relevant literature was surveyed and data was extracted and organized into medicinal use categories. We focused on more recent literature than that considered in a review published 25 years ago. We included phytochemical and pharmacological research that explored the importance of American palms in ethnomedicine. Results Of 730 species of American palms, we found evidence that 106 species had known medicinal uses, ranging from treatments for diabetes and leishmaniasis to prostatic hyperplasia. Thus, the number of American palm species with known uses had increased from 48 to 106 over the last quarter of a century. Furthermore, the pharmacological bases for many of the effects are now understood. Conclusions Palms are important in American ethnomedicine. Some, like Serenoa repens and Roystonea regia, are the sources of drugs that have been approved for medicinal uses. In contrast, recent ethnopharmacological studies suggested that many of the reported uses of several other palms do not appear to have a strong physiological basis. This study has provided a useful assessment of the ethnobotanical and pharmacological data available on palms. Although Palm Springs, California, offers a pleasant desert climate that is often advantageous in treatment of respiratory allergies, physicians should be made aware in referring their patients that definite pollen factors must be taken into consideration in recommending a visit to Palm Springs, and should try to determine the compatibility of their patient's allergic sensitivity pattern and the particular seasonal incidence of pollen concentration in Palm Springs. It is believed that the most important pollens there are those of Bermuda grass, olive tree, mesquite, dicoria, false ragweed, scales, and hymenoclea salsola. A favorable climate alone does not permit a patient to disregard good allergic management. The broad mite is a serious pest of a variety of crops worldwide. Several phytoseiid mites have been described to control these mites. However, broad mites are still one of the major pest problems on greenhouse pepper in South-eastern Spain. The generalist predatory mite A. swirskii is widely used against other pests of pepper plants such as thrips and whiteflies, the latter being a vector of broad mites. We assessed the potential of A. swirskii to control broad mites. The oviposition rate of A. swirskii on a diet of broad mites was lower than on a diet of pollen, but higher than oviposition in the absence of food. Population-dynamical experiments with A. swirskii on single sweet pepper plants in a greenhouse compartment showed successful control of broad mites. PMID:20191312 van Maanen, Roos; Vila, Enrico; Sabelis, Maurice W; Janssen, Arne The broad mite is a serious pest of a variety of crops worldwide. Several phytoseiid mites have been described to control these mites. However, broad mites are still one of the major pest problems on greenhouse pepper in South-eastern Spain. The generalist predatory mite A. swirskii is widely used against other pests of pepper plants such as thrips and whiteflies, the latter being a vector of broad mites. We assessed the potential of A. swirskii to control broad mites. The oviposition rate of A. swirskii on a diet of broad mites was lower than on a diet of pollen, but higher than oviposition in the absence of food. Population-dynamical experiments with A. swirskii on single sweet pepper plants in a greenhouse compartment showed successful control of broad mites. van Maanen, Roos; Vila, Enrico; Sabelis, Maurice W. Existing coconut palms (cocos nucifera) provide a large sustainable resource for food, energy, timber, fiber and numerous other products. Most of this resource is currently wasted, yet it could give a strong basis for practical rural development in tropic... D. L. Hagen D. Etherington The publication describes the most effective methods and equipment for collecting, identifying, rearing, examining, and preserving terrestrial and aquatic insects and mites and for storing and caring for specimens in an insect collection. Instructions are... G. C. Steyskal W. L. Murphy E. M. Hoover 400 samples of natural winter debris collected from bee hives, 150 samples of stored honey and 100 samples of pollen collected by bees were examined; full of food and empty honey combs, brood and adult bees were also observed. 100% of samples of debris, 90% of pollen and almost 24% of honey samples contained mites; they were found also on honey combs and on died and living bees (brood, imagines). 33 mite species were found. Besides of parasite Varroa jacobsoni Oud. numerous mites belonging to Acaridae, Ameroseiidae, Tarsonemidae and Tydeidae were frequent. They are often accompanied by predatory mites from families Cheyletidae, Aceosejidae, Laelapidae, Bdellidae and Cunaxidae. 3 stated species--Acotyledon paradoxa Oud., Lasioacarus nidicolus Kadz. et Sev. and Thyreophagus odyneri Fain are new for Poland. PMID:1823503 A series of 16 studies was conducted involving 288 cattle with naturally acquired or experimentally induced mite or louse infestations to evaluate the efficacy of doramectin. Four studies were conducted against the mite species Psoroptes bovis and two against the mite species Sarcoptes scabiei. Ten studies involved cattle with one or more of the following louse species: Damalinia bovis, Haematopinus eurysternus, Linognathus vituli and Solenopotes capillatus. In each study, a group of at least nine but not more than 25 cattle were randomly allocated to a control or a treated group. One group was treated with doramectin at 200 micrograms kg-1 and the other group received no medication. Mites or lice were quantified by species immediately before treatment and at weekly intervals for 4 weeks thereafter. Doramectin was 100% efficacious against infestations of P. bovis, Sarcoptes scabiei, H. eurysternus, L. vituli and Solenopotes capillatus. The drug reduced infestations of D. bovis by a mean of 82%. PMID:8236741 Logan, N B; Weatherley, A J; Phillips, F E; Wilkins, C P; Shanks, D J Proliferation of Demodex mites is associated with rosacea. Furthermore, Demodex-associated bacteria were suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of rosacea. We decided to analyze Demodex microbiota. Mites were collected by standardized skin surface biopsies from patients with erythematotelangiectatic, papulopustular rosacea or from control subjects. The microbiota from each mite was characterized by 16S rRNA clone library approach. The 16S rRNA clone library consisted of 367 clones obtained from 73 extracts originating from 5 samples per study group (ETR, PPR or healthy subjects). A total of 86 species were identified with 36 as Demodex-specific microbiota. In the papulopustular group, proportions of Proteobacteria and Firmicutes increased whereas proportion of Actinobacteria decreased. Here, we report preliminary results on the microbiota of Demodex mites based on a molecular approach showing an unexpected diversity. Differences according to the host status need to be confirmed but open new perspectives for diagnostic of rosacea. PMID:24768927 Murillo, Nathalia; Aubert, Jérome; Raoult, Didier One of the more important etiological factors of allergies are mites occuring in the closest vicinity of humans, i.e. in the house dust and in the stored foodstuffs. The most important are the species representing the families: Pyroglyphidae (mainly Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, D. farinae, and Euroglyphus maynei), Glycyphagidae (e.g. Lepidoglyphus destructor, Blomia sp.), and Acaridae (e.g. Tyrophagus putrescentiae, Acarus siro). Mites shed an abundance of allergenic proteins. Particularly abundant in allergens are the extracts of mite faeces as well as the extracts of their purified bodies or culture substrate. In humans the may inflict atopic allergies (respiratory and dermal), such as bronchial asthma, rhinitis, or atopic eczema. It has been estimated that some 5% of the human population is sensitive to dust mites allergens. PMID:17633128 Henszel, ?ukasz; Ku?na-Grygiel, Wanda The compounds responsible for the colors of palm oils at various stages of processing have been isolated by gel permeation\\u000a chro matography. The isolated colored compounds have been characterized by visible spectroscopy and, in some cases, further\\u000a fractionated by high performance liquid chromatography. All palm oils studied contained colored compounds of both higher and\\u000a lower molecular weight than triglycerides. Oils M. S. Fraser; G. Frankl This paper presents two new approaches to improve the performance of palm-vein-based identification systems pre- sented in the literature. The proposed approach attempts to more effectively accommodate the potential deformations, rotational and translational changes by encoding the orientation preserving features and utilizing a novel region-based matching scheme. We systematically compare the previously proposed palm-vein identification approaches with our proposed ones Yingbo Zhou; Ajay Kumar Records of domestic animals brought to the Veterinary Entomology Laboratory for diagnosis of suspected lice and mite infestation over a 10 year period were analysed. From a total of 794 suspected cases, 137 (17·3%) and 247 (31·1%) were positive for lice and mange mites respectively. The most common lice species recorded wereLinognathus vituli (66·7%) on cattle,L. ovillus (83·3%) on sheep,Haematopinus J. B. D. George; S. Otobo; J. Ogunleye; B. Adediminiyi Herbivores suffer significant mortality from predation and are therefore subject to natural selection on traits promoting predator avoidance and resistance. They can employ an array of strategies to reduce predation, for example through changes in behaviour, morphology and life history. So far, the anti-predator response studied most intensively in spider mites has been the avoidance of patches with high predation risk. Less attention has been given to the dense web produced by spider mites, which is a complex structure of silken threads that is thought to hinder predators. Here, we investigate the effects of the web produced by the red spider mite, Tetranychus evansi Baker & Pritchard, on its interactions with the predatory mite, Phytoseiulus longipes Evans. We tested whether female spider mites recognize predator cues and whether these can induce the spider mites to produce denser web. We found that the prey did not produce denser web in response to such cues, but laid more eggs suspended in the web, away from the leaf surface. These suspended eggs suffered less from predation by P. longipes than eggs that were laid on the leaf surface under the web. Thus, by altering their oviposition behaviour in response to predator cues, females of T. evansi protect their offspring. Lemos, Felipe; Sarmento, Renato Almeida; Pallini, Angelo; Dias, Cleide Rosa; Sabelis, Maurice W. Allergic reactivity to house-dust mites (HDM) can be detected in patients with atopic eczema by prick and patch test challenge. To determine the clinical relevance of this reactivity, we performed a placebo-controlled, double-blind trial of anti-HDM measures. Active treatment comprised Gortex bags for all the bedding elements, a high-powered vacuum cleaner, and a spray containing benzyl alcohol and tannic acid to kill mites and denature allergens. Placebo treatment was light cotton bags, a cheap vacuum cleaner, and water spray. Forty-eight patients (28 active group) completed the trial, which lasted 6 months. Dust was sampled from the mattress surface and bedroom and living-room carpets before and at monthly intervals after institution of the measures. Dust was weighed and Der p 1 determined by ELISA (ALK). Patients were assessed for area and severity of eczema by a blinded observer. There was a highly significant reduction in bed surface dust - most beds yielded insufficient dust to extract and assay. Carpet Der p 1 levels were reduced to similar minimal levels by both active and placebo treatments (about 250 ng/m2). There were highly significant benefits on the eczema scores, the active treatment being greatly superior to placebo (P< or =0.0006; analysis of covariance). In conclusion, Gortex bed bags were highly effective at containing dust within the bed. This was associated with clinical improvement in most patients with atopic eczema - the biggest improvements were seen in the most severely affected subjects. PMID:10096818 Friedmann, P S; Tan, B B Ammonium sulphate precipitation and DEAE chromatography is an efficient way of purifying Ag 11, the main allergen in Dermatophagoďdes farinae mites, which has already been characterized by crossed radioimmunoelectrophoresis. At 60% of saturation in ammonium sulphate, a precipitate is formed which, dissolved and dialysed has been named fraction A 60. It is mainly composed of Ag 11. In the fraction DE obtained by DEAE chromatography of the ammonium sulphate fraction A 60, Ag 11 appears homogeneous on crossed-immunoelectrophoresis. Isoelectrofocusing results indicate an average isoelectric point near neutrality in agreement with the non-absorbtion of Ag 11 on the DEAE cellulose at a weak ionic strength (0.01, at pH 7.2). By sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and gel filtration Ag 11 has a molecular weight of 28,000. Ag 11 appears as a single polypeptidic chain with numerous dithio-bonds implying a highly folded and resistant structure. Oligosaccharides could be present as constituting molecules as well as contaminating ones as was assumed for hexosamines. These results are discussed with reference to a similar study performed on the major allergen of Dermatophagoďdes pteronyssinus. The allergenic properties of Ag 11 as present in fraction DE were tested by RAST-based methods. Fraction DE is an inhibitor as good as Df 80d and when it is coated on paper discs it can bind specific IgE in sera from the majority of mite sensitive patients. The results suggest that Ag 11 is a major allergen from D. farinae. ImagesFigure 1Figure 3Figure 4Figure 5 Dandeu, J.-P.; Le Mao, J.; Lux, M.; Rabillon, J.; David, B. This study was designed to explore the potential of refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD) palm oil (PO) and palm stearin (POs) utilization in chicken frankfurters. A 10 points augmented simplex-centroid design was used to study the effect of chicken fat (CF), PO and POs as well as the interaction of these fats on the emulsion, textural and sensory properties of S. S. Tan; A. Aminah; X. G. Zhang; S. B. Abdul Based on isoenzyme electrophoresis, 28 reputed cultivars of the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) previously characterized by morphological characters, were identified using the more variable enzyme systems in the date palm: esterases (EST), endopeptidases (ENP) and glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT), which showed, respectively, eight, six and seven electrophoretic phenotypes in leaf material. The phenotype combinations lead to an isoenzymebased key K Bendiab; M Baaziz; K Majourhat The prey preference of polyphagous predators plays an important role in suppressing different species of pest insects. In this study the prey preference of the predatory mite, Amblyseius swirskii (Athias-Henriot) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) was examined between nymphs of the twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) and first instar larvae of the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), as well as between active and chrysalis spider mite protonymphs and active and chrysalis spider mite deutonymphs. The study was done in the laboratory on bean leaf discs at 25 ± 1° C and 70 ± 5% RH. Amblyseius swirskii had a clear preference for thrips compared to both spider mite protonymphs and deutonymphs. About twice as many thrips as spider mites were consumed. Amblyseius swirskii did not show a preference between active and chrysalis stages of spider mites. PMID:21070175 Xu, Xuenong; Enkegaard, Annie The prey preference of polyphagous predators plays an important role in suppressing different species of pest insects. In this study the prey preference of the predatory mite, Amblyseius swirskii (Athias-Henriot) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) was examined between nymphs of the twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) and first instar larvae of the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), as well as between active and chrysalis spider mite protonymphs and active and chrysalis spider mite deutonymphs. The study was done in the laboratory on bean leaf discs at 25 ± 1° C and 70 ± 5% RH. Amblyseius swirskii had a clear preference for thrips compared to both spider mite protonymphs and deutonymphs. About twice as many thrips as spider mites were consumed. Amblyseius swirskii did not show a preference between active and chrysalis stages of spider mites. Xu, Xuenong; Enkegaard, Annie The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is native to many West African countries, where local populations have used its oil for culinary and other purposes. Large-scale plantations, established principally in tropical regions (Asia, Africa and Latin America), are mostly aimed at the production of oil, which is extracted from the fleshy mesocarp of the palm fruit, and endosperm or kernel oil. Palm oil is different from other plant and animal oils in that it contains 50% saturated fatty acids, 40% unsaturated fatty acids, and 10% polyunsaturated fatty acids. The fruit also contains components that can endow the oil with nutritional and health beneficial properties. These phytonutrients include carotenoids (alpha-,beta-,and gamma-carotenes), vitamin E (tocopherols and tocotrienols), sterols (sitosterol, stigmasterol and campesterol), phospholipids, glycolipids and squalene. In addition, it is recently reported that certain water-soluble powerful antioxidants, phenolic acids and flavonoids, can be recovered from palm oil mill effluent. Owing to its high content of phytonutrients with antioxidant properties, the possibility exists that palm fruit offers some health advantages by reducing lipid oxidation, oxidative stress and free radical damage. Accordingly, use of palm fruit or its phytonutrient-rich fractions, particularly water-soluble antioxidants, may confer some protection against a number of disorders or diseases including cardiovascular disease, cancers, cataracts and macular degeneration, cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. However, whilst prevention of disease through use of these phytonutrients as in either food ingredients or nutraceuticals may be a worthwhile objective, dose response data are required to evaluate their pharmacologic and toxicologic effects. In addition, one area of concern about use of antioxidant phytonutrients is how much suppression of oxidation may be compatible with good health, as toxic free radicals are required for defence mechanisms. These food-health concepts would probably spur the large-scale oil palm (and monoculture) plantations, which are already seen to be a major cause of deforestation and replacement of diverse ecosystems in many countries. However, the environmental advantages of palm phytonutrients are that they are prepared from the readily available raw material from palm oil milling processes. Palm fruit, one of only a few fatty fruits, is likely to have an increasingly substantiated place in human health, not only through the provision of acceptable dietary fats, but also its characteristic protective phytonutrients. PMID:14506002 Wattanapenpaiboon, Naiyana; Wahlqvist, Mark W Palm oil, palm stearin, palm olein and mixtures of palm stearin with rapeseed oil were reacted with glycerol at low moisture content using lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescens as catalyst. The content of monoglyceride (MG) in the reaction mixture at equilibrium was found to be higher at lower temperatures except for palm stearin where a higher diglyceride (DG) content was obtained. Gerald P. McNeill; Ralf G. Berger This report documents an evaluation of the environmental, economic, and energy impacts of material recovery facilities (MRFS) conducted under the Municipal Solid Waste Innovative Technology Evaluation (MITE) Program. he MITE Program is sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protecti... This report documents an evaluation of the environmental, economic, and energy impacts of material recovery facilities (MRFS) conducted under the Municipal Solid Waste Innovative Technology Evaluation (MITE) Program. he MITE Program is sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protecti... Eothenomys miletus were captured in 19 counties of Yunnan Province. The distribution of species-abundance and the species-plots relationship between E. miletus and chigger mites were analyzed by using ecological statistic method. There were totally 40,052 chigger mites collected from the body surface of 1741 E. miletus. 111 species of chigger mites were identified. The species-abundance distribution showed that with the increase of mite individuals, the number of chigger mite species gradually decreased. Most mite species were rare ones. Species-plot relation indicated that with the number of mouse plots (samples of E. miletus) increasing, the number of chigger mite species increased. E. miletus collected quantity up to date still could not reflect the exact species richness of chigger mite. PMID:21826908 Zhan, Yin-zhu; Guo, Xian-guo; Zuo, Xiao-hua; Wang, Qiao-hua This study was conducted to investigate phytophagous and predatory mites associated with vegetable plants in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Eight phytophagous and 10 predacious mites were collected from 14 species of vegetable crops covering five major production localities. Out of these 18 mite species, 13 species are new to the mite fauna of Saudi Arabia. In addition, the two species, Tenuipalpus punicae and Agistemus exsertus, are reported for the first time on vegetable crops in Saudi Arabia. For each mite species found, notes on host plant association and occurrence period are given. An illustrated key for the identification of the 18 mite species reported in this study is provided and this can be used to improve the IPM programs by applying the local natural predatory mites in controlling mite pests in Saudi Arabia. Al-Atawi, Fahad J. Several species of phytoseiid mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae), including species of the genera Amblyseius, Galendromus, Metaseiulus, Neoseiulus, Phytoseiulus and Typhlodromus, are currently reared for biological control of various crop pests and/or as model organisms for the study of predator-prey interactions. Pathogen-free phytoseiid mites are important to obtain high efficacy in biological pest control and to get reliable data in mite research, as pathogens may affect the performance of their host or alter their reproduction and behaviour. Potential and verified pathogens have been reported for phytoseiid mites during the past 25 years. The present review provides an overview, including potential pathogens with unknown host effects (17 reports), endosymbiotic Wolbachia (seven reports), other bacteria (including Cardinium and Spiroplasma) (four reports), cases of unidentified diseases (three reports) and cases of verified pathogens (six reports). From the latter group four reports refer to Microsporidia, one to a fungus and one to a bacterium. Only five entities have been studied in detail, including Wolbachia infecting seven predatory mite species, other endosymbiotic bacteria infecting Metaseiulus (Galendromus, Typhlodromus) occidentalis (Nesbitt), the bacterium Acaricomes phytoseiuli infecting Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot, the microsporidium Microsporidium phytoseiuli infecting P. persimilis and the microsporidium Oligosproridium occidentalis infecting M. occidentalis. In four cases (Wolbachia, A. phytoseiuli, M. phytoseiuli and O. occidentalis) an infection may be connected with fitness costs of the host. Moreover, infection is not always readily visible as no obvious gross symptoms are present. Monitoring of these entities on a routine and continuous basis should therefore get more attention, especially in commercial mass-production. Special attention should be paid to field-collected mites before introduction into the laboratory or mass rearing, and to mites that are exchanged among rearing facilities. However, at present general pathogen monitoring is not yet practical as effects of many entities are unknown. More research effort is needed concerning verified and potential pathogens of commercially reared arthropods and those used as model organisms in research. PMID:18763041 Schütte, Conny; Dicke, Marcel The reproduction of pyrethroid-resistant Varroa destructor mite, a brood parasite of honey bees, was observed in Weslaco, Texas, and the results compared with known susceptible mite\\u000a populations from other studies. Seven Apis mellifera colonies that had mite populations resistant to the acaricide Apistan™ were used. Pyrethroid-resistance was confirmed when only 17% rather than 90% of mites confined in dishes containing Stephen J. Martin; Patti J. Elzen; William R. Rubink We investigated the photosynthetic responses of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) leaves to two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae K.) damage. Light-response curves of mite-infested (+M) and uninfested (? M) leaves diverged as mite populations increased. At 17 adult female mites per leaf, photosynthetic rate of +M leaves at pho- tosynthetic photon fl ux density of about 1600 ?mol m-2 s-1 was A. A. Reddall; L. J. Wilson; P. C. Gregg; V. O. Sadras BackgroundMiniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs), which are common in eukaryotic genomes, are small non-coding elements that transpose by utilizing transposases encoded by autonomous transposons. Recent genome-wide analyses and cross-mobilization assays have greatly improved our knowledge on MITE proliferation, however, specific mechanisms for the origin and evolution of MITEs are still unclear.Principal FindingsA group of coral MITEs called CMITE were identified Shi Wang; Lingling Zhang; Eli Meyer; Mikhail V. Matz; John J. Welch A new ultra compact nuclear engine concept, MITEE (MIniature R_eactor E_nginE_), is described, and its performance evaluated for various solar system exploration missions. The MITEE concept is based on the Particle Bed Reactor (PBR), with modifications that enable a smaller, lighter nuclear engine. A range of MITEE Engine designs is described. Representative design parameters for the baseline MITEE reactor are: James Powell; John Paniagua; Hans Ludewig; George Maise; Michael Todosow Summary The palm oil industry in Malaysia has witnessed a prolific growth in recent years. For the past few decades, Malaysia has led the world in terms of production and export of palm oil. Therefore, physical properties and thermodynamic facts of palm oil have become one of the predominant parts in related chemical industries. Efforts to obtain physical properties of Salwani Abdullah; Eow Chee Tiong The kinetics of the catalytic cracking of palm oil into liquid hydrocarbons are investigated and the catalytic cracking of palm oil was performed in a fixed bed microreactor, operated in the temperature range of 673 - 723 K and palm oil feed weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 1 - 4 h -1 . Steam treated HZSM-5 zeolite at 1073 Farouq Twaiq; Abdul Rahman Mohamed; Subhash Bhatia The paper outlines the global palm oil situation and highlights the developments in the Malaysian and Indonesian palm oil industry. Palm oil has played a positive role in the world oils and fats supply and demand equation largely due to its techno-economic advantages and versatility as well as some of the developments in the world in relation to security of Although biodiversity in nature is of fundamental importance because it improves the sustainability of ecosystems, communities of microscopic organisms are generally excluded from conservation targets for biodiversity. Here, I hypothesize that mushroom mite species richness is correlated with both spatial (i.e., mushroom size) and temporal (i.e., longevity of fruiting bodies) resource availability. I collected fruiting bodies in an old-growth forest over 4 years to collect mites and insects inhabiting the mushrooms. Mites were collected from 47 % of the fruiting bodies and approximately 60 % of the mite species were collected only once. Mite species richness was significantly correlated with the availability of long-lasting fruiting bodies. For example, bracket fungi contained more mite species than ephemeral fruiting bodies. Insect presence was also correlated with mushroom mite richness, probably as phoretic hosts and food resources for predacious mites. On the other hand, mushroom size seemed to be less important; small fruiting bodies sometimes harbored several mite species. Although mite species richness was correlated with mushroom species richness, mushroom specificity by mites was not clear except for a preference for long-lasting fruiting bodies. Therefore, I suggest that a constant supply of coarse woody debris is crucial for maintaining preferred resources for mushroom mites (e.g., bracket fungi) and their associated insects (mycophilous and possibly saproxylic insects). PMID:23613030 We studied changes in populations of mites, nematodes, bacteria, and fungi in buried creosote bush litter treated with selected inhibitors. Elimination of microarthropods (primarily tydeid mites) resulted in increased numbers of bacteriophagic nematodes and reduction in numbers of bac- teria; elimination of both nematodes and microarthropods resulted in increased numbers of bacteria compared to untreated controls. Fungal grazing mites, Pyemotidae, PERSEU F. SANTOS; JANICE PHILLIPS; WALTER G. WHITFORD The leaf surface of woody perennials is inhabited by an extraordinary diversity of mites. Although a majority of these mite species are thought to feed on fungi or other microbes, their ability to control plant pathogens has not been rigorously investigated. We present experimental evidence that a tydeid mite,Orthotydeus lambi,can suppress the development of grape powdery mildew on wild and Greg English-Loeb; Andrew P Norton; David M Gadoury; Robert C Seem; Wayne F Wilcox Our research was concentrated on the finding one of Varroa destructor mite with pathological symptoms and on the isolation of its microorganisms. The dead mites were collected from sticky boards in beehives and observed under the stereomicroscope. The mites suspected of dying caused by pathological process were examined by means of bacteriological and mycological methods. The pathogenity of isolated microorganisms The ectoparasitic mite Varroa jacobsoni Oud. presently poses one of the most serious problems faced by keepers of honeybees Apis mellifera L. To help understand why the mite has become such a serious problem a population dynamics model using recently published data has been constructed. The simulation model has been built by linking together various aspects of the mites’ biology Nowadays, house dust mites have showed themselves as one of the health problem worldwide. They have to be considered in the differential diagnosis of allergy particularly in children. House dust mites were collected from eight different areas in Great Cairo. Nine species of mites were recovered from indoors. In order of abundance, they were Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, D. farinae, Tyrophagous putrescentiae, Acarus siro, Cheyletus malaccensis, Blomia kulagini, Acheles graciles, Ornithonyssus bacoti and Lepidoglyphus destructor. All these mites were collected mainly from Bolak Al Dakrour (28.8%) and Al Wayly (27.6%). The least number (1.8%) and species (only three) were collected from Madent Al Salam. Pet and stray dogs and cats, domestic birds and commensal rodents were more or less reported in the majority of the examined areas. Also, patients with history of allergy of unknown cause, were reported in ten out of 80 houses examined (12.5%). The role played by house dust mites in causing allergic manifestations was important environmental disease agents. PMID:12561892 Koraiem, M K; Fahmy, I A Backgound Human scabies is a debilitating skin disease caused by the “itch mite” Sarcoptes scabiei. Ordinary scabies is commonly treated with topical creams such as permethrin, while crusted scabies is treated with topical creams in combination with oral ivermectin. Recent reports of acaricide tolerance in scabies endemic communities in Northern Australia have prompted efforts to better understand resistance mechanisms and to identify potential new acaricides. In this study, we screened three essential oils and four pure compounds based on eugenol for acaricidal properties. Methodology/Principal Findings Contact bioassays were performed using live permethrin-sensitive S. scabiei var suis mites harvested from pigs and permethrin-resistant S. scabiei var canis mites harvested from rabbits. Results of bioassays showed that clove oil was highly toxic against scabies mites. Nutmeg oil had moderate toxicity and ylang ylang oil was the least toxic. Eugenol, a major component of clove oil and its analogues –acetyleugenol and isoeugenol, demonstrated levels of toxicity comparable to benzyl benzoate, the positive control acaricide, killing mites within an hour of contact. Conclusions The acaricidal properties demonstrated by eugenol and its analogues show promise as leads for future development of alternative topical acaricides to treat scabies. Pasay, Cielo; Mounsey, Kate; Stevenson, Graeme; Davis, Rohan; Arlian, Larry; Morgan, Marjorie; Vyszenski-Moher, DiAnn; Andrews, Kathy; McCarthy, James After biological control of Tetranychus urticae using Phytoseiulus persimilis, a latent mite pest, Eotetranychus asiaticus, was found on strawberries growing in a plastic greenhouse in western Japan. To determine whether the release of P. persimilis, an exotic natural enemy of T. urticae, enhanced the occurrence of the latent pest, the efficiency of P. persimilis in controlling E. asiaticus was compared with the efficiency of two indigenous phytoseiid mites, Amblyseius californicus and A. womersleyi, under laboratory conditions. Phytoseiulus persimilis and A. californicus attacked not only T. urticae but also E. asiaticus. However, the predators produced very few eggs and their offspring rarely reached adulthood when fed on E. asiaticius, so their potential as control agents for the latent mite appears to be low. In contrast, A. womersleyi feeding on E. asiaticus reproduced as well as when fed on T. urticae, and exterminated both species of spider mite. This suggests that A. womersleyi has greater potential as a biological control agent in crops where both species may occur. PMID:12542009 Osakabe, M H Palm olein (PO) and red palm olein (RPO) are rich in tocopherols and tocotrienols. In addition, RPO also contains a high content of carotene. This study was to determine the effect of chronic intake of diets containing palm oils, varying in their vitamin E and carotene contents, on lipid profile in rats. Weaning male Wistar rats were fed either 18% This invention is directed to an integrated method for the processing of palm fruit bunches to oil and other products. The method comprises inter alia separating palm fruit carrying bunches into fruits and lignocellulosic empty fruit bunches, processing the fruits to form palm oil, and at least one lignocellulosic processing coproduct; generating an aqueous stream; producing a non-oil, non-alcohol, non-fatty acid ester third product from the oil, the lignocellulosic processing coproduct, the aqueous stream or from a combination thereof; processing at least a portion of the lignocellulosic empty fruit bunches, lignocellulosic processing coproduct or a combination thereof into a fourth product and optionally producing at least one fifth conversion product from the fourth product; and using at least a portion of the fourth product or a product of its conversion or a combination thereof. A high proportion of nonreproductive (NR) Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman (Mesostigmata: Varroidae), is commonly observed in honey bee colonies displaying the varroa sensitive hygienic trait (VSH). This study was conducted to determine the influence of brood removal and subsequent host reinvasion of varroa mites on mite reproduction. We collected foundress mites from stages of brood (newly sealed larvae, prepupae, white-eyed pupae, and pink-eyed pupae) and phoretic mites from adult bees. We then inoculated these mites into cells containing newly sealed larvae. Successful reproduction (foundress laid both a mature male and female) was low (13%) but most common in mites coming from sealed larvae. Unsuccessful reproductive attempts (foundress failed to produce both a mature male and female) were most common in mites from sealed larvae (22%) and prepupae (61%). Lack of any progeny was most common for mites from white-eyed (83%) and pink-eyed pupae (92%). We also collected foundress mites from sealed larvae and transferred them to cells containing newly sealed larvae, prepupae, white-eyed pupae, or pink-eyed pupae. Successful reproduction only occurred in the transfers to sealed larvae (26%). Unsuccessful reproductive attempts were most common in transfers to newly sealed larvae (40%) and to prepupae (25%). Unsuccessful attempts involved the production of immature progeny (60%), the production of only mature daughters (26%) or the production of only a mature male (14%). Generally, lack of progeny was not associated with mites having a lack of stored sperm. Our results suggest that mites exposed to the removal of prepupae or older brood due to hygiene are unlikely to produce viable mites if they invade new hosts soon after brood removal. Asynchrony between the reproductive status of reinvading mites and the developmental stage of their reinvasion hosts may be a primary cause of NR mites in hygienic colonies. Even if reinvading mites use hosts having the proper age for infestation, only a minority of them will reproduce. PMID:21882676 Kirrane, Maria J; De Guzman, Lilia I; Rinderer, Thomas E; Frake, Amanda M; Wagnitz, Jeremy; Whelan, Pádraig M In choice test experiments on strawberry leaf disc arenas the phytoseiid mites Neoseiulus californicus and N. cucumeris were more effective than Typhlodromus pyri as predators of the phytophagous mites Tetranychus urticae and Phytonemus pallidus. There were no preferences shown for either prey by any of these predators. In multiple predator leaf disc experiments both Phytoseiulus persimilis and N. cucumeris significantly reduced numbers of T. urticae eggs and active stages; this effect was seen when the two species were present alone or in combination with other predator species. Neoseiulus californicus was less effective at reducing T. urticae numbers, and T. pyri was not effective; no interaction between predator species was detected in these experiments. When T. urticae alone was present as prey on potted plants, P. persimilis and N. californicus were the only phytoseiids to significantly reduce T. urticae numbers. These two predator species provided effective control of T. urticae when P. pallidus was also present; however, none of the predators reduced numbers of P. pallidus. There were no significant negative interactions when different species of predators were present together on these potted plants. In field experiments, releases of both P. persimilis and N. cucumeris significantly reduced T. urticae numbers. However, there was a significant interaction between these predator species, leading to poorer control of T. urticae when both species were released together. These results show the importance of conducting predator/prey feeding tests at different spatial scales. PMID:17713859 Fitzgerald, Jean; Pepper, Nicola; Easterbrook, Mike; Pope, Tom; Solomon, Mike Cecidophyopsis mites were studied by PCR amplification of parts of their ribosomal DNA, followed by restriction enzyme analysis. Mite specimens on Ribes nigrum (black currant) from six countries gave the same digestion pattern, which was distinct from the pattern for mites found on R. rubrum from Poland and Finland and for R. grossularia from the USA. This suggests that each Ribes species is host to a different mite species: C. ribis, C. selachodon and C. grossulariae, respectively. Two other mite samples from R. alpinum and R. aureum were identical but were distinct from each of the other species. PMID:7663755 Fenton, B; Malloch, G; Jones, A T; Amrine, J W; Gordon, S C; A'Hara, S; McGavin, W J; Birch, A N Proteases are involved in the pathogenicity of allergy, increasing epithelial permeability and acting as adjuvants. Enzymatic activity is therefore important for the allergenicity of an extract and also affects its stability and safety. However, the enzymatic activity of extracts is not usually evaluated. The objective of this study was to evaluate the enzymatic activity of the most allergenic mite extracts and to investigate their allergenic properties. Extracts from nine allergenic mite species (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides farinae Hughes, Euroglyphus maynei, Lepidoglyphus destructor, Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank), Glycyphagus domesticus (DeGeer), Acarus siro L., Chortoglyphus arcuatus, and Blomia tropicalis) were characterized. Protein and allergen profiles were characterized by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and western-blot, respectively. Gelatinolytic activity was evaluated with a zymogram and the activity of other enzymes (cysteine, serine proteases, and esterases) was evaluated individually or with the API-ZYM system. The main differences in protease activity were found between house dust mites and storage mites. House dust mites presented higher cysteine protease activity while storage mites presented higher serine protease activity. These differences are in line with their trophic specialization. A wide range of different activities was found in all the extracts analyzed, reflecting the fact that the extracts preserve the activity of many enzymes, this being necessary for a correct diagnosis. However, enzymes may act as adjuvants and, therefore, could lead to undesirable effects in immunotherapies, making this activity not suitable for treatment products. Modified extracts with lower enzymatic activity could be more appropriate for immunotherapy. PMID:23427664 Morales, Maria; Iraola, Víctor; Leonor, Jose R; Carnés, Jerónimo Fur mites are a persistent problem in contemporary laboratory mouse colonies. We conducted several studies to evaluate fur mite diagnostic methodologies and interpretation of results. Retrospective analysis of test results from sentinel mice exposed to soiled bedding collected from colonies infested with Myobia musculi and Myocoptes musculinus revealed the skin scrape test to be more reliable than pelt examination, provided that both the head and dorsal thoracolumbar regions were sampled. To assess their diagnostic accuracy, 3 commercial laboratories were sent positive control slides containing mites, mite parts, or eggs in sets of slides containing diagnostic skin scrapings in varying ratios. Laboratory B correctly identified the positive control slide. Laboratory A identified 1 of 3 positive control slides, whereas laboratory C failed to identify both positive control slides submitted. To determine the time required for a mouse to shed its entire hair coat, fur of Crl:CD1(ICR), BALB/cAnNCrl, and Crl:CFW(SW) albino mice was dyed black and the presence of dyed fur evaluated monthly for 8 mo. Limited dyed hair was still present at 8 mo; therefore, finding eggs or egg casings many months after treatment cessation does not necessarily imply treatment failure. To evaluate the effectiveness of soiled bedding sentinels for detection of fur mites in a mite-infested colony, we exposed naďve mice to varying amounts (100%, 50%, 25%, 2.5%, and 0%) of soiled bedding in clean bedding. As little as 2.5% soiled bedding resulted in detection of a positive sentinel within a 2-mo period. Ricart Arbona, Rodolfo J; Lipman, Neil S; Wolf, Felix R Infestations with the poultry red mite Dermanyssus gallinae represent a major ectoparasite problem in poultry and affects egg and meat production worldwide. The effects of the neem\\u000a seed product Mite-Stop® against the red poultry mite were investigated. Five primitive poultry farms in two small villages\\u000a in the Nile Delta and Giza district were selected for the study. The neem extract Fathy Abdel-Ghaffar; Hassan M. Sobhy; Saleh Al-Quraishy; Margit Semmler Mites are small live organism that may result in a large number of allergenic diseases such as atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis and asthma that may cause individuals' physical, social and mental health, adversely affects quality of life. Mites that can be found everywhere where people live are found in various foodstuffs. The purpose of this review is to examine the types of mites and possible illness result from mites can be found in stored foods especially cheese in terms of public health assessment. Finding mite in the stored foods except for some local cheeses is not desirable because of it's health risks. However, especially in cheese which is maturing in the open always to be the case of mite enfestation. In particular, this risk is much higher in some enterprises where have not taken measures enough in terms of food safety. Besides the lack of standarts related to cheese, fighting against mite in quality assurance systems have generally not been taken into consideration. Whereas mites in cheese consumed by individuals at any age, there is always a possibility of the potential cause of the allergic reactions seen in the consumer. Prevention of possible infestations in cheese, potential presence of storage mite and cheese mite in various stored foods and local cheese of Turkey should be investigated more comprehensive and protective measures should be developed in order to protect public health against mites. PMID:20954123 Cev?zc?, Sibel; Gökçe, Seher; Bostan, Kamil; Kaypmaz, Ay?e Eggs of 13 species of common, economically important stored-product pest mites (Acarus siro, A. gracilis, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, T. brevicrinatus, Tyroborus lini, Aleuroglyphus ovatus, Caloglyphus redikorzevi, C. oudemansi, Lepidoglyphus destructor, Glycyphagus domesticus, Aeroglyphus robustus, Chortoglyphus arcuatus and Carpoglyphus lactis) from four families (Acaridae, Glycyphagidae, Chortoglyphidae, Carpoglyphidae) were studied in order to build a diagnostic key. The morphological study dealt with shape, size and surface sculpturing of eggs. Morphological details were visualised using scanning electron microscopy. A key for distinguishing eggs at genus and species level was developed for the major stored-product mites. PMID:19252823 Kucerova, Zuzana; Stejskal, Vaclav The saps of the African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), and the wine palm (Raphia hookeri), tapped and consumed locally as beverage, were analysed and processed into caramel by acid-heat treatment. The saps, rich in sugars were boiled for 1 h, diluted and filtered. The filtrates were acidified with 5% dilute sulphuric acid to pH between 2.0 and 3.0 and heated S. C Umerie The red palm weevilRhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (RPW) is the most serious pest of date palms in the Middle East. Weevil infestation was first detected in Israel\\u000a in the summer of 1999 in date plantations in the Jordan Valley, on the west bank of the Jordan River and in the northern area\\u000a of the Dead Sea. For 2 years following the V. Soroker; D. Blumberg; A. Haberman; M. Hamburger-Rishard; S. Reneh; S. Talebaev; L. Anshelevich; A. R. Harari This paper reports on ectoparasitic chigger mites found on small mammals in Yunnan Province, southwest China. Data were accumulated from 19 investigation sites (counties) between 2001 and 2009. A total of 10 222 small mammal hosts were captured and identified; these represented 62 species, 34 genera and 11 families in five orders. From the body surfaces of these 10 222 hosts, a total of 92 990 chigger mites were collected and identified microscopically. These represented 224 species, 22 genera and three subfamilies in the family Trombiculidae (Trombidiformes). Small mammals were commonly found to be infested by chigger mites and most host species harboured several species of mite. The species diversity of chigger mites in Yunnan was much higher than diversities reported previously in other provinces of China and in other countries. A single species of rodent, Eothenomys miletus (Rodentia: Cricetidae), carried 111 species of chigger mite, thus demonstrating the highest species diversity and heaviest mite infestation of all recorded hosts. This diversity is exceptional compared with that of other ectoparasites. Of the total 224 mite species, 21 species accounted for 82.2% of all mites counted. Two species acting as major vectors for scrub typhus (tsutsugamushi disease), Leptotrombidium scutellare and Leptotrombidium deliense, were identified as the dominant mite species in this sample. In addition to these two major vectors, 12 potential or suspected vector species were found. Most species of chigger mite had a wide range of hosts and low host specificity. For example, L. scutellare parasitized 30 species of host. The low host specificity of chigger mites may increase their probability of encountering humans, as well as their transmission of scrub typhus among different hosts. Hierarchical clustering analysis showed that similarities between different chigger mite communities on the 18 main species of small mammal host did not accord with the taxonomic affinity of the hosts. This suggests that the distribution of chigger mites may be strongly influenced by the environment in which hosts live. PMID:23167491 Zhan, Y-Z; Guo, X-G; Speakman, J R; Zuo, X-H; Wu, D; Wang, Q-H; Yang, Z-H This paper proposes a novel technique to generate an irrevocable cryptographic key from the biometric template. The biometric trait considered here is the palm vein. The technique proposed here utilises the minutiae features extracted from the pattern generated. The features include bifurcation points and ending points. Since other cryptographic keys are probable to theft or guess, keys generated from the B. Prasanalakshmi; A. Kannammal Expansion of oil palm plantations has led to extensive wildlife habitat conversion in Southeast Asia . This expansion is driven by a global demand for palm oil for products ranging from foods to detergents , and more recently for biofuels . The negative impacts of oil palm development on biodiversity [1, 4, 5], and on orangutans (Pongo spp.) in particular, have been well documented [6, 7] and publicized [8, 9]. Although the oil palm is of African origin, Africa's production historically lags behind that of Southeast Asia. Recently, significant investments have been made that will likely drive the expansion of Africa's oil palm industry . There is concern that this will lead to biodiversity losses similar to those in Southeast Asia. Here, we analyze the potential impact of oil palm development on Africa's great apes. Current great ape distribution in Africa substantially overlaps with current oil palm concessions (by 58.7%) and areas suitable for oil palm production (by 42.3%). More importantly, 39.9% of the distribution of great ape species on unprotected lands overlaps with suitable oil palm areas. There is an urgent need to develop guidelines for the expansion of oil palm in Africa to minimize the negative effects on apes and other wildlife. There is also a need for research to support land use decisions to reconcile economic development, great ape conservation, and avoiding carbon emissions. PMID:25017207 Wich, Serge A; Garcia-Ulloa, John; Kühl, Hjalmar S; Humle, Tatanya; Lee, Janice S H; Koh, Lian Pin Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted from 2005 to 2007 to determine the effectiveness of different release times with the predatory mite, Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor), for control of the twospotted spider mite (TSSM), Tetranychus urticae Koch, in strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa Duchesne). The effect of N. californicus releases over time and on development of TSSM populations during a growing season were evaluated. Our hypothesis was that repeated applications of N. californicus, which is currently recommended by biological control companies, might be unnecessary to attain season-long control of TSSM. In greenhouse trials, three treatments consisting of releases of N. californicus at five-day intervals: day 0, day 5, and day 10, and an untreated control were evaluated. The treatment releases significantly reduced TSSM below the control within five days of each release. Neoseiulus californicus significantly reduced TSSM in treatments with high densities (leaflets with > or =40 TSSM) below that of treatments with lower densities (leaflets with < or = 10 TSSM) demonstrating that if released at a predator: prey ratio of 1:10, timing of release does not alter the effectiveness of N. californicus in controlling TSSM. However, we found that if the ratio of predator: prey remains adequate, N. californicus is a more efficient predator at high TSSM densities. Field studies included three treatments consisting of releases of N. californicus at one-month intervals. All treatments significantly reduced TSSM compared with the control plots (no releases). Releases applied early in the season sustained TSSM significantly below those in the control plots for the whole season. Our results indicate that one release of N. californicus is able to sustained control of TSSM in strawberry throughout a growing season if released when TSSM populations are low early in the season in the southeastern United States. PMID:17924197 Fraulo, Aimee B; Liburd, Oscar E Records of domestic animals brought to the Veterinary Entomology Laboratory for diagnosis of suspected lice and mite infestation over a 10 year period were analysed. From a total of 794 suspected cases, 137 (17.3%) and 247 (31.1%) were positive for lice and mange mites respectively. The most common lice species recorded were Linognathus vituli (66.7%) on cattle, L. ovillus (83.3%) on sheep, Haematopinus suis (100%) on pigs and Menacanthus stramineus (54.5%) on poultry. Other lice species recorded included Haematopinus bovis and Solenopotes capillatus on cattle, Damalinia ovis on sheep, Linognathus stenopsis and Menacanthus stramineus on goats, Goniocotes sp. on a horse, Linognathus setosus and Menacanthus stramineus on dogs, Goniodes gigas, Lipeurus caponis, Menopon gallinae and Chelopistes meleagrides on poultry. The most common mite species were Demodex folliculorum on cattle (96.9%) and on dogs (80.8%), Sarcoptes scabiei on pigs (100%) and Notoedres cati (80.3%) on rabbits. Other mite species included Psoroptes communis, Cheyletiella parasitivorax, Ornithonyssus gallinae and Dermanyssus gallinae. PMID:1305335 George, J B; Otobo, S; Ogunleye, J; Adediminiyi, B The life history of the honey bee Apis mellifera and the bee mite Farroa jacobsoni and their interactions were modeled using a commercial software package known as Stella II. Stella II provides a non- mathematically intensive modeling technique that allows the user to generate a series of differential equations that can track a population through time with a minimum set Mites are well documented as vectors of micromycetes in stored products. Since their vectoring capacity is low due to their small size, they can be serious vectors only where there is selective transfer of a high load of specific fungal species. Therefore the aim of our work was to find out whether the transfer of fungi is selective. Four kinds Jan Hubert; Václav Stejskal; Alena Kubátová; Zuzana Munzbergová; Marie Vá?ová; Eva Žd’árková To evaluate the extent of personal exposure to airborne mite allergens, subjects were asked to carry a personal air sampler when in their houses. The level of Der 1 allergen trapped by the sampler was measured with a highly sensitive immunoassay. There were great variations in airborne Der 1 exposure in each subject. When used bedding was replaced with new Masahiro Sakaguchi; Sakae Inouye; Reiko Sasaki; Michiko Hashimoto; Chizuru Kobayashi; Hiroshi Yasueda A survey of small-mammal ectoparasites was conducted in 1968 and 1969 on mainland South Vietnam and Con Son Island. The ectoparasites collected were mesostigmatic and trombiculid mites, fleas, lice and ticks. This paper deals with the family Laelapidae. H... T. R. Hadi W. P. Carney P. F. D. Van Peenen W. B. Hull BackgoundHuman scabies is a debilitating skin disease caused by the “itch mite” Sarcoptes scabiei. Ordinary scabies is commonly treated with topical creams such as permethrin, while crusted scabies is treated with topical creams in combination with oral ivermectin. Recent reports of acaricide tolerance in scabies endemic communities in Northern Australia have prompted efforts to better understand resistance mechanisms and to Cielo Pasay; Kate Mounsey; Graeme Stevenson; Rohan Davis; Larry Arlian; Marjorie Morgan; Diann Vyszenski-Moher; Kathy Andrews; James McCarthy; Cesar V. Munayco Environ. Entomol. 16. 614-617 (1987) ABSTRACT Artificially inoculated spider mite foci increase in size at an exponential rate. Productivity was greatest on plants farthest from the center of each focus. Timing of initial infestation was shown, both experimentally and through simulation, to affect ultimate yield of cotton: the earlier the initiation of infestation, the lower the yield. These results as L. T. WILSON; C. H. PICKETT; T. F. LEIGH; J. R. CAREY The starting point for generating a pest control decision-making system is a conventional sampling plan. Because the mites Polyphagotarsonemus latus and Tetranychus bastosi are among the most important pests of the physic nut (Jatropha curcas), in the present study, we aimed to establish sampling plans for these mite species on physic nut. Mite densities were monitored in 12 physic nut crops. Based on the obtained results, sampling of P. latus and T. bastosi should be performed by assessing the number of mites per cm(2) in 160 samples using a handheld 20× magnifying glass. The optimal sampling region for T. bastosi is the abaxial surface of the 4th most apical leaf on the branch of the middle third of the canopy. On the abaxial surface, T. bastosi should then be observed on the side parts of the middle portion of the leaf, near its edge. As for P. latus, the optimal sampling region is the abaxial surface of the 4th most apical leaf on the branch of the apical third of the canopy on the abaxial surface. Polyphagotarsonemus latus should then be assessed on the side parts of the leaf's petiole insertion. Each sampling procedure requires 4 h and costs US$ 7.31. PMID:24682638 Rosado, Jander F; Sarmento, Renato A; Pedro-Neto, Marçal; Galdino, Tarcísio V S; Marques, Renata V; Erasmo, Eduardo A L; Picanço, Marcelo C The external morphological adaptations to parasitism in acariform mites (Acari: Acariformes), permanently parasiting mammals, are briefly summated and analyzed. According to several external morphological criteria (structures of gnathosoma, idiosoma, setation, legs and life cycle), the following six morphoecotypes were established: skin mites (i)-- Cheyletidae, Chirorhynchobiidae, Lobalgidae, Myobiidae, Myocoptidae (the most part), Rhyncoptidae, Psoroptidae; fur mites (ii)--Atopomelidae, Clirodiscidae, Listrophoridae, Myocoptidae (Trichoecius only); skin burrowing mites (iii)--Sarcoptidae; intradermal mites (iv) - sorergatidae and Demodicidae; interstitial mites (v) - pimyodicidae; respiratory mites (vi) - reynetidae, Gastronyssidae, Lemurnyssidae, Pneumocoptidae. In the case of prostigmatic mites, the detailed reconstruction of the origin and evolution of "parasitic" morphoecotypes is possible due to the tentative phylogenetic hypotheses, which were proposed for the infraorder Eleutherengon, a, including the most part of the permanent mammalian parasites among prostigmatic mites (Kethley in Norton, 1993; Bochkov, 2002). The parasitism of Speleognathinae (Ereynetidae) in the mammalian respiratory tract arose independently of the other prostigmats. It is quite possible that these mites switched on mammals from birds, because they are more widely represented on these hosts than on mammals. The prostigmatic parasitism on mammalian skin seems to be originated independently in myobiids, in the five cheyletid tribes, Cheyletiellini, Niheliini, and Teinocheylini, Chelonotini, Cheyletini, and, probably, in a cheyletoid ansector of the sister families Psorergatidae-Demodicidae (Bochkov, Fain, 2001; Bochkov, 2002). Demodicids and psorergatids developed adaptations to parasitism in the skin gland ducts and directly in the epithelial level, respectively in the process of the subsequent specialization. Mites of the family Epimyodicidae belong to the phylogenetic line independent of other cheyletoids. These mites possess the separate chelicerae and, therefore, can not be included to the superfamily Cheyletoidea. It is not quite clear whether they were skin parasites initially or they directly switched to parasitism from the predation. The phylogeny of sarcoptoid mites (Psoroptidia: Sarcoptoidea) is not developed, however, some hypotheses about origin and the following evolution of their morphoecotypes can be proposed. We belive that astigmatic mites inhabiting the mammalian respiratory tract transferred to parasitism independently of other sarcoptoids. The idiosoma of these mites is not so much flattened dorso-ventrally and has proportions which are similar to hose of free-living astigmatids. Moreover, in the most archaic species, the legs are not shortened or thickened as in the most parasites. The disappearance of many morphological structures in these mites, probably, happened parallely with some other sarcoptoids due to their parasitic mode of life. The skin inhabiting sarcoptoids belong to the "basic" morphoecotype, and all other sarcoptoid morphoecotypes, excluding respiratory mites, are derived from it. Some mites of this morphoecotype live on the concave surfaces of the widened spine-like hairs of the rodents belonging to the family Echimyidae (mites of the subfamily Echimytricalginae), in the mammalian ears (some Psoroptidae) or partially sink into the hair follicles (Rhynocoptidae). Finally, mites of the family Chirorhynchobiidae live on the bat wing edges attaching to them by their "ixodid-like" gnathosoma. The fur-sarcoptoids, probably, originated from the skin mites. This morphoecotype is divided onto two subtypes: mites with the dorso-ventrally flattened idiosoma (subtype I) and mites with the teretial idiosoma (subtype II). Each "fur-mite" family includes mites of the both subtypes. All mites of the first subtype belong to the early derivative lineages in their families. Among listrophorids such early derivative lineage is represented by the subfamily Aplodontochirinae (Bochkov, O Bochkov, A V Roses on commercial nurseries commonly suffer from attacks by the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, which have a negative influence on growth and quality. The aim of this project is to find natural enemies that are well adapted to roses, and may improve biological control. At different sites such as a plant collection garden, public parks and field boundaries, leaves were sampled from roses to identify the indigenous species of predatory mites. Amblyseius andersoni was amongst other species frequently found, which suggests that this species thrives well on roses. The possibility for biological control of spider mites with A. andersoni was investigated both in container roses outdoors and in glasshouses. In plots of outdoor roses artificially infested with spider mites, the following treatments were carried out: spider mites alone (untreated plot), Amblyseius andersoni Amblyseius andersoni and ice plants, Neoseiulus californicus, Neoseiulus californicus and ice plants. There were four replications of the treatments. The ice plants, Delosperma cooperi, were added to some treatments to supply pollen as extra food for the predatory mites. Natural enemies such as Chrysoperla spp., Conwentzia sp., Orius sp., Stethorus punctillum, and Feltiella acarisuga occurred naturally and contributed to the control of spider mites. After one month the spider mites were eradicated in all treatments. At the end of the trial, predatory mites were collected from all plots for identification. The ratio of Amblyseius andersoni to Neoseiulus californicus was approximately 9:1. There was no obvious effect of the ice plants on the number of predatory mites. On a nursery, where new roses are bred and selected, Amblyseius andersoni was released in three glasshouses after one early treatment with bifenazate against two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae. In two of these glasshouses Neoseiulus californicus was also released. Samples, which were taken in the summer months showed that the spider mites were kept at a very low level. Amblyseius andersoni was found, even if spider mites were absent. Rose plants infested with spider mites, that were brought in to the glasshouses later developed spider mite 'hotspots'. Phytoseiulus persimilis was introduced in the hot spots and contributed to the control along with Neoseiulus californicus, Amblyseius andersoni and naturally occurring Feltiella acarisuga. These observations showed that Amblyseius andersoni is a good candidate for preventing spider mite outbreaks, as it easily survives without spider mites. This predatory mite is able to survive on other food, including thrips and fungal spores. PMID:15759407 van der Linden, A ...Special Local Regulations; Palm Beach World Championship, Atlantic Ocean; Jupiter...Jupiter, Florida during the Palm Beach World Championship, a high speed power boat race. The Palm Beach World Championship is scheduled to take... ...Intracoastal Waterway, West Palm Beach, FL AGENCY: Coast Guard...Intracoastal Waterway, in West Palm Beach, Florida, during the West Palm Beach Triathlon Championship...designated representative. DATES: Comments and related... ...Intracoastal Waterway; West Palm Beach, FL AGENCY: Coast Guard...Intracoastal Waterway, in West Palm Beach, Florida, during the West Palm Beach Triathlon Championship...designated representative. DATES: This rule is effective... The role of the mango bud mite, Aceria mangiferae, in carrying conidia of Fusarium mangiferae, vectoring them into potential infection sites, and assisting fungal infection and dissemination was studied. Following the mite's exposure to a green fluorescent protein-marked isolate, conidia were observed clinging to the mite's body. Agar plugs bearing either bud mites or the pathogen were placed on leaves near the apical buds of potted mango plants. Conidia were found in bud bracts only when both mites and conidia were co-inoculated on the plant, demonstrating that the mite vectored the conidia into the apical bud. Potted mango plants were inoculated with conidia in the presence or absence of mites. Frequency and severity of infected buds were significantly higher in the presence of mites, revealing their significant role in the fungal infection process. Conidia and mite presence were monitored with traps in a diseased orchard over a 2-year period. No windborne bud mites bearing conidia were found; however, high numbers of windborne conidia were detected in the traps. These results suggest that A. mangiferae can carry and vector conidia between buds and assist in fungal penetration but does not play a role in the aerial dissemination of conidia between trees. PMID:19159307 Gamliel-Atinsky, E; Freeman, S; Sztejnberg, A; Maymon, M; Ochoa, R; Belausov, E; Palevsky, E Predatory mites are important components of subterranean food webs and may help regulate densities of agricultural pests, including western corn rootworms (Chrysomelidae: Diabrotica virgifera virgifera). Implementing conservation and/or classical biocontrol tactics could enhance densities of specialist or generalist predatory mites and lead to pest suppression, but first relevant mite species must be identified and their predatory capabilities evaluated. We conducted lab assays to quantify consumption of immature rootworms and oviposition rates of various mite species. Our study indicates that rootworms are a sub-optimal food source for the mite taxa tested. However, all mite species fed upon rootworms to some degree, although consumption by nematophagous Eviphis ostrinus was extremely low. Predators consumed more rootworm larvae than eggs, and mite size was correlated with prey consumption, with larger predators eating more prey. Four mite taxa (Gaeolaelaps sp., S. miles, Gl. americana, and G. aculeifer) had detrimental effects on survival of rootworm larvae, and the latter two species also had negative impacts on densities of pest eggs. Although it is unlikely that any of these mite species by itself has a major impact on rootworm control, the community of generalist soil-dwelling mites may play an important role in regulating immature rootworm populations in the field. PMID:21598089 Prischmann, Deirdre A; Knutson, Eric M; Dashiell, Kenton E; Lundgren, Jonathan G Background Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Acari: Astigmata) and Fusarium sp. co-occur in poorly managed grain. In a laboratory experiment, mite grazing resulted in significant reduction of fungal mycelium on cultivation plates. The destruction of mycelium appeared to be a result of an interaction between the mites, fungi and associated bacteria. Methodology and Principal Findings A laboratory experiment was performed to simulate a situation of grain multiinfested by mites and Fusarium fungi. Changes of mite-associated bacterial community in T. putrescentiae were described in 3 habitats: (i) T. putrescentiae mites from a rearing diet prior to their transfer to fungal diet; (ii) fungal mycelium before mite introduction; (iii) mites after 7 day diet of each Fusarium avenaceum, F. culmorum, F. poae and F. verticillioides. Bacterial communities were characterized by 16 S rRNA gene sequencing. In total, 157 nearly full-length 16 S rRNA gene sequences from 9 samples representing selected habitats were analyzed. In the mites, the shift from rearing to fungal diet caused changes in mite associated bacterial community. A diverse bacterial community was associated with mites feeding on F. avenaceum, while feeding on the other three Fusarium spp. led to selection of a community dominated by Bacillaceae. Conclusions/Significance The work demonstrated changes of bacterial community associated with T. putrescentiae after shift to fungal diets suggesting selection for Bacillaceae species known as chitinase producers, which might participate in the fungal mycelium hydrolysis. Hubert, Jan; Nesvorna, Marta; Sagova-Mareckova, Marketa; Kopecky, Jan A sample of fourteen horse rugs and two saddle blankets stored in south western Sydney, Australia, an area of known high dust mite prevalence in the human environment, were analysed for the presence of house dust mites. Dust samples from the rugs, blankets and 16 control sites were collected using a vacuum cleaner with a modified attachment and filter. Dust mites were extracted using an adapted floatation technique. Eight rugs and all control samples were positive for mites, which were confirmed to be house dust mites of the genus Dermatophagoides. This study confirms that exposure to house dust mites from horse rugs can occur, indicating that house dust mite allergen reactivity on intradermal and serum allergy testing in atopic horses may represent true dust mite hypersensitivity. Nevertheless, quantification studies will be necessary to ensure that there is adequate mite exposure for development of hypersensitivity, and further evaluation of immunological responses, avoidance and provocation, and specific immunotherapy are required to confirm the clinical relevance. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to document the presence of house dust mites in the equine environment. PMID:20529010 Wallace, Jessica C; Vogelnest, Linda J Examination of 165 rodents trapped in domestic, peridomestic, and feral biotopes of central and southern India revealed the presence of 1,359 mesostigmatid mites. Rodents in central India were infested with 1 species of mite, Laelaps nuttalli; 98% of these mites were recovered from the peridomestic rodent Bandicota bengalensis. Material from the burrow nest of a peridomestic rodent examined in central India revealed the mite, Hypoaspis miles. Rodents from the diverse biotopes of southern India were infested by 8 species of mites: L. nuttalli, Laelaps buxtoni, Laelaps myonyssognathus, Androlaelaps aduncus, Androlaelaps marshalli, Androlaelaps sp. A, Hypoaspis sp. 1, and Hypoaspis sp. 2. Sheep from nearby villages regularly graze in feral biotopes. From the hair of these sheep, 2 species of mesostigmatid mites were recovered, A. aduncus and A. marshalli. The sheep appeared to aid the dispersal of rodent-infesting mites passively. Laelaps nuttalli was the predominant mite species found on the peridomestic rodent B. bengalensis. In both central and southern India, the prevalence, mean intensity, and relative density of this mite were much higher on peridomestic rodents than on domestic and feral rodents. A significant negative correlation was found between the numbers of mites and fleas infesting rodents in central India. A highly significant positive association between A. marshalli and A. aduncus on the feral rodent Tatera indica was recorded. In southern India, the overall prevalence of the 8 species of mites was highest on Mus platythrix. However, the combined prevalence of these mites on 2 feral rodents T. indica and M. platythrix was lower than their prevalence on B. bengalensis. Similarly, the combined values for mean intensity and relative density of these mites on the 2 feral rodents were lower than on the peridomestic rodent B. bengalensis. PMID:10207385 Saxena, V K House dust mite (HDM) allergy has different clinical and immunological patterns in different geographic regions. The impact of raw material of commercial Dermatophadoides pteronyssinus (Acari: Pyroglyphidae) mite bodies on the quality of allergen extracts for allergy diagnosis in the Serbian population has not been previously evaluated. House dust mite bodies obtained from manufacturers in Europe, South America and Australia were used in the preparation of allergen extracts for in vivo diagnosis and serological analysis in a group of 14 HDM-allergic adults. In the group of mite-allergic patients, there was no statistically significant difference in skin test reactivity (Wilcoxon matched pairs test) among the three HDM body extract preparations. In a CAP inhibition assay, two extracts (A and C) achieved maximum inhibition of >90%, whereas extract B demonstrated a different inhibition slope and lower inhibition potential (80%). However, a remarkable difference in immunoglobulin E reactivity using Western blot analysis with individual patients' sera was observed in one of the preparations (extract B). These findings emphasize the need for the careful selection of starting material for the preparation of HDM diagnostic reagents intended for use in patients from geographically distinct regions as these preparations can have implications on the selection criteria for patient-tailored immunotherapy of HDM allergy. PMID:20819152 Burazer, L; Milovanovic, K; Milovanovic, M; Vuckovic, O; Velickovic, T C; Gavrovic-Jankulovic, M Many species of mites and ticks are of agricultural and medical importance. Much can be learned from the study of transcriptomes of acarines which can generate DNA-sequence information of potential target genes for the control of acarine pests. High throughput transcriptome sequencing can also yield sequences of genes critical during physiological processes poorly understood in acarines, i.e., the regulation of female reproduction in mites. The predatory mite, Phytoseiulus persimilis, was selected to conduct a transcriptome analysis using 454 pyrosequencing. The objective of this project was to obtain DNA-sequence information of expressed genes from P. persimilis with special interest in sequences corresponding to vitellogenin (Vg) and the vitellogenin receptor (VgR). These genes are critical to the understanding of vitellogenesis, and they will facilitate the study of the regulation of mite female reproduction. A total of 12,556 contiguous sequences (contigs) were assembled with an average size of 935bp. From these sequences, the putative translated peptides of 11 contigs were similar in amino acid sequences to other arthropod Vgs, while 6 were similar to VgRs. We selected some of these sequences to conduct stage-specific expression studies to further determine their function. PMID:20888830 Cabrera, Ana R; Donohue, Kevin V; Khalil, Sayed M S; Scholl, Elizabeth; Opperman, Charles; Sonenshine, Daniel E; Roe, R Michael The goal of this study was to evaluate spider mite control efficacy of two dry-adapted strains of Neoseiulus californicus. Performance of these strains were compared to a commercial strain of Phytoseiulus persimilis on whole cucumber, pepper and strawberry plants infested with Tetranychus urticae at 50 +/- 5% RH. Under these dry conditions predators' performance was very different on each host plant. On cucumber, spider mite suppression was not attained by any of the three predators, plants 'burnt out' within 4 weeks of spider mite infestation. On strawberry, all predators satisfactorily suppressed spider mites yet they differed in short term efficacy and persistence. Phytoseiulus persimilis suppressed the spider mites more rapidly than did the BOKU and SI N. californicus strains. Both N. californicus strains persisted longer than did P. persimilis. The BOKU strain was superior to SI in population density reached, efficacy in spider mite suppression and persistence. On pepper, in the first 2 weeks of the experiment the BOKU strain was similar to P. persimilis and more efficacious in spider mite suppression than strain SI. Four weeks into the experiment the efficacy of P. persimilis dropped dramatically and was inferior to the SI and BOKU strains. Overall, mean predator density was highest on plants harbouring the BOKU strain, lowest on plants with P. persimilis and intermediate on plants with the SI strain. Implications for biocontrol of spider mites using phytoseiid species under dry conditions are discussed. PMID:18566897 Palevsky, E; Walzer, A; Gal, S; Schausberger, P Malaysia, the leading producer of palm oil, is now also the major producer and exporter of processed palm oil (PPO). Since\\u000a 1977 she has been exporting PPO in increasing amounts. As a result about 50% of world production of palm oil is now traded\\u000a as PPO in the international market.\\u000a \\u000a Currently, Malaysia has processing capacity far exceeding her production of M. S. A. Kheiri Crude palm oil was fractionated using supercritical CO2 (SC–CO2) in a semi batch apparatus. The fractionation conditions studied were at 40, 50 and 60°C and at 110, 140 and 200 bars, respectively. System pressure was found to be more significant rather than temperature for increasing the solubility of palm oil triglycerides in SC–CO2. The solubility of crude palm in SC–CO2 Masturah Markom; Harcharan Singh; Masitah Hasan Characterization of oil palm biomass namely empty fruit bunch (EFB), palm mesocarp fiber (PMF) and palm kernel shell (PKS) had been studied to determine its potential utilization for torrefaction. Torrefaction is a thermal pretreatment process to pretreat biomass at temperature range of 200–300°C under an inert atmosphere at low heating rate less than 50şCmin•1. The characterization included ultimate, proximate and Muafah Abd Aziz; Yoshimitsu Uemura; Khalik M. Sabil Background Stigmaeids mites have been recorded only on Phlebotominae sand flies up to now. Five species of Eustigmaeus, and three of Stigmaeus were reported on infested sandflies in different country up to the present. Methods: Sand flies collection was done using CDC light trap and sticky paper. The mites were isolated from infested specimens, mounted in Puri’s medium and identified using reliable keys. Results: A mite infested Phlebotomus papatasi was observed during a study on sandflies of one of the southern provinces of Iran, near to the Persian Gulf. Several scars resulting from mite attachment were found on abdominal tergites of this female sand fly. The mites were identified as Eustigmaeus johnstoni. Conclusion: This parasitic mite is one of the eyeless species, which has a great distribution over the world, reported from Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Yemen, Cyprus and Palestine. But, this is the first record of this species from Iran. Badakhshan, Mehdi; Sadraei, Javid; Moin-Vaziri, Vahideh Altogether 445 bats, representing nine species, caught during swarming in the Lodowa Cave in Mount Ciemniak, Western Tatra Mountains, southern Poland, were examined for ectoparasitic mites. In total, 259 spinturnicid (Spinturnix mystacina, S. andegavinus, S. kolenatii, S. plecotinus and S. myoti) and 95 argasid (Carios vespertilionis) mites were collected from seven bat species, Myotis myotis, M. mystacinus, M. brandtii, M. daubentonii, Eptesicus nilssonii, Plecotus auritus, and Vespertilio murinus. There were sex-based differences in the prevalence of mites in some hosts but no differences in their mean intensity and there was no observed relationship between the number of mites and the condition of the bats. The prevalence of mites differed significantly between years in E. nilssonii. The results suggested a very low mite load on swarming bats that had no impact on the body condition of bats. PMID:22263314 Piksa, Krzysztof; Skwarek, Magdalena; Siuda, Krzysztof Key to understanding a protein’s biological function is the accurate determination of its spatial distribution inside a cell. Although fluorescent protein markers allow the targeting of specific proteins with molecular precision, much of this information is lost when the resultant fusion proteins are imaged with conventional, diffraction-limited optics. In response, several imaging modalities that are capable of resolution below the diffraction limit (~200 nm) have emerged. Here, both single- and dual-color superresolution imaging of biological structures using photoactivated localization microscopy (PALM) are described. The examples discussed focus on adhesion complexes: dense, protein-filled assemblies that form at the interface between cells and their substrata. A particular emphasis is placed on the instrumentation and photoactivatable fluorescent protein (PA-FP) tags necessary to achieve PALM images at ~20 nm resolution in 5 to 30 min in fixed cells. White, Helen; Betzig, Eric Red palm oil was tested for the reactivity of its components with CN-, and alkaline picrate as the color developing reagent. Palm oil components have a low-level absorbance at 490 nm which is reduced significantly (p=0.01) after reaction with CN-. Hydrolysis of palm oil components, and reaction of the hydrolysis products with CN- significantly increased the absorbance at 490 nm. Peter O. Uvere Agriculture is shifting from a production-driven to a consumer-driven industry, moving from a broad base to one with specialised product. The global trend is towards the industrialisation of agriculture. Palm oil and its associated products are important components of this trend. There are increasing consumer pressures to persuade trade bodies to include the environmental dimension in multi-lateral trade rulings. Concerns Ong Kim Pin Dihydroxystearic acid (DHSA) has been prepared from palm oleic acid via catalytic reaction. In-vivo test confirmed that the use of DHSA at 5% and below is non-irritant. With two vicinal alcohol groups positioning at C9 and C10, DHSA has been found to be applicable in cosmetics as thickener or gelling agents. Stearic acid is known to be used as stick-gel Zahariah Ismail; Salmiah Ahmad; Rosnah Ismail; Rigano Luigi This work develops a methodology for obtaining ethyl esters from RBD (refined, bleached and deodorised) palm oil by evaluating the oil's transesterification and separation. Two catalysts were first tested (KOH and NaOH) by studying the effect of water presence on the reaction. The separation process was then evaluated by using water and water-salt and water-acid mixtures, establishing the agent offering Oscar Mauricio Martínez Ávila; Francisco José Sánchez Castellanos; Oscar Yesid; Suárez Palacios Invasion ofVarroa mites into honeybee brood cells was studied in an observation hive, using combs with cell openings at one side only. The cell bottoms had been replaced by a transparent sheet, through which mites were clearly visible after invasion into a cell. Mites invaded worker cells from 15–20 h preceding cell capping, whereas they invaded drone cells from 40–50 Willem J. Boot; Johan N. M. Calis; Joop Beetsma Sarcoptes mite from collection to DNA extraction forms the cornerstone for studies on Sarcoptes scabiei. Whilst the new science era took a shy leap into the different facets of mite studies, the cornerstone was almost entirely\\u000a neglected. Mite collection, cleaning, storage and DNA extraction were, basically, humble attempts to extrapolate, adapt, modify\\u000a or ‘pirate’ those existing methods to the peculiarities S. Alasaad; L. Rossi; R. C. Soriguer; L. Rambozzi; D. Soglia; J. M. Pérez; X. Q. Zhu Trombiculiasis is an infestation caused by larvae members of the family Trombiculidae, common called chigger mites. In this study is presented the first case of trombiculiasis caused by the infestation of chigger mite Eutrombicula in alpacas from Peru. Twenty-two alpacas of a total of 130 animals were infested by Eutrombicula sp. The chigger mite location was only in the face skin folds and around the eyes. In addition, all alpacas infested had alopecia and dermatitis in the infected zone. PMID:22770680 Gomez-Puerta, Luis A; Olazabal, Juan; Lopez-Urbina, María T; Gonzalez, Armando E Availability of mites is a recognized limiting factor of biological and genetic investigations of the genus Sarcoptes. Current methods of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction from individual mites also need substantial improvement in efficiency\\u000a and operator friendliness. We have first developed a technique for efficient and safe extraction of living mites from scabietic\\u000a skin samples (crusts or deep skin scrapings). Its Dominga Soglia; Luisa Rambozzi; Sandra Maione; Veronica Spalenza; Stefano Sartore; Samer Alasaad; Paola Sacchi; Luca Rossi PALM-3000, the second-generation facility adaptive optics system for the 5-meter telescope at Palomar Observatory, successfully obtained first high-order correction on sky on UT June 21, 2011. Within PALM-3000, low-order wavefront correction is applied with a Xinetics, Inc. 349 (241 active) actuator deformable mirror reused from the 1999 PALAO system. High-order correction is applied with a new Xinetics, Inc. 4,356 (3,388 active) actuator deformable mirror based upon a 6 x 6 array of 11 x 11 actuator Photonex modules. The system also uses a new CCD50-based Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor camera and a novel real-time computer based upon a bank of commercial GPU's. Currently, the first of four planned wavefront sensor pupil sampling modes (N = 64 subapertures per pupil) has been tested, emphasizing early high-contrast exoplanet science with the PHARO coronagraphic imager and P1640 coronagraphic integral field spectrograph. We report on AO correction performance to date and our experience with the unique 66 x 66 actuator Xinetics, Inc. DM, as well as describe the PALM-3000 commissioning program and future plans. Dekany, R.; Roberts, J.; Burruss, R.; Truong, T.; Palmer, D., Guiwits, S., Hale, D., Angione, J., Baranec, C., Croner, E., Davis, J. T. C., Zolkower, J., Henning, J., McKenna, D., Bouchez, A. H. Feather mites (Arachnida: Acari: Astigmata) feed mainly on secretions of the uropygial gland of birds. Here, we use analyses corrected for phylogeny and body size to show that there is a positive correlation between the size of this gland and mite abundance in passerine birds at an interspecific level during the breeding season, suggesting that the gland mediates interactions between mites and birds. As predicted on the basis of hypothesized waterproofing and antibiotic functions of uropygial gland secretions, riparian/marsh bird species had larger glands and higher mite loads than birds living in less mesic terrestrial environments. An unexpected pattern was a steeper relationship between mite load and gland size in migratory birds than in residents. If moderate mite loads are beneficial to a host but high loads detrimental, this could create complex selection regimes in which gland size influences mite load and vice versa. Mites may exert selective pressures on gland size of their hosts that has resulted in smaller glands among migratory bird species, suggesting that smaller glands may have evolved in these birds to attenuate a possible detrimental effect of feather mites when present in large numbers. PMID:18028353 Galván, I; Barba, E; Piculo, R; Cantó, J L; Cortés, V; Monrós, J S; Atiénzar, F; Proctor, H The predatory mite Neoseiulus cucumeris is used for biological control of phytophagous mites and thrips on greenhouse cucumber and sweet pepper. In a previous study, N. cucumeris provided effective control of broad mite but was only rarely found on the sampled leaves, raising questions about the factors affecting N. cucumeris distribution. To determine the distribution of N. cucumeris, leaves of pepper plants were sampled three times per day: just after sunrise, at noon and just before sunset for two years and throughout a 24 h period in one year. The presence of other mites and insects was recorded. Biotic (pollen) and abiotic (temperature, humidity) factors were monitored from the three plant levels. The effect of direct and indirect sunlight on the mites was assessed. N. cucumeris was found primarily in flowers; however, the mite's distribution was affected by other predators (intraguild predation); in the presence of the predatory bug Orius laevigatus virtually no mites occurred in the flowers. Whereas temperature and humidity varied from the top to the lower level of the plants, apparently neither these factors nor the presence of pollen outside the flowers influenced mite distribution. N. cucumeris was found to be negatively phototropic; therefore N. cucumeris were pre-conditioned to light by rearing under light conditions for 4 months before being released. The light-reared mites were initially more numerous during the noon sampling period, however, rearing conditions caused only a temporary and non-significant change in distribution. PMID:17534730 Weintraub, Phyllis G; Kleitman, Sophia; Alchanatis, Victor; Palevsky, Eric We collected 22,769 adult female mosquitoes, representing 27 species, from light traps in Norfolk, Virginia (2006-2007) and examined them to assess infestation by larval mites. Mosquitoes were parasitized by two species of aquatic (Acari: Arrenuridae: Arrenurus) and three species of terrestrial mites (Acari: Erythraeidae). The prevalence of infestation varied from 0.55% (2006) to 0.17% (2007). The mean intensity of parasitism ranged from 3.6 mites per host (2006) to 1.8 mites per host (2007). The most common host species for aquatic mites was Culex erraticus, while the most common host for terrestrial mites was Anopheles quadrimaculatus. Relationships between biotic and abiotic factors were investigated in an attempt to provide insight into temporal, spatial, and interspecific variation in mite-mosquito interactions. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the mode of attachment for larval mites. While the prevalence of aquatic mite parasitism was correlated for Culex erraticus, the invasive mosquito, Aedes albopictus, was never parasitized through the duration of the study. PMID:18807202 Milne, Marc A; Townsend, Victor J; Smelser, Penelope; Felgenhauer, Bruce E; Moore, Michael K; Smyth, Francis J Samples of Mimolette (France) and Milbenkase (Germany) cheeses traditionally ripened by mites were analyzed to determine the mite species present on each sample. Scientific literature was reviewed to understand which mite species most commonly infest cheese. Morphological features possessed by mites were then studied to understand what unique characteristics are required to ensure accurate identification. After identification and compilation of a detailed key of stored food mites (subclass Acari, order Astigmata) and their delineating features, the mites were viewed through a cryogenic scanning electron microscope. It was determined that Mimolette cheese is inoculated with Acarus siro L. The features studied to identify this mite species included idiosomal length and shape, setae length and arrangement, leg size, placement of anus and genitals, and solenidia shape. The Milbenkase cheese is inoculated with Tyrolichus casei Oudemans, which was evident after viewing the same features used to identify A. siro and the supracoxal seta shape. With this knowledge, further research can be conducted on the 2 cheese varieties to understand what chemical, physical, and microbial changes occur within the cheeses because of mites. It is important to identify the mite species present on each cheese variety to improve our understanding of their role in creating the distinctive characteristics that set these cheeses apart from others. PMID:20655414 Melnyk, J P; Smith, A; Scott-Dupree, C; Marcone, M F; Hill, A Carrion is an ephemeral and nutrient-rich resource that attracts a diverse array of arthropods as it decomposes. Carrion-associated mites often disperse between animal carcasses using phoresy, the transport of one species by another. Yet few studies have contrasted the dynamics of mite assemblages with other insect taxa present at carrion. We examined and compared the changes in abundance, species richness and composition of mite and beetle assemblages sampled at kangaroo carcasses in a grassy eucalypt woodland at four different times over a 6-month period. We found that the majority of mites were phoretic, with the mesostigmatid genera Uroseius (Uropodidae), Macrocheles (Macrochelidae) and Parasitus (Parasitidae) the most abundant taxa (excluding astigmatid mites). Abundance and richness patterns of mites and beetles were very different, with mites reaching peak abundance and richness at weeks 6 and 12, and beetles at weeks 1 and 6. Both mites and beetles showed clear successional patterns via changes in species presence and relative abundance. Our study shows that mesostigmatid mite assemblages have a delay in peak abundance and richness relative to beetle assemblages. This suggests that differences in dispersal and reproductive traits of arthropods may contribute to the contrasting diversity dynamics of carrion arthropod communities, and further highlights the role of carrion as a driver of diversity and heterogeneity in ecosystems. PMID:24292438 Barton, Philip S; Weaver, Haylee J; Manning, Adrian D Seven species of phytoseiid mites were collected from citrus trees in the Mediterranean region during a survey in 1971.Amblyseius stipulatus\\u000a Athias-Henriot was the most abundant and widespread species in all countries surveyed (Turkey, Greece, Italy, Spain).A. californicus (McGregor) was collected only in Spain;A. potentillae (Garman) andPhytoseiulus persimilis. A.-H. only in Italy.Typhlodromus talbii A.-H. was collected in Greece and Spain,T. athiasae J. A. McMurtry Water mites (Acari: Hydrachnida) are unusual among the typically cryptic freshwater fauna in that many species are brightly\\u000a colored red or orange, and also appear to be distasteful to fish. This apparent aposematism (use of color to warn predators)\\u000a has been previously explained as the evolutionary end-product of pressure from fish predation. The fish-predation argument\\u000a has been supported by observations Heather C. Proctor; Neera Garga \\u000a This study investigated the endosymbiotic bacteria living inside the poultry red mite collected from five samples of one commercial\\u000a farm from the UK and 16 farms from France using genus-specific PCR, PCR-TTGE and DNA sequencing. Endosymbiotic bacteria are\\u000a intracellular obligate organisms that can cause several phenotypic and reproductive anomalies to their host and they are found\\u000a widespread living inside arthropods. Carlos J. De Luna; Claire Valiente Moro; Jonathan H. Guy; Lionel Zenner; Olivier A. E. Sparagano This study investigated the endosymbiotic bacteria living inside the poultry red mite collected from five samples of one commercial\\u000a farm from the UK and 16 farms from France using genus-specific PCR, PCR-TTGE and DNA sequencing. Endosymbiotic bacteria are\\u000a intracellular obligate organisms that can cause several phenotypic and reproductive anomalies to their host and they are found\\u000a widespread living inside arthropods. Carlos J. De Luna; Claire Valiente Moro; Jonathan H. Guy; Lionel Zenner; Olivier A. E. Sparagano Elastosis perforans serpiginosa is a form of perforating dermatoses, which has a characteristic clinical presentation of grouped keratotic papules coalescing into serpiginous or annular configurations. The majority of elastosis perforans serpiginosa cases are idiopathic; however, various etiologies have been postulated for the pathogenesis of this syndrome. The authors present a unique case of elastosis perforans serpiginosa that developed focally secondary to a scabies mite. PMID:24155992 Kassardjian, Michael; Frederickson, Julie; Griffith, Jack; Shitabata, Paul; Horowitz, David Background The date palm is one of the oldest cultivated fruit trees. It is critical in many ways to cultures in arid lands by providing highly nutritious fruit while surviving extreme heat and environmental conditions. Despite its importance from antiquity, few genetic resources are available for improving the productivity and development of the dioecious date palm. To date there has been no genetic map and no sex chromosome has been identified. Results Here we present the first genetic map for date palm and identify the putative date palm sex chromosome. We placed ~4000 markers on the map using nearly 1200 framework markers spanning a total of 1293 cM. We have integrated the genetic map, derived from the Khalas cultivar, with the draft genome and placed up to 19% of the draft genome sequence scaffolds onto linkage groups for the first time. This analysis revealed approximately ~1.9 cM/Mb on the map. Comparison of the date palm linkage groups revealed significant long-range synteny to oil palm. Analysis of the date palm sex-determination region suggests it is telomeric on linkage group 12 and recombination is not suppressed in the full chromosome. Conclusions Based on a modified gentoyping-by-sequencing approach we have overcome challenges due to lack of genetic resources and provide the first genetic map for date palm. Combined with the recent draft genome sequence of the same cultivar, this resource offers a critical new tool for date palm biotechnology, palm comparative genomics and a better understanding of sex chromosome development in the palms. The crystallization, thermal, physical, chemical and morphological properties of palm oil were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry, polarized microscopy, pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and gas chromatography (GC). The palm oil was fractionated into various stearin and olein (with iodine values (IV)>63) fractions by means of a dry fractionation process. During the cooling sequence, samples were taken at regular intervals O Zaliha; C. L Chong; C. S Cheow; A. R Norizzah; M. J Kellens The feasibility of preparing activated carbons from extracted oil palm fibre, an abundant oil palm waste, was studied. Preliminary tests were conducted to investigate the influences of different operating parameters, such as initial material size, inert gas flow rate, heating rate, pyrolysis temperature and hold time, on the properties of the pyrolysed chars. The pyrolysed chars were characterized by a Aik Chong Lua; Jia Guo Brazil is one of the major worldwide palm oil (Elaus guineeusis) producers. It is a low cost oil, presenting some interesting industrial properties, such as glycerin and soap raw matter. Renewable resources and agro industrial residuals have been extensively used for biosurfactants production by Pseudomonas genus, nevertheless, no reports, to our knowledge, have been published with the use of palm Fernando J. S. Oliveira; Leonardo Vazquez; Francisca P. de França The search for alternatives to fossil fuels is boosting interest in biodiesel production. Among the crops used to produce biodiesel, palm trees stand out due to their high productivity and positive energy balance. This work assesses life cycle emissions and the energy balance of biodiesel production from palm oil in Brazil. The results are compared through a meta-analysis to previous Simone Pereira de Souza; Sergio Pacca; Márcio Turra de Ávila; José Luiz B. Borges This paper presents an innovative contactless palm vein recognition system. We design a hand sensor that could capture the palm vein image using low-resolution web camera. The design of the sensor is simple and low-cost, and we do not need to install specialized infrared sensor. We allow subjects to position their hands freely above the sensor and they can move Goh Kah Ong Michael; Tee Connie; Lau Siong Hoe; Andrew Teoh Beng Jin Hand vein patterns are among the biometric traits being investigated today for identification purposes, attracting interest from both the research community and industry. This paper presents a multimodal system that combines hand-palm vein and hand-dorsal vein biometrics information at the score level. The palm and dorsal veins are considered as texture samples being automatically extracted from the user's hand image. Sanchit; Mauricio Ramalho; Paulo Lobato Correia; Luis Ducla Soares In the palm oil mill, fresh fruit bunch (FFB) undergoes various thermal and mechanical treatments to produce the crude palm oil (CPO). FFB consists of many fruits attached to the spikelets that are spirally arranged on the main bunch stalk. Each fruit is made up of a nut enveloped by the fleshy mesocarp, which is reinforced by strands of fibers Abdul Azis Ariffin; Rosnah Mat Soom; Huey-Chern Boo; Chia-Chun Loi; Yuen-Hwa Chai; S. M. AbdulKarim The effect of neonicotinyl insecticides on integrated mite control in Washington apple was examined from 0 In a series of 20 field trials (54 treatments) designed primarily to look at efficacy against the codling moth, Cydia pomonella, nearly half of the treatments using four or more applications of acetamiprid had peak mite densities exceeding the economic threshold of 5 mites per leaf. Overall, acetamiprid treatments had 4.6-fold higher mite densities than the standard organophosphate insecticide treatment. Of the treatments with high mite populations, Panonychus ulmi, the European red mite, and Tetranychus urticae, the twospotted spider mite, were the dominant species in roughly equal numbers of cases. Only 11.1% of the thiacloprid treatments exceeded 5 mites per leaf; these experimental treatments included eight applications, whereas the current label restricts the number of applications at the rate for C. pomonella to two applications. One out of six clothianidin treatments caused a significantly higher mite density than the standard treatment; however, this material appeared to suppress predatory mites. Neonicotinyl insecticides did not eliminate predatory mites, but they inhibited their ability to respond normally to increasing prey populations. In field trials designed specifically to examine mite population densities where neonicotinyl insecticides were used, significantly higher levels of tetranychid mites occurred in one or more acetamiprid treatments (one, two or four applications) in five out of six trials. In the sixth trial (in a commercial orchard), only two acetamiprid applications were made, and mite populations were low in all treatments. While elevated mite densities were more likely to occur with four applications, in one case it occurred following a single application. The predominant tetranychid mite species (either P. ulmi or T. urticae) varied from trial to trial; however, there was no apparent bias regarding stimulation of the two species. Horticultural mineral oil was used with acetamiprid in some trials in an attempt to mitigate mite outbreaks. However, the addition of oil did not counteract the tendency of acetamiprid to increase tetranychid mite populations, and in one trial, had a negative effect on predatory mite densities. Seasonal tetranychid mite density was positively related to the total grams AI (or number of applications) of acetamiprid, thus reducing the number of applications per season should lower the probability of mite outbreaks. Abbreviation: AI active ingredient CMD cumulative mite days Beers, E. H.; Brunner, J. F.; Dunley, J. E.; Doerr, M.; Granger, K. House dust mites produce inhalant allergens of importance to allergic patients. We measured the major group 1 allergens, Der p 1 and Der f 1, from the house dust mites Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farina, respectively in 100 randomly selected domestic homes from Cheonan, Korea. Dust samples were collected by vacuuming from the living room floor and 1 mattress in each home. Der p 1 and Der f 1 were measured by double monoclonal ELISA. Der p 1 levels were very low, with geometric mean levels for floors and mattresses being 0.11 µg/g (range: 0.01-4.05) and 0.14 µg/g (range: 0.01-30.0), respectively. Corresponding levels of Der f 1 were higher, 7.46 µg/g (range: 0.01-262.9) and 10.2 µg/g (range: 0.01-230.9) for floors and mattresses, respectively. D. farinae appears to be the dominant house dust mite in Cheonan. Nam, Hae-Seon; Lee, Sun-Hwa; Park, Joon-Soo; Kim, Yong-Bae; Choi, Young-Jin; Lee, Sang-Han; Crane, Julian Infestations with the poultry red mite Dermanyssus gallinae represent a major ectoparasite problem in poultry and can affect egg layers worldwide. There is presently a lack of an ectoparasiticide in Europe for poultry which can assure a 0-day withholding period for eggs. In this study, ByeMite (phoxim 50%, Bayer HealthCare, Animal Health Division) was administered to treat a D. gallinae infestation in a poultry house stocked with egg-laying hens kept in a cage system. A layer house was sprayed twice within a 7-day interval using a solution containing 2000 ppm phoxim and a similar layer house was used as an untreated control unit. Specially developed D. gallinae traps made of cardboard were used to assess the mite density in both layer houses during a 49-day period after the treatment. In order to collect mites, the traps were placed on days--1, 2, 6, 9, 13, 20, 34 and 48 and always removed after 24 h. The collected mites were counted and differentiated according to their developmental stage (mite eggs, larvae, nymphs, adults). Three days after the first spray treatment, the efficacy against all mite stages (larvae, nymphs, adults) was 96.1%, and from day 7 post-treatment until the end of the trial (day 49) the efficacy exceeded 99%. In contrast, in the untreated layer house (negative control group) the mite population showed a 400% increase. No treatment-related side effects in chickens were detectable. It is concluded that two administrations of ByeMite within a 7-day interval are highly effective against D. gallinae infestations in a stocked poultry house. PMID:17543456 Meyer-Kühling, Borris; Pfister, Kurt; Müller-Lindloff, Jürgen; Heine, Josef We introduced a mass-reared pyrethroid-resistant strain of the predatory phytoseiid mite Amblyseius fallacis (Garman) into an Ontario peach orchard in an attempt to control populations of the phytophagous mites Panonychus ulmi Koch and Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae). Releases of 1,000 and 2,000 mites per tree were made, at three different times. The release of 2,000 mites per tree in P. J. Lester; H. M. A. Thistlewood; D. B. Marshall; R. Harmsen The most commonly encountered ectoparasite in captive snakes is the hematophagous snake mite (Ophionyssus natricis). Infected snakes often exhibit lethargy, dysecdysis, pruritus, crusting dermatitis (sometimes progressing to abscesses), and behavioral changes (increased bathing time, rubbing against objects). Anemia and septicemia are occasional complications. Eliminating snake mites from a collection is frustrating. Insecticidal and acaricidal compounds used in mammals can be used against O. natricis infestation in reptiles, but they all are potentially neurotoxic to reptiles. The use of a biological agent to control the snake mite was first developed by using the predatory mites Hypoaspis miles and Hypoaspis aculeifer. However, no data are available regarding the potential of these mites to control O. natricis. Furthermore, the survival and predatory behavior of H. aculeifer and H. miles decreases above 28 degrees C, which is the lower value of the optimal temperature zone range required for rearing snakes. The aim of this study is to identify the ability of the predatory mite Cheyletus eruditus to control O. natricis. In the first experiment, 125 O. natricis mites where placed in separate plastic tubes together with the same number of C. eruditus mites. After 48 hr, the survival rate of snake mites was 6% compared with 92% in the control group (n = 125, P < 0,001). In the second experiment, 11 infested (average of 13 O. natricis per snake) ball pythons, with an average of 13 O. natricis per individual, were placed in separate cages with 1,000 C. eruditus mites + vermiculite After 15 days, only an average of two mites per snake remained, compared with 48 per snake in the control group (t-test, P < 0,01). PMID:24063093 Schilliger, Lionel H; Morel, Damien; Bonwitt, Jesse H; Marquis, Olivier Functional and numerical responses of the predatory mite, Neoseiulus longispinosus (Evans) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) to the red spider mite, Oligonychus coffeae Nietner (Acari: Tetranychidae), infesting tea were determined in a laboratory on leaf discs. Prey consumption increased with increases in temperature and prey density. Handling time decreased and successful attack rate increased with increased temperature. N. longispinosus was more voracious on larvae and nymphs than on adults of O. coffeae. Handling time was higher on adult females than on larvae. Rate of predation leveled off at temperatures greater than 25° C. Functional responses to prey density at six temperatures and to each life stage of O. coffeae approximated the Holling type II model. The oviposition rate increased with prey consumption and temperature. On average, a predator consumed 1.62 adult female prey for every egg it laid. With a fixed number of prey available, predation rate per predator decreased with increased predator density. Rahman, Vattakandy jasin; Babu, Azariah; Roobakkumar, Amsalingam; Perumalsamy, Kandasamy Correlations among the twelve palm and sole interdigital ridge-counts were calculated for samples of Europeans of German, Austrian, Finnish and Polish ancestry, for Bantu speaking Black Africans from Angola and the Republic of South Africa, for Japanese and Tibetans and for Indians and Coloureds from the Republic of South Africa. Canonical correlation and factor analyses were used to discern patterning in the correlations. Generally, within palm and within sole correlations are stronger than palm-sole correlations. However, the results show an unequivocal positive relationship between palm and sole ridge-counts. A consistent feature was a stronger relationship of palm c-d counts to sole a-b counts. We suggest that this pattern of correlation may reflect early morphogenetic pattern formation prior to commitment of cells to hands and feet. PMID:2077775 Brehme, H; Jantz, R L Palm oil industry generates vast amount of palm biomass. Converting palm biomass into a uniform and solid fuel through briquetting process appears to be an attractive solution in upgrading its properties and add value. In this study, raw materials including empty fruit bunch (EFB), in powder and fibre forms, palm kernel expeller (PKE) and sawdust were densified into briquettes at A. B. Nasrin; A. N. Ma; Y. M. Choo; S. Mohamad; M. H. Rohaya; A. Azali; Z. Zainal Palm oil accounts for 21% and 47% of the global oil and fats production and trade respectively. Both Malaysia and Indonesia together are the world's largest producers and exporters of palm oil with 84% and 90% share of world palm oil production and export, respectively. The paper outlines the increasingly dominant role that palm oil has played in the world Yusof Basiron; N Balu; D Chandramohan Palm oil is currently world's most produced vegetable oil and oil palms yield more oil per hectare than any other commercial oil crop. Thereby, palm oil forms an interesting opportunity for large scale bio-oil production for energy purposes. However, the sustainability of palm oil production is still very much debated and has been associated with deforestation of tropical rainforest and Kantor Taman; Fitrian Ardiansyah Laminated veneer lumbers from oil palm trunk were manufactured using urea formaldehyde, phenol formaldehyde, melamine urea formaldehyde, and phenol resorcinol formaldehyde adhesives. The density of the oil palm laminated veneer lumber was slightly higher than the solid oil palm trunk. The thickness swelling and water absorption of laminated veneer lumber of oil palm were higher than those made from rubberwood. O. Sulaiman; N. Salim; R. Hashim; L. H. M. Yusof; W. Razak; N. Y. M. Yunus; W. S. Hashim; M. H. Azmy Malaysia and Indonesia are the largest producers of palm oil product. The palm oil industry has contributed the biggest income to the countries for many years. Moreover, palm oils has emerged as one of the most important oils in the world’s oils and the market of fats. About 90% of palm oil is used as food related products worldwide, and T. M. I Mahlia; M. Z Abdulmuin; T. M. I Alamsyah; D Mukhlishien In Benin, the tarsonemid mite Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks) (Prostigmata: Tarsonemidae) is a key pest of gboma eggplant Solanum macrocarpon (L.) (Solanales: Solanaceae), a leafy vegetable on which it causes considerable damage to the plants and substantial reduction in yield. Predatory mites in the family Phytoseiidae have been successfully used in the biological control of numerous agricultural pests worldwide. In that respect, a population of the phytoseiid mite Amblyseius swirskii (Athias-Henriot) (Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae) has been identified as a potential predator of P. latus, and is now a candidate for release against this pest in Benin. The objective of the present study is to determine, through laboratory experiments, the predation rate and life table parameters of A. swirskii when feeding on P. latus or alternative food such as maize pollen. Under laboratory conditions the mean number of P. latus consumed by A. swirskii, and daily oviposition, significantly increased as the number of prey increased. Total development time of A. swirskii was significantly shorter when it fed on P. latus than on maize pollen. Net reproduction rate, intrinsic rate of increase, mean generation time and the finite rate of increase of A. swirskii were were all significantly lower on P. latus than on maize pollen. However, doubling time was significantly higher on maize pollen. This study shows that A. swirskii is a good predator of P. latus, and that maize pollen can efficiently sustain A. swirskii populations when P. latus densities on plants become low. Consequently, A. swirskii can be used for the biological control of the broad mite P. latus on gboma eggplant, and on other solanaceous crops in Benin and elsewhere. Onzo, Alexis; Houedokoho, Arnaud F.; Hanna, Rachid The effect of different concentration of date palm syrup (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10%) and sucrose at concentration of 30 and 60 g\\/l in addition to the control (without carbon source) on the micro propagation of date palm \\ Background: Dust mites have been shown to contain a serine protease distinct from the previously reported trypsin and chymotrypsin. The latter enzymes have been shown to be allergens, but the allergenic importance of the former is unknown. Objective: This study was performed to isolate and characterize the novel mite serine protease and determine its allergenicity. Methods: The mite serine protease Cecile King; Richard J. Simpson; Robert L. Moritz; Gaven E. Reed; Philip J. Thompson; Geoffrey A. Stewart Background and Aims The Arecoideae is the largest and most diverse of the five subfamilies of palms (Arecaceae/Palmae), containing >50 % of the species in the family. Despite its importance, phylogenetic relationships among Arecoideae are poorly understood. Here the most densely sampled phylogenetic analysis of Arecoideae available to date is presented. The results are used to test the current classification of the subfamily and to identify priority areas for future research. Methods DNA sequence data for the low-copy nuclear genes PRK and RPB2 were collected from 190 palm species, covering 103 (96 %) genera of Arecoideae. The data were analysed using the parsimony ratchet, maximum likelihood, and both likelihood and parsimony bootstrapping. Key Results and Conclusions Despite the recovery of paralogues and pseudogenes in a small number of taxa, PRK and RPB2 were both highly informative, producing well-resolved phylogenetic trees with many nodes well supported by bootstrap analyses. Simultaneous analyses of the combined data sets provided additional resolution and support. Two areas of incongruence between PRK and RPB2 were strongly supported by the bootstrap relating to the placement of tribes Chamaedoreeae, Iriarteeae and Reinhardtieae; the causes of this incongruence remain uncertain. The current classification within Arecoideae was strongly supported by the present data. Of the 14 tribes and 14 sub-tribes in the classification, only five sub-tribes from tribe Areceae (Basseliniinae, Linospadicinae, Oncospermatinae, Rhopalostylidinae and Verschaffeltiinae) failed to receive support. Three major higher level clades were strongly supported: (1) the RRC clade (Roystoneeae, Reinhardtieae and Cocoseae), (2) the POS clade (Podococceae, Oranieae and Sclerospermeae) and (3) the core arecoid clade (Areceae, Euterpeae, Geonomateae, Leopoldinieae, Manicarieae and Pelagodoxeae). However, new data sources are required to elucidate ambiguities that remain in phylogenetic relationships among and within the major groups of Arecoideae, as well as within the Areceae, the largest tribe in the palm family. Baker, William J.; Norup, Maria V.; Clarkson, James J.; Couvreur, Thomas L. P.; Dowe, John L.; Lewis, Carl E.; Pintaud, Jean-Christophe; Savolainen, Vincent; Wilmot, Tomas; Chase, Mark W. Performance Assessment Links in Math (PALM) is an online, standards-based resource bank of mathematics performance assessment tasks, indexed via the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). The tasks have been collected from numerous sources. The description of each task includes student directions and response forms, administration procedures, scoring rubrics, examples of student work, and technical-quality data, calculated from field testing, when such testing has been conducted. Users may select standards and draw upon the collection of tasks to create assessment charts--matrices of tasks intended to test the standards--or select tasks to create a chart of standards that are addressed by those tasks. Some bees and wasps that host mites have peculiar pocket-like structures called acarinaria. These have long been considered as morphological adaptations to securely transfer beneficial mites into nests, and thus are thought to be the product of a mutualistic relationship. However, there has been little compelling evidence to support this hypothesis. We demonstrated that the parasitic mite Ensliniella parasitica, which uses acarinaria, increases the reproductive success of its host wasp Allodynerus delphinalis by protecting it from parasitoid wasps. Every time the parasitoid Melittobia acasta accessed a prepupal or pupal wasp host cell, adult mites attacked it, continuously clinging to it and possibly piercing the intersegmental membrane of the parasitoid with their chelicerae. Subsequent mortality of the parasitoid depended on the number of attacking mites: an average of six mites led to a 70% chance of mortality, and 10 mites led to a 100% chance of mortality. In this way, parent mites protect the food source (juvenile wasps) for themselves and ultimately for their offspring. We propose that wasps evolved acarinaria to maintain this protective guarding behaviour. Okabe, Kimiko; Makino, Shun'ichi Leaflets from 11 L. esculentum x L. hirsutum F2 individuals were bioassayed with spider mites (Tetranychus urticae). Densities of Type I, Type III, Type IV, Type V, and Type VI trichomes and the intensity of red fluorescence of the Type VI trichome tip varied widely among the 11 F2 hybrids. Mite responses were analyzed in relation to these trichome characters Catherine D. Carter; John C. Snyder Leaves of plants of several families possess small cavities or tufts of hair where leaf veins bifurcate. These so-called acarodomatia are usually inhabited by predatory and fungivorous mites, which utilize domatia as shelter against adverse conditions or against other predators and cannibals. Plants may benefit from the presence of the mites through reduced densities of herbivores or plant-pathogenic fungi. It Joăo A. M. Ferreira; Angelo Pallini; Claudinei L. Oliveira; Maurice W. Sabelis; Arne Janssen his study compared the quality of allergenic extracts produced from pure mite bodies (PMBs) and spent mite medium (SMM) of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dp) and D. farinae (Df), with commercially available extracts (FDA, Greer, CSL). It also evaluated the use of glycerine as a preservative, the stability of these extracts under various temperatures, and the reactions of allergy patients to skin-prick Vanna Mahakittikun; Sirichit Wongkamchai; Pattama Ekpo; John J Boitano; Chulaluk Komoltri; Chaiyaporn Manochnon; Kunda Kasetsinsombat; Pakit Vichyanond; Chaweewan Bunnag The ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor, is the most destructive parasite of managed honeybee colonies worldwide. Since V. destructor transfers pathogens to honeybees, it may be adaptive for bees to respond to mite infestation by upregulating their immune responses. Mites, however, may overcome the host's immune responses by suppressing them, which could facilitate the mite's ability to feed on hemolymph. A humoral immune response of bees parasitized by V. destructor may be detected by studying the expression levels of antibacterial peptides, such as abaecin and defensin, known to be immune-responsive. Expression levels for these two antibacterial peptides changed non-linearly with respect to the number of mites parasitizing honeybee pupae. Bees exposed to low or moderate number of mites had fewer immune-related transcripts than pupae that were never parasitized or pupae with high mite loads. Although many of the pupae tested indicated the presence of bacteria, no correlation with mite numbers or immune-response levels existed. All bees tested negative for acute paralysis and Kashmir bee viruses known to be vectored by V. destructor. Gregory, Pamela G.; Evans, Jay D.; Rinderer, Thomas; de Guzman, Lilia The broad mite,Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Acari: Tarsonemidae), is an important, and in some cases recent, pest of diverse crops in tropical and subtropical regions. Infested leaves become bronzed with down-curling margins, buds are aborted and flowers distorted, shoots grow twisted and fruit may be misshapen and russeted. Injuries, presumably due to toxins, occur even after the broad mite is killed by The effect of imidacloprid on fecundity in twospotted spider mites, Tetranychus urticae Koch, was investigated in laboratory experiments using individual females on bean leaf discs. Mites were directly exposed to spray formulations of imidacloprid or fed on discs cut from a systemically treated bean plant. Imidacloprid-treated T. urticae produced 10 Đ26% more eggs during the Ţrst 12 d of adult David G. James; Tanya S. Price Endosymbiotic bacteria that potentially influence reproduction and other fitness-related traits of their hosts are widespread in insects and mites and their appeal to researchers' interest is still increasing. We screened 20 strains of 12 agriculturally relevant herbivorous and predatory mite species for infection with Wolbachia, Cardinium and Spiroplasma by the use of PCR. The majority of specimens originated from Austria and were field collected or mass-reared. Eight out of 20 strains (40%) tested, representing seven of 12 mite species (58%), carried at least one of the three bacteria. We found Wolbachia in the herbivorous spider mites Tetranychus urticae and Bryobia rubrioculus, with the former also carrying Spiroplasma and the latter also carrying Cardinium. Cardinium was furthermore found in two populations of the predatory mite Euseius finlandicus and the spider mite Eotetranychus uncatus. Spiroplasma was detected in the predatory mite Neoseiulus californicus. All bacteria positive PCR products were sequenced, submitted to GenBank and analyzed in BLAST queries. We found high similarities to complete identity with bacteria found in the same and different mite species but also with bacteria found in insect species like ladybirds, butterflies and minute pirate bugs, Orius. We discuss the significance of potential (multiple) infections with the investigated bacteria for biological control. PMID:17554631 Enigl, Monika; Schausberger, Peter Passenger trains were surveyed for contamination with Dermatophagoides farinae Hughes and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Trouesart) mites in Japan. A total of 492 dust samples were collected from upholstered seats in six commuter trains, one long-distance express train and three night trains in October, 1996 and January, April, and July, 1997. Mite antigen levels contained in fine dust fractions of these samples Kozo Uehara; Yasuhiro Toyoda; Eiji Konishi One of the major problems facing the beekeeping ind ustry in Saudi Arabia is the infestation of honeybee colonies with parasitic mite Varroa destru ctor. Bee breeders strive to reduce exposure of bees to pesticides by developing stocks of bees tha t resist the mites. The goal of this study was to investigate the genetic variability of eleven colon ies S. A. Al-Otaibi This study searched for biological and agricultural bases necessary in formulating suppressive measures of herbaceous mites occurring on perennial herbs in Korea. Of those tetranychids, the tea red spider mite (TRSM), Tetranychus kanzawai Kishida, mainly attacked the perennials and was believed to be of economic importance. Its annual abundances on 3 different herbs are presented and for Codonopsis lanceolata various Tae-Heung Kim; Joon-Soo Kwak; Kyu-Hwan Choi Nine Satsuma citrus orchards (seven conventionally sprayed and two unsprayed) in southern Alabama were sampled (mainly leaf samples) for predacious mites at eight different sampling dates from March 2005 to February 2006. At least 29 species of predacious mites from nine families (Anystidae, Ascidae, Bdellidae, Cheyletidae, Cunaxidae, Erythraeidae, Eupalopsellidae, Phytoseiidae, and Stigmaeidae) were identiŢed. In addition, six primarily fungivorous species Henry Y. Fadamiro; Yingfang Xiao; Monte Nesbitt; Carl C. Childers Twelve field experiments and one laboratory experiment were conducted to determine the effects of furrow applied aldicarb and seed treatments of thiamethoxam, imidacloprid, Avicta (thiamethoxam + abamectin), Aeris (imidacloprid + thiodicarb), and acephate on twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, on cotton, Cossypium hirsutum L. For the field experiments, data were pooled across all experiments for analysis. Aeris, thiamethoxam, and imidacloprid treatments resulted in twospotted spider mite densities greater than those in the untreated check, aldicarb, and acephate treatments. However, cotton treated with Avicta (thiamethoxam + abamectin) had 34% fewer mites than other neonicotinoid seed treatments when infestations occurred near cotyledon stage. Untreated check and aldicarb treatments had the lowest mite densities. Only aldicarb reduced mite densities below that in the untreated check. In a laboratory trial, the fecundity of twospotted spider mite was measured. While neonicotinoid seed treatments increased mite densities in the field, they did not increase fecundity in the laboratory experiment. Foliar applied thiamethoxam slightly elevated average fecundity in the laboratory experiment. Increased use of neonicotinoid seed treatments instead of furrow applied aldicarb is likely at least partly responsible for recent increased twospotted spider mite infestations in seedling cotton across the mid-south. PMID:23786068 Smith, J F; Catchot, A L; Musser, F R; Gore, J Palm oil production is one of the major industries in the south of Thailand. A study of the quantity and potential usage of palm oil mill wastes was carried out. Sixteen palm oil mills in the region generate 386,930 tons\\/yr 165,830 tons\\/yr and 110,550 tons\\/yr of empty fruit bunches, palm press fiber and palm kernel shell, respectively. In addition, 1,202,260 S. Prasertsan; P. Prasertsan Gas-liquid chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were used to determine fatty acids and triglyceride\\u000a (TG) compositions of crude palm oil (CPO), refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) palm oil, RBD palm olein, and RBD palm\\u000a stearin, while their thermal profiles were analyzed by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The HPLC chromatograms showed\\u000a that the TG composition of CPO and RBD palm Y. B. Che Man; T. Haryati; H. M. Ghazali; B. A. Asbi A 31-year-old Saudi man was seen at an ear, nose, and throat clinic at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with bilateral itching in the external auditory canal. On otoscopic examination, the skin lining the ear canal was thickened with whitish sheets of sloughed cells and thick discharge. Large numbers of mites of an undescribed species closely related to members of the genus Loxanoetus (Histiostomatidae) were present. The patient underwent successive washings of the ear canal with saline and 70% ethanol at intervals of 2-3 months and was treated with antibiotics. Treatment with Eurax (crotamiton) ear drops for one week cleared the mite infestation. This represents the first reported case of human otoacariasis involving a histiostomatid mite. Based on the known biology of histiostomatid mites and the associated hosts of Loxanoetus and related genera, there is reason to speculate that the patient acquired the infestation while swimming in a lake or pond where this mite was present. PMID:17488924 Al-Arfaj, Ahmed M; Mullen, Gary R; Rashad, Rafiaa; Abdel-Hameed, Ahmed; OConnor, Barry M; Alkhalife, Ibrahim S; Dute, Roland R Stored-food and house-dust arthropods include many species of mites and beetles that affect human health. For diagnostic tests proteases such as trypsin are utilized as they are indicators of the presence of allergen contaminants in food. We recently characterized Kunitz-type protease inhibitors (KPIs) from Solanum palustre. Here we studied biotechnological applications of KPI-B1 and -B4. We manufactured a protein chip with immobilized KPI-B1 and -B4 and showed trypsin/chymotrypsin-binding specificity, indicating that the recombinant proteins have protease selectivity. We employed the protein chip to capture mite proteins belonging to the protease family with polyclonal anti-mite antibodies. The mite diagnostic chip can be useful for detecting mite allergens. PMID:20518061 Poltronieri, Palmiro; Cimaglia, Fabio; Santino, Angelo; De Blasi, Marialuce Daniela; Krizkova-Kudlikova, Iva; Liu, Shaoyang; Wang, Yuhong; Wang, Yifen Worker honey bees from genetic strains selected for being resistant (R) or susceptible (S) to tracheal mites typically show large differences in infestation in field colonies and in bioassays that involve controlled exposure to infested bees. We used bioassays exposing newly emerged individuals to infested workers to compare the propensity for tracheal mites to infest queens, drones and workers from R and S colonies. In tests with queens, newly emerged R and S queens were either simultaneously confined in infested colonies (n = 95 and 87 respectively), or individually caged with groups of 5-20 infested workers (n = 119 and 115 respectively). Mite prevalence (percentage of individuals infested) and abundance (foundress mites per individual) after 4-6 days did not differ between R and S queens. In another test, five newly emerged drones and workers from both an R and an S colony, and a queen of one of the two strains, were caged in each of 38 cages with 20 g of workers infested at 60-96% prevalence. Infestations of the R queens (n = 17) and S queens (n = 19) did not differ significantly, but R workers had half the mite abundance of S workers, while R drones received about a third more migrating mites than S drones. In tests to evaluate possible mechanisms, removal of one mesothoracic leg from R and S workers resulted in 2- to 10-fold increase in mite abundance on the treated side, but excising legs did not affect infestation of the corresponding tracheae in drones. This suggests that differences in infestation between R and S workers, but not drones, are largely determined by their ability to remove mites through autogrooming. If autogrooming is the primary mechanism of colony resistance to tracheal mites, selection for resistance to tracheal mites using infestation of hemizygous drones may be inefficient. PMID:16323047 Villa, José D; Danka, Robert G Toxigenic and allergen-producing fungi represent a serious hazard to human food and animal feed safety. Ninety-four fungal species were isolated from mite-infested samples of seeds taken from Czech seed stores. Fungi were isolated from the surface of four kinds of seeds (wheat, poppy, lettuce, and mustard) and from the gut and external surface of five species of mites (i.e., Acarus siro L., 1758, Caloglyphus rhizoglyphoides (Zachvatkin, 1973), Lepidoglyphus destructor (Schrank, 1781), Tyrophagus putrescentnae (Schrank, 1781) and Cheyletus malaccensis Oudemans 1903) separately. Multivariate analysis of fungi complex composition showed that the frequency of fungal was species significantly influenced by the kind of seed. Fungal frequencies differed between mites gut and exoskeleton surface and between the surfaces of mites and seeds. Three groups of fungal species were recognized: 1) mite surface-associated fungi: Penicillium brevicompactum, Alternaria alternata, and Aspergillus versicolor; 2) mite surface- and seed-associated fungi: Aspergillus niger, Penicillium crustosum, Penicillium aurantiogriseum, Penicillium chrysogenum, and Aspergillus flavus; and 3) seed-associated fungi: Cladosporium herbarum, Mucor dimorphosporus f. dimorphosporus, Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium griseofulvum, and Eurotium repens. Mite-carried species of microfungi are known to produce serious mycotoxins (e.g., aflatoxin B1, cyclopiazonic acid, sterigmatocystin, ochratoxin A, and nephrotoxic glycopeptides) as well as allergen producers (e.g., A. alternata and P. brevicompactum). Storage mites may play an important role in the spread of some medically hazardous micromycetes. In addition, these mite-fungi associations may heighten the risk of occurrence of mycotoxins in food and feed stuffs and cause mixed contamination by fungal and mite allergens. PMID:15666776 Hubert, J; Stejskal, V; Munzbergová, Z; Kubátová, A; Vánová, M; Zd'árková, E The present study investigated the mite fauna and the relative abundance of mites present in foliage and litter of two adjacent and similar alfalfa fields, differing only in the number of cuttings, in Kopais Valley (Central Greece) through 2008-2010. We also examined the relationship between assemblage patterns of Mesostigmata, Oribatida and Prostigmata by comparing their population fluctuation, population density, species richness and diversity. Spatial distribution of common dominant and influent mite species was also estimated. Our results showed that both fields supported a very rich and similar mite fauna with eight new species records for alfalfa of Greece, although these species have been previously reported from other habitats in Greece. The pattern of population fluctuation in foliage was similar in both fields, unlike the fluctuation in litter. Population density significantly differed between fields, being higher in the less harvested field, except Prostigmata. Species richness in litter was higher in the less harvested field, whereas it was higher in the foliage of the more harvested field, apart from that of prostigmatic mites in litter, which was higher in the more harvested field, and that of oribatid mites in foliage, which was higher in the less harvested field. The diversity of mites was higher in the more harvested field, with the exception of prostigmatic mites. The spatial distribution of mites in foliage and litter was aggregated in both fields. Our results indicate that despite the considerable similarity of the study fields, the different harvesting frequency might have disturbed differently the mite communities hosted in foliage and litter. PMID:24072570 Badieritakis, Evangelos G; Fantinou, Argyro A; Emmanouel, Nikolaos G This paper describes the development of rapid immunodiagnostic tests for the detection of storage mite infestations in cereals and cereal products. The study's first phase (proof of concept) involved the production of a species-specific enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) for the flour mite, Acarus siro (L.), a major pest of stored commodities. The specificity of this new assay was assessed against key stored product contaminants (13 species of mites of which three were predatory, five species of insects and five species of fungi) in the presence and absence of grain. The assay was species-specific (no cross-reactivity to other storage contaminants) and was unaffected by the presence of cereal antigens in the extract. In the study's second phase, species- and genera-specific ELISAs were developed for a range of key storage mite pests: the cosmopolitan food mite (Lepidoglyphus destructor), the grocers' itch mite (Glycyphagus domesticus), the grainstack mite (Tyrophagus longior), mites of the Tyrophagus and Glycyphagus generas, and all storage mites. All tests were demonstrably specific to target species or genera, with no cross-reactions observed to other storage pest contaminants or cereals. The final, validation phase, involved a comparative assessment of the species-specific A. siro and the genus-specific Tyrophagus ELISAs with the flotation technique using laboratory and field samples. Both ELISAs were quantitative (0-30 mites per 10 g wheat) and produced good comparative data with the flotation technique (A. siro r(2)=0.91, Tyrophagus spp. r(2)=0.99). PMID:18279566 Dunn, J A; Thind, B B; Danks, C; Chambers, J The outer part of the skin, the epidermis, is specialized to protect the human body from its environment. Because of the high levels of physical stress experienced by the human hand in everyday use, the epidermis of the hand is especially toughened. In particular, the epidermis of the palm is highly specialized to resist mechanical trauma. Like the epidermis, the nails are composed of specialized epithelial cells and are especially strong. In recent years it has become apparent that the physical strength of epithelial cells comes from the keratin cytoskeleton – a dense meshwork of filaments extending throughout the cytoplasm. Keratins are a large family of intermediate filament proteins encoded by more than 50 distinct genes in humans. These different keratin genes are expressed in well-defined combinations in specific epithelial tissues. Several keratin genes are expressed in palmoplantar epidermis and in the stratified epithelia of the nail bed. Genetic mutations in these genes lead to fragility of these tissues and result in a range of genetic disorders characterized by blistering and thickening of palm and sole skin and/or nails. Study of these diseases has shed new light on the vital structural role of keratins in maintaining the integrity of epithelial cells. McLean, WH Irwin Ambient ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation impacts plant-dwelling arthropods including herbivorous and predatory mites. However, the effects of UVB on prey-predator systems, such as that between the herbivorous spider mite and predatory phytoseiid mite, are poorly understood. A comparative study was conducted to determine the vulnerability and behavioral responses of these mites to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. First, we analyzed dose-response (cumulative irradiance-mortality) curves for the eggs of phytoseiid mites (Neoseiulus californicus, Neoseiulus womersleyi, and Phytoseiulus persimilis) and the spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) to UVB radiation from a UV lamp. This indicated that the phytoseiid mites were more vulnerable than the spider mite, although P. persimilis was slightly more tolerant than the other two phytoseiid mites. Second, we compared the avoidance behavior of adult female N. californicus and two spider mite species (T. urticae, a lower leaf surface user; Panonychus citri, an upper leaf surface user) in response to solar UV and visible light. N. californicus actively avoided both types of radiation, whereas P. citri showed only minimal avoidance behavior. T. urticae actively avoided UV as well as N. californicus but exhibited a slow response to visible light as well as P. citri. Such variation in vulnerability and avoidance behavior accounts for differences in the species adaptations to solar UVB radiation. This may be the primary factor determining habitat use among these mites on host plant leaves, subsequently affecting accessibility by predators and also intraguild competition. PMID:23093097 Tachi, Fuyuki; Osakabe, Masahiro Fifty dust samples were collected from the mattresses and bedroom floors of 25 subjects with allergic asthma in Cartagena, Colombia, in order to identify house dust mites and quantitate Der p I, Der f I and Blomia tropicalis allergens. The geometric mean of the total mite density per gram of dust was 418 (range, 40-2280). Twenty-two samples (44%) had more than 500 mites and four, less than 100. B. tropicalis and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus were found in 96% and 90% of the samples, accounting for 40.1% and 35.7% of the total mites, respectively. Cheyletus malaccensis, Chortoglyphus arcuatus, Pyroglyphus africanus, Oribatids, Grallacheles bakeri, Tarsonemus spp., Suidasia spp., Dermatophagoides farinae and unidentified mites accounted for the rest. The geometric mean of the total mites/gram of dust in mattresses (563.9) was significantly higher than in floor dust (309.1), P < 0.01. Allergen concentrations and mite numbers were analysed by Spearman rank correlations: B. tropicalis mites vs B. tropicalis allergen, r = 0.54, P < 0.001; D. pteronyssinus mites vs Der p I, r = 0.52, P < 0.001. A negative correlation was obtained between B. tropicalis mites and Der p I. Allergens derived from B. tropicalis and other domestic mite species may play an important role in sensitization and allergic symptoms in Cartagena, Colombia. PMID:8319126 Fernández-Caldas, E; Puerta, L; Mercado, D; Lockey, R F; Caraballo, L R House dust mites (HDM) can be found worldwide where human beings live independent from the climate and are a major source of multiple allergens. Mite allergens sensitize and induce perennial rhinitis, asthma, or atopic dermatitis in a large portion of patients with allergic disease particularly children. There is convincing evidence that avoidance of mite allergen can effectively reduce allergic symptoms. This study examined dust from a military hospital and the private home of some nursing staff. A total of seven species of mites belonging to six genera were recovered. The commonest species was Dermatophagoides farinae followed by D. pteronyssinus and the lowest Laelaps nuttalli. Besides, the 7th mite or Parasitus consanguineous live free on dust as a bio-control agent of mites. The presence of mites in and out doors in a hospital and dwellings of medical personnel pave the way to consider HDM as occupational or nosocomial Allergens. PMID:24640866 Saleh, Ahmed Megahed Ahmed; Ali, Hisham Abd El-Raouf; Ahmed, Salwa Abdalla Mohamed; Mohammad, Naema Mahmoud; Morsy, Tosson A Many aquatic insect species, including aquatic Hemiptera, are parasitized by water mite larvae. Although this situation may cause damaging impacts to the hosts, the mites can disperse and colonize new localities in this way. Little is known about the frequency of water mite ectoparasitism amongst the aquatic Hemiptera in Turkey. In this study, larval water mite parasitism on aquatic Hemiptera, which have been collected from different localities in Turkish Thrace, was evaluated. It was found that only nine individuals, belonging two different species in a total of 367 hemipteran specimens, were parasitized by larval water mites. Furthermore, variations in sizes and shapes of the mites on the waterscorpion Ranatra linearis Linne, 1758 and Nepa cinerea Linne, 1758 were determined. These are the first records for larval mite parasitism on R. linearis and N. cinerea in Turkish Thrace. PMID:23377913 Zawal, Andrzej; Çamur-Elipek, Belgin; Fent, Meral; Kirgiz, Timur; Dzierzgowska, Kinga This survey was undertaken to determine the possible exposure of military personnel to house dust mites in ships, barracks, and homes in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. During the period from April 1, 1982 through August 31, 1983, 524 dust samples were collected with vacuum cleaners. Mites were extracted from aliquots of dust, counted, and identified as to species and life stage. Dermatophagoides pterynssinus (European house dust mite) was more common in private homes, while Dermatophagoides farinae (North American house dust mite) was more common on ships. Berthing compartments had the highest density of mites of areas sampled aboard ships. There appears to be a trend between the density of personnel and mites. Ships had a smaller percentage of mite-infested samples than houses. PMID:2507967 King, M J; Betts, L S; Sonenshine, D E This publication presents, for the first time, the data base on palm kernels, palm kernel meal, and palm kernel oil. Statistical sources include Agricultural Counselor and Attache reports, official statistics released by foreign governments, and trade pub... It is expected that palm oil will reduce black smoke/particulates in exhaust gas from the diesel engine. Therefore, an investigation for practical application of palm oil is made on adaptability as a fuel oil and supply potential. For utilization of palm ... The introduction of live insects into human food is rare in developed countries. However, we report, for the first time, an emerging risk that exists from dried fruit in Central Europe. Recently, massive and frequent infestation of dried fruit imported from the Mediterranean region by the mite, Carpoglpyhus lactis L. (Acarina: Carpoglyphidae), has been found. In 180 samples taken from supermarkets, 13% were contaminated; the contamination levels ranged from 0 to 660 mites per g of dried fruit. The contamination was found in dried apricots, figs, plums and raisins. To estimate the risks and food preferences of C. lactis, its growth rate was examined under laboratory conditions. Starting with a hypothetical population of 10 mites per g of dried fruit, the risk level of 1000 mites per g of dried fruit is reached at 42 days for dried figs, 49 days for dried pineapple and 63 days for dried apricots, dates and plums at 25 °C and 85% relative humidity. We found that mites are able to enter every dried fruit packing material tested, including polypropylene and aluminum foils. This indicates that mites can move from package to package in supermarkets. Mites are known as allergen producers and vectors of mycotoxin-producing fungi. These findings indicate that an increased risk of C. lactis contamination exists in dried fruit. PMID:21793685 Hubert, Jan; Erban, Tomas; Nesvorna, Marta; Stejskal, Vaclav Background. In the present study, quality and quantity of indoor dust mites was evaluated at the residence of 150 atopic allergic patients from four different districts of South Assam. Methods. Suspected patients with case history of allergic disease were selected for indoor survey. Dust samples (500?mg) were collected from the selected patient's house and were analyzed using standard methods. Results. About 60% of the selected patients were found suffering from respiratory disorders and rest 40% from skin allergy. The dominant mites recorded from indoor dust samples were Dermatophagoides followed by Blomia, Acarus, and Cheyletus while Caloglyphus was recorded in least number. The distribution of mites on the basis of housing pattern indicates that RCC type of buildings supports maximum dust mite's population followed by Assam type (semi-RCC) buildings, and the lowest count was observed in wooden houses. Environmental factors like temperature, rainfall, and relative humidity are found to determine the indoor mite's population. Severity of allergic attack in some of the typical cases was found to be proportional to the allergen load of mites in the dust samples. Conclusions. The economic status, housing pattern, and local environmental factors determine the diversity and abundance of dust mites in indoor environment. PMID:23724231 Sharma, Dhruba; Dutta, B K; Singh, A B The sheep scab mite, Psoroptes ovis, induces an intensely pruritic exudative dermatitis which is responsible for restlessness, loss of appetite and weight loss. Within the first 24 h of infection, there is a rapid inflammatory influx of eosinophils and apoptosis of the keratinocytes at the site of infection. The former cell type is capable of a sustained respiratory burst, toxic products of which may directly damage the mite and also contribute to lesion formation. Analysis of a P. ovis expressed sequence tag (EST) database identified a number of antioxidant enzyme-encoding sequences, including peroxiredoxin (thioredoxin peroxidase EC 188.8.131.52), all of which may help the mite endure the potentially toxic skin environment. A full length sequence encoding Po-TPx, a protein of 206 amino acids which showed high homology to a peroxiredoxin from the salivary gland of the tick Ixodes scapularis, was amplified from P. ovis cDNA. Recombinant Po-TPx was expressed in bacteria and antiserum to this protein was used to localize native Po-TPx in mite sections. Peroxiredoxin was localized, amongst other sites, to a subpharyngeal region in mite sections. The recombinant protein was recognized by sera from sheep infested with the mite suggesting that it may be secreted or excreted by the mite and interact with the host immune response. PMID:19195412 McNair, C M; Nisbet, A J; Billingsley, P F; Knox, D P Infestation by parasitic Psoroptes mites (Acari: Psoroptidae) is an important cause of economic loss and welfare problems in livestock in many areas of the world. At least five species within this genus have been recognized, based on the host infested, the infestation site and differences in length of the opisthosomal setae of adult male mites. Here the integrity of these species is considered by subjecting populations of mites from a range of host species and geographical locations to simultaneous morphological and molecular genetic analyses. Morphological analysis showed that there were significant differences in shape and size between mite populations from different hosts, and that length of the outer opisthosomal setae in males and the homologous seta in females were the most important distinguishing character in adults. However, considerable variation in outer opisthosomal seta length was evident within and between populations of mites, and differences were not clearly related to host-species or geographical origin and did not support the accepted species differences. Molecular characterization using sequence data from the mitochondrial second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2) region and microsatellite markers found little or no consistent host-related variation between the mite population samples. The results suggest that there is no case for considering the Psoroptes mites from the different hosts examined as separate species and that the morphological variation observed therefore may represent phenotypic adaptation to the local microenvironment on particular species of host. PMID:16336304 Pegler, K R; Evans, L; Stevens, J R; Wall, R Sheep scab is caused by the noninvasive mite, Psoroptes ovis, which initiates a profound pro-inflammatory skin response leading to lesion development. To investigate these early events between the skin and the parasite, primary ovine epidermal keratinocyte cultures were generated and challenged with mite derived antigens. The kinetics of the mRNA response of these cells were monitored by microarray. The results indicated that the cells responded within 1 h of challenge, with a significant increase in the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-8. This result was confirmed by real-time RT-PCR, and showed that IL-8 up-regulation was maximal at 1 h but declined to pre-stimulation levels at 24 and 48 h. The IL-8 mRNA response to mite wash antigens containing secretory and/or excretory proteins was also investigated and compared to the response to whole mite antigen. These studies revealed that the mite wash antigen, at a challenge dose of 10 microg/mL, was markedly more potent and induced significantly higher levels of IL-8 mRNA than the same concentration of whole mite antigen. These results are discussed in relation to mite establishment and survival on the ovine host. PMID:19493210 Watkins, C A; Mackellar, A; Frew, D; Mackie, C; George, A; Hopkins, J; Burgess, S T G; McNeilly, T N; Huntley, J F Plants under herbivore attack are able to initiate indirect defense by synthesizing and releasing complex blends of volatiles that attract natural enemies of the herbivore. However, little is known about how plants respond to infestation by multiple herbivores, particularly if these belong to different feeding guilds. Here, we report the interference by a phloem-feeding insect, the whitefly Bemisia tabaci, with indirect plant defenses induced by spider mites (Tetranychus urticae) in Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus) plants. Additional whitefly infestation of spider-mite infested plants resulted in a reduced attraction of predatory mites (Phytoseiulus persimilis) compared to attraction to plants infested by spider mites only. This interference is shown to result from the reduction in (E)-?-ocimene emission from plants infested by both spider mites and whiteflies. When using exogenous salicylic acid (SA) application to mimic B. tabaci infestation, we observed similar results in behavioral and chemical analyses. Phytohormone and gene-expression analyses revealed that B. tabaci infestation, as well as SA application, inhibited spider mite-induced jasmonic acid (JA) production and reduced the expression of two JA-regulated genes, one of which encodes for the P. lunatus enzyme ?-ocimene synthase that catalyzes the synthesis of (E)-?-ocimene. Remarkably, B. tabaci infestation concurrently inhibited SA production induced by spider mites. We therefore conclude that in dual-infested Lima bean plants the suppression of the JA signaling pathway by whitefly feeding is not due to enhanced SA levels. Zhang, Peng-Jun; Zheng, Si-Jun; van Loon, Joop J. A.; Boland, Wilhelm; David, Anja; Mumm, Roland; Dicke, Marcel The coconut mite Aceria guerreronis (Eriophyidae) is considered the most important pest of coconut fruits in Africa; however, quantitative knowledge about its distribution and abundance is lacking. We conducted four diagnostic surveys-three in Southern Benin and one along the coast of Tanzania-to determine the distribution of A. guerreronis and the severity of its damage to coconut fruits, as well as the diversity and abundance of other associated mites and potential natural enemies. Aceria guerreronis was found in all visited plantations with the percentage of damaged fruits varying considerably among plantations-67-85% in Benin and 43-81% in Tanzania. Overall, 30-40% of the fruit surfaces were damaged by A. guerreronis. Damage severity increased with fruit age and negatively affected fruit weight of 7- to 12-months-old fruits. Aceria guerreronis was by far the most abundant mite on coconut fruits but its abundance depended on fruit age. The highest densities of A. guerreronis were observed on 3- to 4-months-old fruits. Neocypholaelaps sp. (Ameroseiidae) was the most abundant mite on inflorescences. Three species of predatory mites (Phytoseiidae)-Neoseiulus baraki, N. neobaraki and N. paspalivorus-were the most commonly found predatory mites beneath the coconut bracts in association with A. guerreronis. Neoseiulus neobaraki was the prevailing predator in Tanzania while N. paspalivorus was the most frequent predator in Benin. Other mites found beneath the bracts were the herbivore Steneotarsonemus furcatus (Tarsonemidae) and the detritivore and fungivore Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Acaridae). PMID:21789564 Negloh, K; Hanna, R; Schausberger, P Identification and eradication of murine fur mite infestations are ongoing challenges faced by many research institutions. Infestations with Myobia musculi and Myocoptes musculinus can lead to animal health problems and may impose unwanted research variables by affecting the immune and physiologic functions of mice. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility and efficacy of soiled bedding sentinels in the detection of fur mite infestations in colony mice. Female young-adult CRL:CD1(ICR) mice (n = 140) were exposed over a 12-wk period to various volume percentages of soiled bedding (11%, 20%, 50%, and 100%) from fur-mite–infested animals. Mice were tested every 2 wk with the cellophane tape test to identify the presence of fur mite adults and eggs. At the end of 12 wk, all mice exposed to 11%, 20%, and 50% soiled bedding tested negative for fur mites. One of the 35 mice (3%) receiving 100% soiled bedding tested positive for fur mites at the end of the 12-wk follow-up period. These findings suggest that the use of soiled bedding sentinels for the detection of fur mite infestations in colony mice is unreliable. Lindstrom, Krista E; Carbone, Larry G; Kellar, Danielle E; Mayorga, Melinda S; Wilkerson, James D Heat and vibration are common host-generated cues that ectoparasites use to orient to hosts. Three experiments evaluated effects of heat and vibration on the movement of northern fowl mite, Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Canestrini & Fanzago). Individual arrested mites in an isolation chamber always initiated movement (walking) after substrate vibration (7.8-min walking duration), but only initiated movement 50% of the time (2.8-min walking duration) upon exposure to a 3 degrees C heat fluctuation. Heat fluctuation in combination with vibration extended the period of activity by approximately 50% (11.6-min walking duration) compared with activity initiated by vibration alone. Mites with longer time off-host moved for shorter durations. In a choice test, individual mites consistently moved closer to a 35 degrees C heat source 1 or 6 mm away, but not to a heat source 11 mm away. In a circular arena, mites were able to orient accurately to a 35 degrees C heat source and reached the arena edge almost 4 times faster (11.2 s) than mites without a heat source (41.2 s). These results suggest that northern fowl mite is capable of directed thermo-orientation, as well as modulation of activity depending on the type of sensory information perceived. The adaptive significance of this orientation for a "permanent" ectoparasite is discussed. PMID:15535614 Owen, Jeb P; Mullens, Bradley A The oil palm mesocarp contains an endogenous lipase which is strongly activated at low temperature. Lipase activity is thus very conveniently assayed by prior exposure of the fruits to low temperature. More than 100 oil palm samples from the germplasm collection of the Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia (now known as the Malaysian Palm Oil Board) were screened for non-esterified fatty acid activity using both the low-temperature activation assay and a radioactivity assay. The results showed good correlation between assay procedures. The different samples had a very wide range of lipase activity. Elaeis oleifera samples had significantly lower lipase activity compared with E. guineensis (var. tenera) samples. Even within E. guineensis (var. tenera), there was a wide range of activity. The results confirmed that lipase activity is genotype-dependent. Selection for lipase genotypes is thus possible and this will have obvious commercial value. PMID:11171201 Sambanthamurthi, R; Rajanaidu, N; Hasnah Parman, S The astigmatid mite, Psoroptes ovis (Hering) (Acari: Psoroptidae), is an obligate, non-burrowing ectoparasite of vertebrates, of particular economic importance in domestic sheep flocks where it causes clinical psoroptic mange. To help understand the behaviour which facilitates transmission via the environment, the responses of P. ovis derived from rabbits (syn. Psoroptes cuniculi) to temperature and light were examined in the laboratory. On a vertical surface of uniform temperature, the presence and direction of illumination had a significant effect on the distance and direction moved by the mites. In darkness or with illumination from both above and below, the mites moved relatively little, but this movement was upwards. In contrast, with illumination from above only, mites moved downwards. When the direction of the illumination was reversed so that it came from below only, the mites moved upwards. On a vertical surface with a temperature gradient, in darkness or with illumination from both above and below, the mites moved up or down towards the area of highest temperature, depending on whether this was above or below, respectively. However, the movement of the mites in response to the temperature gradient was strongly displaced up or down by the presence of unidirectional illumination from above or below, respectively. The results indicate that the movement of these mites is strongly directed towards areas of high temperature but away from higher light intensity. These behaviours might be expected to maintain the position of the mites on a host animal and help them locate the skin surface of a new host when displaced into the environment. PMID:15285139 Pegler, K R; Wall, R As part of a research programme designed to identify biological agents for the control of sheep scab, the pathogenicity of the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae to Psoroptes mites in the presence of sheepskin and wool was examined in the laboratory. No inhibitory effects of skin and wool were observed and high levels of infection were recorded. Subsequently the pathogenicity of formulations of both M. anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana to Psoroptes ovis was studied in vivo. For this, 36 batches of 20 adult female Psoroptes mites were confined in 25 mm diameter chambers which were attached to the backs of 6 scab-naive sheep. In some treatments, mites were exposed to the fungal pathogens for 48 h in vitro prior to being placed on the host, while other treatments involved mites with no prior exposure placed directly onto the skin of a host treated with a fungal pathogen. After 48 h on the host, mites were removed, incubated individually and all fungal infections were recorded. Fungal infection was observed in all treatments, except untreated controls. However, B. bassiana infected a significantly greater number of mites than M. anisopliae with all the formulations examined. Infection rates were highest when mites were exposed to dry conidia (>90%) and lowest with M. anisopliae in diatomaceous earth. Overall, the infection rate was not affected by whether or not the mites were given prior exposure to the conidia, before being placed on the sheep. The results demonstrate that Psoroptes mites can become infected by entomopathogenic fungi on the skin of sheep and provides a first demonstration of the potential of this technology for the control of sheep scab. PMID:17624674 Abolins, S; Thind, B; Jackson, V; Luke, B; Moore, D; Wall, R; Taylor, M A Background Permethrin is the active component of topical creams widely used to treat human scabies. Recent evidence has demonstrated that scabies mites are becoming increasingly tolerant to topical permethrin and oral ivermectin. An effective approach to manage pesticide resistance is the addition of synergists to counteract metabolic resistance. Synergists are also useful for laboratory investigation of resistance mechanisms through their ability to inhibit specific metabolic pathways. Methodology/Principal Findings To determine the role of metabolic degradation as a mechanism for acaricide resistance in scabies mites, PBO (piperonyl butoxide), DEF (S,S,S-tributyl phosphorotrithioate) and DEM (diethyl maleate) were first tested for synergistic activity with permethrin in a bioassay of mite killing. Then, to investigate the relative role of specific metabolic pathways inhibited by these synergists, enzyme assays were developed to measure esterase, glutathione S-transferase (GST) and cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (cytochrome P450) activity in mite extracts. A statistically significant difference in median survival time of permethrin-resistant Sarcoptes scabiei variety canis was noted when any of the three synergists were used in combination with permethrin compared to median survival time of mites exposed to permethrin alone (p<0.0001). Incubation of mite homogenates with DEF showed inhibition of esterase activity (37%); inhibition of GST activity (73%) with DEM and inhibition of cytochrome P450 monooxygenase activity (81%) with PBO. A 7-fold increase in esterase activity, a 4-fold increase in GST activity and a 2-fold increase in cytochrome P450 monooxygenase activity were observed in resistant mites compared to sensitive mites. Conclusions These findings indicate the potential utility of synergists in reversing resistance to pyrethroid-based acaricides and suggest a significant role of metabolic mechanisms in mediating pyrethroid resistance in scabies mites. Pasay, Cielo; Arlian, Larry; Morgan, Marjorie; Gunning, Robin; Rossiter, Louise; Holt, Deborah; Walton, Shelley; Beckham, Simone; McCarthy, James Sensitization to domestic mites is common in Germany. The main objectives of this study were (1) to establish the rate of skin test sensitivity to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Acarus siro, Lepidoglyphus destructor, and Tyrophagus putrescentiae in 512 consecutive patients evaluated for upper and/or lower respiratory complaints; (2) to verify how many of the patients with a positive skin test to at least one of the three storage mites were also skin test positive to D. pteronyssinus; and (3) to verify how many of the patients with at least one positive skin test to one of the storage mites previously mentioned were also sensitized, in vitro, to other mite species. A total of 512 consecutive patients with rhinitis and/or asthma, living in urban or rural areas of central Germany were skin tested with extracts of D. pteronyssinus, A. siro, L. destructor, and T. putrescentiae. In addition, specific IgE determinations to Euroglyphus maynei, Blomia tropicalis, Blomia tjibodas, Blomia kulagini, and Gohieria fusca were conducted in those individuals with a positive skin test to at least one of the storage mites used in skin testing. Of the 512 patients, 103 (20.1%; 77 urban dwellers and 26 farmers) reacted to at least one of the storage mites. From this latter group, 88 individuals (85.4%) also skin tested positive to D. pteronyssinus. In vitro specific IgE determinations revealed a high rate of sensitization to the other mite species studied. We conclude that sensitization to storage mites in Germany is frequently associated with sensitivity to D. pteronyssinus. Overall, skin test sensitivity to storage mites was greater in rural than in city dwellers. In vitro sensitization to B. tjibodas was also significantly greater in rural than in city dwellers. PMID:12530116 Müsken, Horst; Fernández-Caldas, Enrique; Marańón, Francisco; Franz, Jörg-Thomas; Masuch, Georg; Bergmann, Karl-Christian Elephant ear mites, not previously described in North America, were eradicated in two African elephants (Loxodonta africana) after six otic instillations of ivermectin at 2-wk intervals. The microscopic examination of a clear, mucoid discharge collected from the external ear canals of two wild-born African elephants housed in a New York State zoo for 25 yr revealed live mites (Loxoaneotus bassoni). The cytologic examination demonstrated no evidence of inflammation or infection. Both elephants were asymptomatic with normal hemograms and serum chemistry panels. A diagnosis of otoacariasis was made. Each elephant was treated six times with 5 ml of 1% ivermectin syrup instilled in each ear canal once every 2 wk. Microscopic examinations of clear mucus collected from each elephant's ear canals 9 days after the first instillation of ivermectin were negative for any life stages of ear mites. Microscopic examinations of mucus collected from both elephants' ear canals at 6, 11, and 16 wk, as well as annually post-treatment for 7 yr, confirmed eradication of the ear mites. The L. bassoni ear mite was first identified in the external ear canals of wild, asymptomatic, lesion-free, African elephants culled in Kruger National Park in South Africa. However, a new species in the same genus of mites (Loxoanoetus lenae) was identified at the necropsy of an 86-yr-old Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) living in a circus in Australia. The autopsy revealed a marked, ballooning distension of bone around the left external acoustic meatus, suggestive of mite-induced otitis externa, as seen in cattle infested with ear mites (Raillieta auris). Elephant health care providers should identify the prevalence of, and consider treatment of, elephants in their care infested with ear mites, given the possible risk for adverse health effects. PMID:22448521 Wyatt, Jeff; DiVincenti, Louis The effect of dissolving ?-carotene into palm olein was experimentally investigated using time-resolved thermal lens spectroscopy. The thermal diffusivity of palm olein was measured, and the dependence on the concentration of the compounds was studied. The results show an enhancement in the thermal diffusivity by increasing the quantity of ?-carotene in the compounds. This behavior was interpreted on the basis of the electronic structure of the ?-carotene molecule. de Freitas Cabral, A. J.; de Oliveira, P. C.; Moreira, S. G. C.; Alcantara, P. The effect of different factors affecting the slip melting point of palm oil has been evaluated. The most important factor\\u000a appears to be the difference in tempering temperatures. The influence of different tempering temperatures on slip point values\\u000a is, however, dependent on the nature of the sample. For hydrogenated oils and for some high-melting palm stearins, tempering\\u000a has no effect. K. G. Berger; W. L. Siew; Flingoh C. H. OH In the search for economical cocoa butter alternatives, palm and lauric oils have emerged as important source oils in the\\u000a development of hard butters. Based on the method presented for categorizing hard butters, the lauric oils, primarily palm\\u000a kernel and coconut, can be modified by interesterification and hydrogenated to yield lauric cocoa butter substitutes (CBS)\\u000a which are both good eating J. John Pease Biosurfactants production by a strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa using palm oil as a sole carbon source was investigated. The experiments were carried out in 500-mL conical flasks containing\\u000a 100 mL of mineral media supplemented with palm oil as the sole carbon source. The P. aeruginosa FR strain was able to reduce surface tension of three tested inorganic media. Rotation velocities Fernando J. S. Oliveira; Leonardo Vazquez; Norberto P. De Campos; Francisca P. de França Biosurfactants production by a strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa using palm oil as a sole carbon source was investigated. The experiments were carried out in 500-mL conical flasks containing\\u000a 100 mL of mineral media supplemented with palm oil as the sole carbon source. The P. aeruginosa FR strain was able to reduce surface tension of three tested inorganic media. Rotation velocities Fernando J. S. Oliveira; Leonardo Vazquez; NORBERTO P. DE CAMPOS; Francisca P. França The slow pyrolysis of oil palm trunks was investigated in a lab-scale pyrolyzer at terminal temperatures from 450 to 800°C, and a heating rate of 10°C min. The oil palm trunk was first pyrolyzed in a thermogravimetric analyzer to study the thermal characteristics, and to determine the kinetic parameters. The lab-scale pyrolysis results showed that as the terminal temperature increased, K. H. Khor; K. O. Lim; Z. A. Zainal Alimuddin In this work, a batch-type reactor system was used to prepare biodiesel from RBD palm oil in supercritical methanol without any catalyst. Experiments were carried out by changing the operation parameters such as temperature (200–400°C), the mole ratio of methanol to RBD palm oil (3–80) and reaction time (0.5–20min). The content of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) was analyzed using Eun-Seok Song; Jung-won Lim; Hong-Shik Lee; Youn-Woo Lee The occurrence of a large number of fossil woods having resemblance in anatomical features with the modern palm genus, Phoenix L in Deccan Intertrappean fossil flora of Maastrichtian-Danian age (i. e. Late Cretaceous and Earliest Tertiary (65-67 my)) indicates the most primitive record of date palm. Present discovery of biocompounds from fossil wood of Phoenix collected from Deccan Intertrappean having affinity with the biocompounds known from modern plant further exemplify the earliest documentation of Phoenix in Indian peninsula. Sharma, Dinesh Chandra; Khan, Mohd Sajid; Khan, M Salman; Srivastava, Rashmi; Srivastava, Ashwini Kumar; Shukla, Ritu Background House dust mites (HDMs) are a major cause of allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma worldwide. Recent studies suggested that the allergen load presents seasonal modifications, giving rise to seasonal variation in nasal inflammation and symptoms. The aim of this study was to evaluate by nasal cytology whether nasal inflammation in mite-allergic patients changes with the seasons of the year. Methods The study included 16 patients (seven males and nine females, mean age 38.1 years) with persistent AR caused by monosensitization to HDMs. Nasal cytology was performed in all patients once monthly for 1 year. Results Nasal cytology showed that the cells most commonly detected in the nasal mucosa were neutrophils. During the period from October to April, a peak in the number of neutrophils and also the presence of significant numbers of eosinophils, mast cells, and lymphocytes/plasma cells were found, which shows the occurrence of more intense inflammation during these months. Conclusion Nasal cytology provides useful data in detecting nasal inflammation and its association with the clinical stage of AR. The seasonal variations in nasal cytology are likely to be induced by the fluctuations in the HDM allergen that have been uncovered in recent investigations. Gelardi, Matteo; Peroni, Diego G; Incorvaia, Cristoforo; Quaranta, Nicola; De Luca, Concetta; Barberi, Salvatore; Dell'Albani, Ilaria; Landi, Massimo; Frati, Franco; de Beaumont, Olivier Arcaricidal properties of decoctions, infusions and macerates of dried flower heads of camomile, Matricaria chamomilla L. (Asterales: Asteraceae) were tested in vitro against the mite Psoroptes cuniculi Delafond (Parasitiformes: Psoroptidae). This mite species is responsible for otoacariasis in domestic animals. Mites were exposed to the extracts for 24, 48 or 72 h. All the extracts tested showed highly significant acaricidal activity when compared with controls. Among them, a decoction of 10% was the only formulation which gave 100% activity at all the three observations times. PMID:15189247 Macchioni, F; Perrucci, S; Cecchi, F; Cioni, P L; Morelli, I; Pampiglione, S The incidence of skin test and RAST positivity for Dermatophagoides farinae and storage mites (Glycyphagus privatus, Lepidoglyphus destructor, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, Acarus siro, and Gohieria fusca) have been evaluated in children with bronchial asthma and positive prick test to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus. The storage mite with highest incidence of skin and RAST positivity was Gohieria fusca, which caused a positive response in more than 50% of the children evaluated. This antigen appears to possess allergenic determinants not present in Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus. The sensitivity to this antigen might be considered in house dust mite-allergic children who do not improve after specific immunotherapy with Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus extracts. PMID:2742217 Boner, A L; Richelli, C; Vallone, G; Verga, A; Parotelli, R; Andri, L; Piacentini, G L An evaluation of the associations of parameters related to the fall of Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) from commercial honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies as tools for selective breeding for mite resistance. Varroa destructor (Anderson and Trueman) trapped on bottom boards were assessed as indirect measurements of colony mite population differences and potential indicators of mite resistance in commercial colonies of Russian and Italian honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) by using 35 candidate measurements. Measurements included numbers of damaged and nondamaged younger mites, nymphs, damaged and nondamaged older mites, fresh mites, and all mites, each as a proportion of total mites in the colonies and as a proportion of all trapped mites or all trapped fresh mites. Several measurements differed strongly between the stocks, suggesting that the detailed characteristics of trapped mites may reflect the operation of resistance mechanisms in the Russian honey bees. Regression analyses were used to determine the relationships of these candidate measurements with the number of mites in the colonies. The largest positive regressions differed for the two stocks (Italian honey bees: trapped mites and trapped younger mites; Russian honey bees: trapped younger mites and trapped fresh mites). Also, the regressions for Italian honey bees were substantially stronger. The largest negative regressions with colony mites for both stocks were for the proportion of older mites out of all trapped mites. Although these regressions were statistically significant and consistent with those previously reported, they were weaker than those previously reported. The numbers of mites in the colonies were low, especially in the Russian honey bee colonies, which may have negatively influenced the precision of the regressions. PMID:24772529 Rinderer, Thomas E; De Guzman, Lilia I; Frake, Amanda M; Tarver, Matthew R; Khongphinitbunjong, Kitiphong In Malaysia, there has been interest in the utilization of palm oil and oil palm biomass for the production of environmental friendly biofuels. A biorefinery based on palm oil and oil palm biomass for the production of biofuels has been proposed. The catalytic technology plays major role in the different processing stages in a biorefinery for the production of liquid as well as gaseous biofuels. There are number of challenges to find suitable catalytic technology to be used in a typical biorefinery. These challenges include (1) economic barriers, (2) catalysts that facilitate highly selective conversion of substrate to desired products and (3) the issues related to design, operation and control of catalytic reactor. Therefore, the catalytic technology is one of the critical factors that control the successful operation of biorefinery. There are number of catalytic processes in a biorefinery which convert the renewable feedstocks into the desired biofuels. These include biodiesel production from palm oil, catalytic cracking of palm oil for the production of biofuels, the production of hydrogen as well as syngas from biomass gasification, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) for the conversion of syngas into liquid fuels and upgrading of liquid/gas fuels obtained from liquefaction/pyrolysis of biomass. The selection of catalysts for these processes is essential in determining the product distribution (olefins, paraffins and oxygenated products). The integration of catalytic technology with compatible separation processes is a key challenge for biorefinery operation from the economic point of view. This paper focuses on different types of catalysts and their role in the catalytic processes for the production of biofuels in a typical palm oil and oil palm biomass-based biorefinery. PMID:18434141 Chew, Thiam Leng; Bhatia, Subhash Aspergillus niger ATCC 6275 possesses the highest carboxymethyl-cellulase, xylanase and ß-glucosidase activities under liquid and solid cultivations compared withMyceliophthora thermophila IFO 31843 and an isolate, F11. Palm cake proved to be a better substrate for enzyme production and saccharification than palm fibre. Saccharification of these two substrates, using crude enzyme solutions from three fungi and commercial enzymes, was investigated. P. Prasertsan; S. Oi The frying performance of an enzymatically transesterified palm stearin and palm kernel olein (1:1 by weight) blend was compared with its control (physical mixture or no enzyme added) and a commercial plastic frying shortening (CS). The samples were used as deep-fat frying media at 180°C for banana chips for seven consecutive days. The samples were then analysed for iodine value B. S Chu; H. M Ghazali; O. M Lai; Y. B Che Man; S Yusof; M. S. A Yusoff The study for the first time attempted to accomplish 18S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) complete sequence amplification and analysis for three Demodex species (Demodex folliculorum, Demodex brevis and Demodex canis) based on gDNA extraction from individual mites. The mites were treated by DNA Release Additive and Hot Start II DNA Polymerase so as to promote mite disruption and increase PCR specificity. Determination of D. folliculorum gDNA showed that the gDNA yield reached the highest at 1 mite, tending to descend with the increase of mite number. The individual mite gDNA was successfully used for 18S rDNA fragment (about 900 bp) amplification examination. The alignments of 18S rDNA complete sequences of individual mite samples and those of pooled mite samples ( ? 1000mites/sample) showed over 97% identities for each species, indicating that the gDNA extracted from a single individual mite was as satisfactory as that from pooled mites for PCR amplification. Further pairwise sequence analyses showed that average divergence, genetic distance, transition/transversion or phylogenetic tree could not effectively identify the three Demodex species, largely due to the differentiation in the D. canis isolates. It can be concluded that the individual Demodex mite gDNA can satisfy the molecular study of Demodex. 18S rDNA complete sequence is suitable for interfamily identification in Cheyletoidea, but whether it is suitable for intrafamily identification cannot be confirmed until the ascertainment of the types of Demodex mites parasitizing in dogs. PMID:22414329 Zhao, Ya-E; Xu, Ji-Ru; Hu, Li; Wu, Li-Ping; Wang, Zheng-Hang The coconut mite (CM), Aceria guerreronis Keifer, has spread to most coconut production areas worldwide and it has been considered one of the most notorious and important pests of coconut fruits in many countries. Although CM has been reported to damage coconuts for over 40 years in the Americas and Africa it continues to cause considerable losses in countries of these continents, and in the last 15 years it has also reached countries from southeast Asia-India and Sri Lanka. Several other countries of southeast Asia are also major coconut producers and the impact by the mite in currently affected areas suggests that the dispersion of CM to these major producers could lead to very heavy losses. Great advances about our knowledge on CM and its control have been achieved, especially in the last decade, after its introduction into Asia. However, much remains to be known to allow the design of efficient strategies to it. This paper brings together information on CM invasive history, distribution, hosts, morphology, biology, dispersal, colonization process, population dynamics, symptoms and injury, estimated losses, sampling techniques, control strategies and new perspectives for its control. PMID:23192330 Navia, Denise; Gondim, Manoel Guedes Correa; Aratchige, Nayanie S; de Moraes, Gilberto José Although odour-mediated interactions among plants, spider mites and predatory mites have been extensively studied above-ground, belowground studies are in their infancy. In this paper, we investigate whether feeding by rust mites (Aceria tulipae) cause tulip bulbs to produce odours that attract predatory mites (Neoseiulus cucumeris). Since our aim was to demonstrate such odours and not their relevance under soil conditions, the experiments were carried out using a classic Y-tube olfactometer in which the predators moved on a Y-shaped wire in open air. We found that food-deprived female predators can discriminate between odours from infested bulbs and odours from uninfested bulbs or artificially wounded bulbs. No significant difference in attractiveness to predators was found between clean bulbs and bulbs either wounded 30 min or 3 h before the experiment. These results indicate that it may not be simply the wounding of the bulbs, but rather the feeding by rust mites, which causes the bulb to release odours that attract N. cucumeris. Since bulbs are belowground plant structures, the olfactometer results demonstrate the potential for odour-mediated interactions in the soil. However, their importance in the actual soil medium remains to be demonstrated. PMID:15285135 Aratchige, N S; Lesna, I; Sabelis, M W Miniature inverted–repeat transposable elements (MITEs) are predicted to play important roles on genome evolution. We developed a BLASTN-based approach for de novo identification of MITEs and systematically analyzed MITEs in rice genome. The genome of rice cultivar Nipponbare (Oryza sativa ssp. japonica) harbors 178,533 MITE-related sequences classified into 338 families. Pairwise nucleotide diversity and phylogenetic tree analysis indicated that individual MITE families were resulted from one or multiple rounds of amplification bursts. The timing of amplification burst varied considerably between different MITE families or subfamilies. MITEs are associated with 23,623 (58.2%) genes in rice genome. At least 7,887 MITEs are transcribed and more than 3,463 were transcribed with rice genes. The MITE sequences transcribed with rice coding genes form 1,130 pairs of potential natural sense/antisense transcripts. MITEs generate 23.5% (183,837 of 781,885) of all small RNAs identified from rice. Some MITE families generated small RNAs mainly from the terminals, while other families generated small RNAs predominantly from the central region. More than half (51.8%) of the MITE-derived small RNAs were generated exclusively by MITEs located away from genes. Genome-wide analysis showed that genes associated with MITEs have significantly lower expression than genes away from MITEs. Approximately 14.8% of loci with full-length MITEs have presence/absence polymorphism between rice cultivars 93-11 (O. sativa ssp. indica) and Nipponbare. Considering that different sets of genes may be regulated by MITE-derived small RNAs in different genotypes, MITEs provide considerable diversity for O. sativa. Lu, Chen; Chen, Jiongjiong; Zhang, Yu; Hu, Qun; Su, Wenqing; Kuang, Hanhui Antibiotic and nonpreference mechanisms are related in cucumber through the action of the bi gene and the absence of cucurbitacins. Cucurbitacins attract cucumber beetles and cause feeding whereas they have an antibiotic effect on two-spotted mites. PMID:17839822 Da Costa, C P; Jones, C M Antibiotic and nonpreference mechanisms are related in cucumber through the action of the bi gene and the absence of cucurbitacins. Cucurbitacins attract cucumber beetles and cause feeding whereas they have an antibiotic effect on two-spotted mites. Cyro P. da Costa; Charles M. Jones Psoroptes ovis [Hering] mites and sucking lice (Linognathus vituli Linnaeus) were eliminated from light to heavily infested calves with a single subcutaneous injection of nifluridide in five separate experiments. The compound was incorporated in a copolymer vehicle in a sesame oil suspension. In the first two experiments, mites were eliminated within 10 days following a 20 mg kg-1 injection. Eight out of 9 calves were cleared of mites within 7 days post injection of nifluridide at 4, 6 and 9 mg kg-1 in the third experiment. At the end of the 65 day trial, no live mites were isolated from any of the treated animals. In the last two experiments nifluridide eliminated sucking lice populations at all dosage levels. Complete control of the biting lice (Bovicola bovis) was not obtained. No toxic signs were observed in treated calves. PMID:6891855 Boisvenue, R J; Clymer, B C A breeding colony consisting of 250 different strains of mice was treated with the topical acaricide selamectin for the mouse fur mite Myocoptes musculinus, with no apparent ill effect, suggesting that this drug is safe for use in mice. To further evaluate their efficacy in treating Myocoptes spp., we compared selamectin with another acaricide, moxidectin, in a controlled manner. Infested mice were treated with selamectin or moxidectin at the time of cage change, and a subset of mice was retreated 10 d later. Mice underwent routine cellophane tape examination of the pelage for 1 y. Although no adult mites were found in any group at 1 mo after treatment, egg casings were found in the selamectin treatment group as late as 6 mo after treatment, prompting concern about its effectiveness. Moxidectin used in combination with cage changing was effective in eradicating mites, with mice negative for traces of mites on cellophane tape examination of the pelage from months 2 through 12 after treatment. Mook, Deborah M; Benjamin, Kimberly A Objective To determine whether patients with asthma who are sensitive to mites benefit from measures designed to reduce their exposure to house dust mite antigen in the home. Design Meta-analysis of randomised trials that investigated the effects on asthma patients of chemical or physical measures to control mites, or both, in comparison with an untreated control group. All trials in any language were eligible for inclusion. Subjects Patients with bronchial asthma as diagnosed by a doctor and sensitisation to mites as determined by skin prick testing, bronchial provocation testing, or serum assays for specific IgE antibodies. Main outcome measures Number of patients whose allergic symptoms improved, improvement in asthma symptoms, improvement in peak expiratory flow rate. Outcomes measured on different scales were combined using the standardised effect size method (the difference in effect was divided by the standard deviation of the measurements). Results 23 studies were included in the meta-analysis; 6 studies used chemical methods to reduce exposure to mites, 13 used physical methods, and 4 used a combination. Altogether, 41/113 patients exposed to treatment interventions improved compared with 38/117 in the control groups (odds ratio 1.20, 95% confidence interval 0.66 to 2.18). The standardised mean difference for improvement in asthma symptoms was ?0.06 (95% confidence interval ?0.54 to 0.41). For peak flow rate measured in the morning the standardised mean difference was ?0.03 (?0.25 to 0.19). As measured in the original units this difference between the treatment and the control group corresponds to ?3?l/min (95% confidence interval ?25?l/min to 19?l/min). The results were similar in the subgroups of trials that reported successful reduction in exposure to mites or had long follow up times. Conclusion Current chemical and physical methods aimed at reducing exposure to allergens from house dust mites seem to be ineffective and cannot be recommended as prophylactic treatment for asthma patients sensitive to mites. Key messagesCurrent chemical and physical methods aimed at reducing exposure to allergens from house dust mites seem to be ineffective; these methods cannot be recommended as prophylactic treatment for asthma patients who are sensitive to mitesIt is unlikely that a worthwhile effect has been overlooked in this meta-analysis since the confidence interval for the peak expiratory flow rate was quite narrowFuture studies should be much larger and more rigorous than those in this meta-analysis and should evaluate other methods of mite control than those used to date G?tzsche, Peter C; Hammarquist, Cecilia; Burr, Michael Among palm oil millers, the ripeness of oil palm Fresh Fruit Bunch (FFB) is determined through visual inspection. To increase the productivity of the millers, many researchers have proposed with a new detection method to replace the conventional one. The sensitivity of such a sensor plays a crucial role in determining the effectiveness of the method. In our preliminary study a novel oil palm fruit sensor to detect the maturity of oil palm fruit bunches is proposed. The design of the proposed air coil sensor based on an inductive sensor is further investigated to improve its sensitivity. This paper investigates the results pertaining to the effects of the air coil structure of an oil palm fruit sensor, taking consideration of the used copper wire diameter ranging from 0.10 mm to 0.18 mm with 60 turns. The flat-type shape of air coil was used on twenty samples of fruitlets from two categories, namely ripe and unripe. Samples are tested with frequencies ranging from 20 Hz to 120 MHz. The sensitivity of the sensor between air to fruitlet samples increases as the coil diameter increases. As for the sensitivity differences between ripe and unripe samples, the 5 mm air coil length with the 0.12 mm coil diameter provides the highest percentage difference between samples and it is amongst the highest deviation value between samples. The result from this study is important to improve the sensitivity of the inductive oil palm fruit sensor mainly with regards to the design of the air coil structure. The efficiency of the sensor to determine the maturity of the oil palm FFB and the ripening process of the fruitlet could further be enhanced. PMID:24496313 Misron, Norhisam; Harun, Noor Hasmiza; Lee, Yeoh Kian; Sidek, Roslina Mohd; Aris, Ishak; Wakiwaka, Hiroyuki; Tashiro, Kunihisa Wheat-Haynaldia villosa (L.) Schur, hybrid lines were tested as potential sources of resistance to colonization by the wheat curl mite, the vector of wheat streak mosaic virus. Two lines, Add 6V-1 and Sub 6V-1, were found to be mite-resistant. Fluorescence in situ hybridization using total genomic DNA, from H. villosa in the presence of unlabelled wheat DNA, confirmed that Add Q. Chen; R. L. Conner; A. Laroche The two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae is a damaging pest worldwide with a wide range of host plants and an extreme record of pesticide resistance. Recently, the complete T. urticae genome has been published and showed a proliferation of gene families associated with digestion and detoxification of plant secondary compounds which supports its polyphagous behaviour. To overcome spider mite adaptability a gene pyramiding approach has been developed by co-expressing two barley proteases inhibitors, the cystatin Icy6 and the trypsin inhibitor Itr1 genes in Arabidopsis plants by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The presence and expression of both transgenes was studied by conventional and quantitative real time RT-PCR assays and by indirect ELISA assays. The inhibitory activity of cystatin and trypsin inhibitor was in vitro analysed using specific substrates. Single and double transformants were used to assess the effects of spider mite infestation. Double transformed lines showed the lowest damaged leaf area in comparison to single transformants and non-transformed controls and different accumulation of H2O2 as defence response in the leaf feeding site, detected by diaminobenzidine staining. Additionally, an impact on endogenous mite cathepsin B- and L-like activities was observed after feeding on Arabidopsis lines, which correlates with a significant increase in the mortality of mites fed on transformed plants. These effects were analysed in view of the expression levels of the target mite protease genes, C1A cysteine peptidase and S1 serine peptidase, identified in the four developmental mite stages (embryo, larvae, nymphs and adults) performed using the RNA-seq information available at the BOGAS T. urticae database. The potential of pyramiding different classes of plant protease inhibitors to prevent plant damage caused by mites as a new tool to prevent pest resistance and to improve pest control is discussed. Santamaria, Maria Estrella; Cambra, Ines; Martinez, Manuel; Pozancos, Clara; Gonzalez-Melendi, Pablo; Grbic, Vojislava; Castanera, Pedro; Ortego, Felix; Diaz, Isabel The dust mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus is a major cause of allergic disease in the Western world. Der p 1 is considered to be the most immunodominant allergen involved in the expression of IgE-mediated dust-mite hypersensitivity. Here, Farouk Shakib and colleagues suggest that it is the proteolytic effect of Der p 1 on CD23 and CD25 which makes it such a Farouk Shakib; Oliver Schulz; Herb Sewell Binomial sampling based on the proportion of samples infested was investigated for estimating mean densities of citrus rust mite, Phyllocoptruta oleivora (Ashmead), and Aculops pelekassi (Keifer) (Acari: Eriophyidae), on oranges, Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck. Data for the investigation were obtained by counting the number of motile mites within 600 sample units (each unit a 1-cm2 surface area per fruit) across a 4-ha block of trees (32 blocks total): five areas per 4 ha, five trees per area, 12 fruit per tree, and two samples per fruit. A significant (r2 = 0.89), linear relationship was found between ln(-ln(1 -Po)) and ln(mean), where P0 is the proportion of samples with more than zero mites. The fitted binomial parameters adequately described a validation data set from a sampling plan consisting of 192 samples. Projections indicated the fitted parameters would apply to sampling plans with as few as 48 samples, but reducing sample size resulted in an increase of bootstrap estimates falling outside expected confidence limits. Although mite count data fit the binomial model, confidence limits for mean arithmetic predictions increased dramatically as proportion of samples infested increased. Binomial sampling using a tally threshold of 0 therefore has less value when proportions of samples infested are large. Increasing the tally threshold to two mites marginally improved estimates at larger densities. Overall, binomial sampling for a general estimate of mite densities seemed to be a viable alternative to absolute counts of mites per sample for a grower using a low management threshold such as two or three mites per sample. PMID:17370833 Hall, David G; Childers, Carl C; Eger, Joseph E In a study of 279 United Kingdom bakery workers a high prevalence of immunological response to storage mites was found. To determine whether this was the consequence of exposure to storage mites in bakery work, a population of salt packing workers was examined as a comparison group not at occupational risk of exposure to storage mites. Forty two per cent of both groups were atopic (had a positive skin prick response greater than negative controls to D pteronyssinus, grass pollen, or cat fur by 2 mm or more) and 33% had an immediate skin prick test response to at least one of four storage mites (L destructor, G domesticus, T putrescentiae, A Siro). A higher percentage of the salt packing workers than the bakery workers had a positive radioallergosorbent test (RAST) (greater than or equal to 0.35 PRU) to D pteronyssinus and to the four storage mites. Logistic regression analysis identified atopy as the most significant variable for a positive skin test and RAST response to storage mites in both groups of workers. RAST inhibition was used to analyse extracted area and personal air samples. Analysis of static area samples for aeroallergen showed immunological identity with flour but L destructor was found in only one of seven exposed filters. The concentration of airborne flour was related to exposure rank of perceived dustiness and gravimetric measurement of total dust. Nineteen out of 32 filters from workers in jobs with higher dust exposure (rank >/=6) had a level of > 10 microgram/m(3) flour whereas this concentrations was exceeded in only one of 23 filters from workers in low dust exposure (< rank 6). It is concluded that storage mites are not of special significance in allergic responses in bakery workers. The development of immunological (and airway) responsiveness to inhaled flour dust is increased in those exposed to higher concentrations of airborne allergen, which appears to be predominantly flour and not storage mites. PMID:1515350 Tee, R D; Gordon, D J; Gordon, S; Crook, B; Nunn, A J; Musk, A W; Venables, K M; Taylor, A J . Old carpets may be reservoirs of dust, lead (Pb), and dust mite allergen. The purpose of this study was to determine if\\u000a the dust, Pb, dust mite allergen, bacteria, and fungi on the surface of carpets could be reduced by 90% in 1 week with the\\u000a use of a Hoover Self Propelled Vacuum with Embedded Dirt Finder (HSPF). A J. W. Roberts; W. S. Clifford; G. Glass; P. G. Hummer This study provides the first quantitative analysis of the littoral and supralittoral insect and mite assemblages of sub-Antarctic\\u000a Marion Island. Seventeen mite species (126,203 individuals) from 11 families were found on the shore at Macaroni Bay. Three\\u000a families dominated the assemblages in both abundance and diversity: the Hyadesiidae, Ameronothridae and Halacaridae. Six insect\\u000a species from three orders were found on R. D. Mercer; S. L. Chown; D. J. Marshall The specific composition of gamasid mites from three species of voles (Microtus arvalis Pall., M. agrestis L., M. oeconomus Pall.) is given. Forest, field and flood-land groupings of the common vole having distinct phenotypical differences are characterized by differences in the structure of their parasite fauna. In the forest the number of meadow and meadow-field species decreases while that of forest species of mites regularly increases. PMID:2942832 Borisova, V I; Nazarova, I V Eriophyoid big bud mites are key pests of hazelnut throughout the world, but they are difficult to control with chemicals\\u000a or other methods because they are protected inside the bud. The most effective time for control is during the relatively short\\u000a emergence period which is difficult for growers to predict. The key objectives of this study were to monitor mite Janette Webber; R. Bruce Chapman; S. P. Worner This study reports on the detection of additional expressed sequence tags (EST) derived simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers for the oil palm. A large collection of 19243 Elaeis guineensis ESTs were assembled to give 10258 unique sequences, of which 629 ESTs were found to contain 722 SSRs with a variety of motifs. Dinucleotide repeats formed the largest group (45.6%) consisting of 66.9% AG/CT, 21.9% AT/AT, 10.9% AC/GT and 0.3% CG/CG motifs. This was followed by trinucleotide repeats, which is the second most abundant repeat types (34.5%) consisting of AAG/CTT (23.3%), AGG/CCT (13.7%), CCG/CGG (11.2%), AAT/ATT (10.8%), AGC/GCT (10.0%), ACT/AGT (8.8%), ACG/CGT (7.6%), ACC/GGT (7.2%), AAC/GTT (3.6%) and AGT/ACT (3.6%) motifs. Primer pairs were designed for 405 unique EST-SSRs and 15 of these were used to genotype 105 E. guineensis and 30 E. oleifera accessions. Fourteen SSRs were polymorphic in at least one germplasm revealing a total of 101 alleles. The high percentage (78.0%) of alleles found to be specific for either E. guineensis or E. oleifera has increased the power for discriminating the two species. The estimates of genetic differentiation detected by EST-SSRs were compared to those reported previously. The transferability across palm taxa to two Cocos nucifera and six exotic palms is also presented. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products of three primer-pairs detected in E. guineensis, E. oleifera, C. nucifera and Jessinia bataua were cloned and sequenced. Sequence alignments showed mutations within the SSR site and the flanking regions. Phenetic analysis based on the sequence data revealed that C. nucifera is closer to oil palm compared to J. bataua; consistent with the taxanomic classification. PMID:20861564 Ting, Ngoot-Chin; Zaki, Noorhariza Mohd; Rosli, Rozana; Low, Eng-Ti Leslie; Ithnin, Maizura; Cheah, Suan-Choo; Tan, Soon-Guan; Singh, Rajinder Adsorption of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) onto activated carbons derived from oil palm shell, an abundant solid waste from palm oil processing mills, by thermal or chemical activation method was investigated in this paper. Dynamic adsorption in a fixed bed configuration showed that the palm-shell activated carbons prepared by chemical activation (KOH or H2SO4 impregnation) performed better than the palm-shell activated Jia Guo; Ye Luo; Aik Chong Lua; Ru-an Chi; Yan-lin Chen; Xiu-ting Bao; Shou-xin Xiang Background, aim, and scope Globally, 45 million metric tonnes of palm oil has been produced in 2009. The production of 1 t crude palm oil requires 5 t\\u000a of fresh fruit bunches (FFB). On average, processing of 1 t FFB in palm oil mills generates 230 kg empty fruit bunches (EFB)\\u000a and 650 kg palm oil mill effluent (POME) as residues. These residues cause considerable environmental Heinz Stichnothe; Frank Schuchardt The Amazonian peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) has been grown for heart-of-palm production under subtropical conditions. As we did not see any substantial study\\u000a on its photosynthesis under Amazonian or subtropical conditions, we carried out an investigation on the diurnal and seasonal\\u000a variations in photosynthesis of peach palms until the first heart-of-palm harvest, considering their relationship with key\\u000a environmental factors. M. L. S. Tucci; N. M. Erismann; E. C. Machado; R. V. Ribeiro The silk produced by the group-living mite Tetranychus urticae provides group protection and is used as an informative material during habitat settlement, egg laying, mating, and dispersal events. In this context, cues contained in the silk and other materials produced by mites [eggs, black faeces (BF) and white faeces + silk (WFS)] were investigated. Chemical compounds were extracted by hexane or methanol, and choice tests were used to determine the individual attractiveness of each extract. For both solvents, individuals did not respond to the extract from eggs and WFS. BF extracts were attractive for both solvents. After separating the BF methanol extract into four different chemical components using thin layer chromatography, no component was determined to be responsible for mite attraction. This work supports the evidence that the faeces of T. urticae do contain substances that promote behavioural changes. Not particular chemical compounds but combinations of them seem to induce the mites' preference. Moreover, the response of mites to chemicals seemed to be context dependent as mites belonging to populations with different densities differed in their attraction to BF extracts. PMID:24535123 Clotuche, Gwendoline; Yano, Shuichi; Akino, Toshiharu; Amano, Hiroshi Background Some studies reported the possible induction of food allergy, caused by neo-sensitization to cross-reacting allergens, during immunotherapy with aeroallergens, while other studies ruled out such possibility. Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the development of neo-sensitization to Pen a 1 (tropomyosin) as well as the appearance of reactions after ingestion of foods containing tropomyosin as a consequence of sublingual mite immunization. Materials and methods Specific IgE to Tropomyosin (rPen a 1) before and after mite sublingual immunotherapy in 134 subjects were measured. IgE-specific antibodies for mite extract and recombinant allergen Pen a 1 were evaluated using the immunoenzymatic CAP system (Phadia Diagnostics, Milan, Italy). Results All patients had rPen a 1 IgE negative results before and after mite SLIT and did not show positive shrimp extract skin reactivity and serological rPen a 1 IgE conversion after treatment. More important, no patient showed systemic reactions to crustacean ingestion. Conclusions Patients did not show neo-sensitization to tropomyosin, a component of the extract (namely mite group 10) administered. An assessment of a patient's possible pre-existing sensitisation to tropomyosin by skin test and/or specific IgE prior to start mite extract immunotherapy is recommended. Trial Registration This trial is registered in EudraCT, with the ID number of 2010-02035531. Kampimodromus aberrans is an effective predatory mite in fruit orchards. The side-effects of insecticides on this species have been little studied. Field and laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of insecticides on K. aberrans. Field experiments showed the detrimental effects of etofenprox, tau-fluvalinate and spinosad on predatory mites. Spider mite (Panonychus ulmi) populations reached higher densities on plots treated with etofenprox and tau-fluvalinate than in the other treatments. Single or multiple applications of neonicotinoids caused no detrimental effects on predatory mites. In the laboratory, spinosad and tau-fluvalinate caused 100 % mortality. Etofenprox caused a significant mortality and reduced fecundity. The remaining insecticides did not affect female survival except for imidacloprid. Thiamethoxam, clothianidin, thiacloprid, chlorpyrifos, lufenuron and methoxyfenozide were associated with a significant reduction in fecundity. No effect on fecundity was found for indoxacarb or acetamiprid. Escape rate of K. aberrans in laboratory was relatively high for etofenprox and spinosad, and to a lesser extent thiacloprid. The use of etofenprox, tau-fluvalinate and spinosad was detrimental for K. aberrans and the first two insecticides induced spider mite population increases. The remaining insecticides caused no negative effects on predatory mites in field trials. Some of them (reduced fecundity and repellence) should be considered with caution in integrated pest management programs. PMID:24114337 Duso, Carlo; Ahmad, Shakeel; Tirello, Paola; Pozzebon, Alberto; Klaric, Virna; Baldessari, Mario; Malagnini, Valeria; Angeli, Gino The mite Psoroptes ovis is the causative agent of sheep scab. Although not usually fatal, the disease can spread rapidly and is a serious animal welfare concern. Vaccine development against ectoparasites has primarily focussed on two sources of candidate vaccine antigens – “exposed” antigens that are secreted in saliva during feeding on a host and “concealed” antigens that are usually expressed in the parasite gut and may be involved in digestion. Here, we sought to identify genes encoding proteins important for mite feeding and digestion by a subtractive suppressive hybridisation approach comparing mRNA transcript abundance in “fed” and “starved” mites. The study identified a variety of genes which are up-regulated by feeding mites. These included group 1, 5, 7 and 13 allergens including the previously described cysteine protease Pso o 1. In addition, numerous novel genes were identified here including some encoding potential salivary gland proteins and others encoding proteins which may facilitate feeding such as a serum opacity factor. An olfactory receptor-like protein was identified in the starved mite population which may help the mite to identify a host. McNair, Carol M.; Billingsley, Peter F.; Nisbet, Alasdair J.; Knox, Dave P. The mite Psoroptes ovis is the causative agent of sheep scab. Although not usually fatal, the disease can spread rapidly and is a serious animal welfare concern. Vaccine development against ectoparasites has primarily focussed on two sources of candidate vaccine antigens - "exposed" antigens that are secreted in saliva during feeding on a host and "concealed" antigens that are usually expressed in the parasite gut and may be involved in digestion. Here, we sought to identify genes encoding proteins important for mite feeding and digestion by a subtractive suppressive hybridisation approach comparing mRNA transcript abundance in "fed" and "starved" mites. The study identified a variety of genes which are up-regulated by feeding mites. These included group 1, 5, 7 and 13 allergens including the previously described cysteine protease Pso o 1. In addition, numerous novel genes were identified here including some encoding potential salivary gland proteins and others encoding proteins which may facilitate feeding such as a serum opacity factor. An olfactory receptor-like protein was identified in the starved mite population which may help the mite to identify a host. PMID:19852923 McNair, Carol M; Billingsley, Peter F; Nisbet, Alasdair J; Knox, Dave P Rodents housed in microisolation caging are commonly monitored for infectious agents by the use of soiled bedding sentinels. This strategy relies on the successful transmission of rodent pathogens from the index rodents via soiled bedding to sentinel cages and the subsequent infection or colonization of sentinel rodents. When the prevalence of a pathogen is low or the target agent is not readily transmitted by soiled bedding, alternative testing methodologies should be used. Given the continued prevalence of institutions self-reporting murine fur mites and with the advent of a new sensitive and specific PCR assay for mites, we sought to determine whether the exhaust system of an individual ventilated caging (IVC) system could be used for monitoring the rack's rodent population for mites rather than relying on the responses of sentinels. We deployed single cages of mice (Mus musculus) that were known to be infested with either Radfordia affinis or Myobia musculi on a 70-cage rack, sampled the horizontal exhaust manifolds weekly, and used the new PCR assay to test these samples for mite DNA. We detected the presence of fur mites at a 94.1% probability of detection within 4 wk of placement. Therefore, we recommend swabbing and testing the shelf exhaust manifolds of IVC racks rather than relying on soiled-bedding sentinels as an indicator of the mite status of the rodents on that rack. Jensen, Eric S; Allen, Kenneth P; Henderson, Kenneth S; Szabo, Aniko; Thulin, Joseph D The pH of the guts of mites strongly affects their digestive processes. This study was carried out to determine the pH in the guts of 12 species of stored product and house dust mites. Eighteen pH indicators were chosen and offered to the mites in the feeding biotest. Based on the color changes of the indicators, the gut contents of acaridid mites were determined to be within a pH range of 4 to neutral. The gut contents showed a gradient in pH from the anterior to the posterior part. The anterior midgut (ventriculus and caeca) of most species had a pH ranging from 4.5 to 5, or slightly more alkaline for most of the species, while the middle midgut (intercolon/colon) had a pH of 5 to 6. Finally, the pH of the posterior midgut (postcolon) was between 5.5 and 7. Except for Dermatophagoides spp., no remarkable differences in the pH of the gut were observed among the tested species. Dermatophagoides spp. had a more acidic anterior midgut (a pH of 4 to 5) and colon (a pH of 5) with postcolon (a pH of below 6). The results characterizing in vivo conditions in the mite gut offer useful information to study the activity of mite digestive enzymes including their inhibitors and gut microflora. Erban, Tomas; Hubert, Jan Various applications of active ingredients of six fungicides and three insecticides and acaricides at normally recommended dosages were tested on two predatory mite species (Amblyseius andersoni Chant and Anthoseius bakeri Garman) from the family Phytoseiidae and on two predatory insect species (Coccinella septempunctata L. Chrysopa perla L.) dominantly present on apple trees. Small differences were found between fungicide treatments. On the trees treated with six fungicide applications the predatory mites and insects survived and increased to a high level, often 20-40 phytoseiids per 100 leaves and 4-8 predatory insects per sample unit. Only the active ingredients tolylfluanid and myclobutanil resulted in lower densities of predatory mites (10-20 phytoseiids per 100 leaves). One application of insecticides-acaricides (active ingredients: clofentezine, phosalone) showed no toxic effect on predatory mites and insects. Two applications of phosalone and one of alpha-cypermethrine were slightly or moderately toxic. Two applications of alpha-cypermethrine and eight routine sprays of various insecticides-acaricides and fungicides were very toxic and resulted in the lowest maximum number of predatory mites and insects, approximately 0-10 phytoseiids per 100 leaves and 1-4 predatory insects per sample unit. The toxicity of pesticides to predatory mites and insects is based on the toxicity of the pesticide' active ingredient and the spray frequency. The active ingredients of fungicides and only one or two applications of insecticides and acaricides were not or slightly toxic and could be used in integrated pest management. PMID:15269898 Raudonis, L; Surviliene, E; Valiuskaite, A Soy beans dangerous pests are mites and thrips, that is why the present paper aims at the examination of the changes in their numbers and dominance relations of some varieties of different maturity groups. The small plot experiments were conducted in Kisalföld region with the following soybean varieties: early ripening Bólyi 38, Evans, McCall, middle ripening Bólyi 45 and late ripening Eszter, Zsuzsanna and Borza, in Mosonmagyaróvár. Mites and thrips were collected every week with Berlese-extractor. It was observed that Tetranychus urticae Koch, the dominant mite species on soybean, developed its peak-numbers at the end of August. The number of mites was 20 % higher on the late ripening varieties, than on the early ripening ones. Predatory mites (Typhlodromus pyri Scheuten, Amblyseius andersoni Chant) and thrips (Scolothrips longicornis Priesner, Aeolothrips intermedius Bagnall) could not reduce the number of Tetranychus urticae due to their low density. Among the thrips Thrips tabaci Lindeman was the main pest of the soybean leaves, but Frankliniella intonsa Trybom was dominant in the flowers. The blooming of the soybean primarily influences the dynamics of phytophagous thrips. The peak-number of pests reached the highest rate a week later and more thrips were counted on the late varieties as well. Early ripening soybean varieties are recommended to be grown in the Kisalföld region since they are less affected by mites and thrips. PMID:15149112 Abrahám, R; Kuroli, G A total of 9,281 larval chigger mites were collected from small mammals captured at Hwaseong-gun, Gyeonggi-do (Province) (2,754 mites from 30 small mammals), Asan city, Chungcheongnam-do (3,358 mites from 48 mammals), and Jangseong-gun, Jeollanam-do (3,169 for 62 mammals) from April-November 2009 in the Republic of Korea (= Korea) and were identified to species. Leptotrombidium pallidum was the predominant species in Hwaseong (95.8%) and Asan (61.2%), while Leptotrombidium scutellare was the predominant species collected from Jangseong (80.1%). Overall, larval chigger mite indices decreased from April (27.3) to June (4.9), then increased in September (95.2) and to a high level in November (169.3). These data suggest that L. pallidum and L. scutellare are the primary vectors of scrub typhus throughout their range in Korea. While other species of larval chigger mites were also collected with some implications in the transmission of Orientia tsutsugamushi, they only accounted for 11.2% of all larval chigger mites collected from small mammals. PMID:24850971 Lee, In-Yong; Song, Hyeon-Je; Choi, Yeon-Joo; Shin, Sun-Hye; Choi, Min-Kyung; Kwon, So-Hyun; Shin, E-Hyun; Park, Chan; Kim, Heung-Chul; Klein, Terry A; Park, Kyung-Hee; Jang, Won-Jong A total of 9,281 larval chigger mites were collected from small mammals captured at Hwaseong-gun, Gyeonggi-do (Province) (2,754 mites from 30 small mammals), Asan city, Chungcheongnam-do (3,358 mites from 48 mammals), and Jangseong-gun, Jeollanam-do (3,169 for 62 mammals) from April-November 2009 in the Republic of Korea (= Korea) and were identified to species. Leptotrombidium pallidum was the predominant species in Hwaseong (95.8%) and Asan (61.2%), while Leptotrombidium scutellare was the predominant species collected from Jangseong (80.1%). Overall, larval chigger mite indices decreased from April (27.3) to June (4.9), then increased in September (95.2) and to a high level in November (169.3). These data suggest that L. pallidum and L. scutellare are the primary vectors of scrub typhus throughout their range in Korea. While other species of larval chigger mites were also collected with some implications in the transmission of Orientia tsutsugamushi, they only accounted for 11.2% of all larval chigger mites collected from small mammals. Lee, In-Yong; Song, Hyeon-Je; Choi, Yeon-Joo; Shin, Sun-Hye; Choi, Min-Kyung; Kwon, So-Hyun; Shin, E-Hyun; Park, Chan; Kim, Heung-Chul; Klein, Terry A.; Park, Kyung-Hee Because water mites are tightly linked to other stream metazoans through parasitism and predation, they are potentially effective indicators of environmental quality. Meiofauna (80 ?m to 1 mm) were sampled from headwater riffles of 11 Ozark streams to determine relative abundance and densities of major meiofauna taxa. Water mites comprised 15.3% of the organisms collected exceeded only by chironomids (50.2%) and oligochaetes (17.8%), and mean water mite density among the 11 streams was 265 organisms per liter. The two streams that differed the most in environmental quality were sampled using techniques suitable for identification of species. An estimated 32 species from 20 genera and 13 families were found in the least disturbed stream; an estimated 19 species from 13 genera and 8 families were found in the most disturbed stream. This preliminary finding supports the notion that water mite species richness declines in response to environmental disturbance. Many species could only be identified as morphospecies of particular genera, but the ongoing taxonomic revision of Hydrachnida is expected to provide needed information. A collaborative effort between those interested in taxonomy/systematics of water mites and ecologists interested in the significance of water mites in aquatic communities could prove mutually beneficial. Radwell, A. J.; Brown, A. V. Scabies continues to be an important parasitic disease of mammals. There remain, however, major gaps in the understanding of the human host immune response, and a simple diagnostic test is lacking. In contrast to human mites, red fox mites (Sarcoptes scabiei var. vulpis) can be collected easily and have been used, due to crossreactivity, for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) studies in dogs and pigs. We wanted to investigate the possibility that crossreactivity might also exist for the human mite, and determined titers against fox mite antigens by ELISA in 41 patients with scabies. Specific IgG was significantly higher in patients with scabies than in healthy controls (P=0.01). The sensitivity was, however, only 48%, although it increased slightly during treatment (P=0.86). A positive correlation was also noted between disease duration and severity of infestation (r=0.5), with specific IgG titers increasing in parallel with severity of symptoms (P=0.01). Patients with symptomatic scabies for more than 4 weeks had furthermore significantly higher IgG titers than patients with a shorter duration of disease (P=0.007). In conclusion, these findings demonstrate IgG antibodies in human scabies that crossreact with fox mite antigens, thus encouraging the search for improved ELISAs with more specific mite antigens to produce a more sensitive detection system for scabies in humans. PMID:15650895 Haas, N; Wagemann, B; Hermes, B; Henz, B M; Heile, C; Schein, E Rosacea is a common dermatological condition that predominantly affects the central regions of the face. Rosacea affects up to 3?% of the world's population and a number of subtypes are recognized. Rosacea can be treated with a variety of antibiotics (e.g. tetracycline or metronidazole) yet no role for bacteria or microbes in its aetiology has been conclusively established. The density of Demodex mites in the skin of rosacea patients is higher than in controls, suggesting a possible role for these mites in the induction of this condition. In addition, Bacillus oleronius, known to be sensitive to the antibiotics used to treat rosacea, has been isolated from a Demodex mite from a patient with papulopustular rosacea and a potential role for this bacterium in the induction of rosacea has been proposed. Staphylococcus epidermidis has been isolated predominantly from the pustules of rosacea patients but not from unaffected skin and may be transported around the face by Demodex mites. These findings raise the possibility that rosacea is fundamentally a bacterial disease resulting from the over-proliferation of Demodex mites living in skin damaged as a result of adverse weathering, age or the production of sebum with an altered fatty acid content. This review surveys the literature relating to the role of Demodex mites and their associated bacteria in the induction and persistence of rosacea and highlights possible therapeutic options. PMID:22933353 Jarmuda, Stanislaw; O'Reilly, Niamh; Zaba, Ryszard; Jakubowicz, Oliwia; Szkaradkiewicz, Andrzej; Kavanagh, Kevin The pH of the guts of mites strongly affects their digestive processes. This study was carried out to determine the pH in the guts of 12 species of stored product and house dust mites. Eighteen pH indicators were chosen and offered to the mites in the feeding biotest. Based on the color changes of the indicators, the gut contents of acaridid mites were determined to be within a pH range of 4 to neutral. The gut contents showed a gradient in pH from the anterior to the posterior part. The anterior midgut (ventriculus and caeca) of most species had a pH ranging from 4.5 to 5, or slightly more alkaline for most of the species, while the middle midgut (intercolon/colon) had a pH of 5 to 6. Finally, the pH of the posterior midgut (postcolon) was between 5.5 and 7. Except for Dermatophagoides spp., no remarkable differences in the pH of the gut were observed among the tested species. Dermatophagoides spp. had a more acidic anterior midgut (a pH of 4 to 5) and colon (a pH of 5) with postcolon (a pH of below 6). The results characterizing in vivo conditions in the mite gut offer useful information to study the activity of mite digestive enzymes including their inhibitors and gut microflora. PMID:20572792 Erban, Tomas; Hubert, Jan A thorough review of the literature has identified the key factors and interactions that affect the growth of mite pests on stored grain commodities. Although many factors influence mite growth, the change and combinations of the physical conditions (temperature, relative humidity and/or moisture content) during the storage period are likely to have the greatest impact, with biological factors (e.g. predators and commodity) playing an important role. There is limited information on the effects of climate change, light, species interactions, local density dependant factors, spread of mycotoxins and action thresholds for mites. A greater understanding of these factors may identify alternative control techniques. The ability to predict mite population dynamics over a range of environmental conditions, both physical and biological, is essential in providing an early warning of mite infestations, advising when appropriate control measures are required and for evaluating control measures. This information may provide a useful aid in predicting and preventing mite population development as part of a risk based decision support system. PMID:22270112 Collins, D A We investigated the rapid cold hardening (RCH) response in the predatory mite Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor) (Acari: Phytoseiidae). On direct exposure, ?2 % of adult females survived -10 °C for 2 h. However, when acclimatized first at 5 °C for 1 h, 75 % of females survived. RCH could also be induced by acclimatization at 30 °C for 2 h or anoxia (oxygen-free nitrogen) for 1-2 h. All immature stages showed enhanced survival when acclimatized at 5 °C for 2 h before exposure to -10 °C. Acclimatization at 30 °C induced RCH only in eggs and deutonymphs, and anoxia was effective for eggs, larvae, and deutonymphs. The variability among immature stages may be attributed to the cost associated with the acclimatization treatments. Our findings suggest that RCH may promote the survival of N. californicus during unexpected changes in temperatures, and can be an important feature particularly when this natural enemy is introduced to non-native environments. PMID:24682616 Ghazy, Noureldin Abuelfadl; Amano, Hiroshi Abstract Nine eriophyoid mites, including two new species and five new records, from Iran are described and illustrated. They are Aceria acroptiloni Shevchenko & Kacalev, 1974, rec. n. on Rhaponticum repens (L.) Hidalgo (Asteraceae); Aceria anthocoptes (Nalepa, 1892), rec. n. on Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. (Asteraceae); Aceria lactucae (Canestrini, 1893), rec. n. on Lactuca virosa L. (Asteraceae); Aceria pulicaris sp. n. on Pulicaria gnaphalodes (Vent.) Boiss. (Asteraceae); Aceria tosichella Keifer, 1969 on Setaria viridis (L.) Beauv. (Poaceae); Eriophyes rotundae Mohanasundaram, 1983 on Cyperus rotundus L. (Cyperaceae); Aculops maroccensis Keifer, 1972, rec. n. on Mentha piperita L. (Lamiaceae); Aculus medicager sp. n. on Medicago sativa L. (Leguminosae); Tetra lycopersici Xue & Hong, 2005, rec. n. on Solanum nigrum L. (Solanaceae). Xue, Xiao-Feng; Sadeghi, Hussein; Hong, Xiao-Yue; Sinaie, Samira Little is known about the relationships between fossil oribatid mite assemblages in lake and mire sediments and the composition,\\u000a abundance, and richness of their living communities. Because oribatid mites are a relatively new area of palaeolimnological\\u000a study, there is a great lack of knowledge about the taphonomic processes that might affect fossil mite assemblages. The DOORMAT\\u000a (Direct Observation Of Recent Arguitxu de la Riva-Caballero; H. John B. Birks; Anne E. Bjune; Hilary H. Birks; Torstein Solhřy Control of the house dust mite allergen has received considerable attention owing to its importance in some allergic diseases.\\u000a One aspect of dust mites and their allergen-carrying faecal particles that has not been reported on, which may have allergen\\u000a control applications, is the electrostatic charge they carry in the natural environment. To promote tribo-electric charging,\\u000a household dust containing dust mite P. T. Gaynor; J. F. Hughes The results of a 5-year study on the relationships between spider mites and their predators in vineyards in Northern Italy\\u000a are reported. The efficacy of the two predatory mites appeared to be strongly affected by various factors (grape variety,\\u000a presence of macropredators, climatic condition, interspecific competition, phytoseiid strain).\\u000a \\u000a The phytoseiid mitesAmblyseius aberrans (Oud.) andTyphlodromus pyri Scheuten were released at three C. Duso; C. Pasqualetto In spring a population of the citrus red mite (Panonychus citri),a non-diapausing species, migrated to a Japanese pear orchard,\\u000a mainly from nearby Japanese holly trees, but in autumn most of the mites starved to death while the rest returned to the holly\\u000a trees. In the Japanese holly trees, the population of mites reached their maximum density in late May1993 and Tetsuo Gotoh; Mitsuhiro Kubota The insect juvenile-hormone analogue fenoxycarb (ethyl [2-(phenoxyphenoxy) ethyl] carbamate) has been shown to stimulate egg production in the flour miteAcarus siro L. Incorporation of fenoxycarb into mite food at 10 mg kg-1 and 100 mg kg-1 increased egg production by 43% and 99%, respectively. In addition, total mite populations were significantly higher in fenoxycarb-treated media than in controls. These results B. B. Thind; J. P. Edwards Demodex mites have been reported in the past as a cause of facial rash in immunosuppressed patients. Here, we report an interesting case of possible demodicosis associated with rhinocerebral mucormycosis. The association of mites with a fungus was detected on direct microscopic examination of the scrapings of a nasal ulcer. The mite and the fungus were identified as Demodex folliculorum and Apophysomyces elegans species complex, respectively. PMID:23475907 Hallur, Vinaykumar; Singh, Gagandeep; Rudramurthy, Shivaprakash M; Kapoor, Rakesh; Chakrabarti, Arunaloke Rodents are the natural hosts for Leptotrombidium mites that transmit Orientia tsutsugamushi, the causative agent of scrub typhus, a potentially fatal febrile human disease. Utilizing mite lines that included O. tsutsugamushi infected and non-infected Leptotrombidium species we investigated the varied infection response of outbred mice (ICR) exposed to L. chiangraiensis (Lc), L. imphalum (Li) and L. deliense (Ld). Each of six mite lines (Lc1, Lc5, Li3, Li4, Li7 and Ld) was separately placed in the inner ears of ICR mice either as a single individual (individual feeding, IF) or as a group of 2-4 individuals (pool feeding, PF). The species of infected chigger feeding on mice significantly affected mortality rates of the mice, with mite lines of Lc causing higher mean (±SE) mortality (90.7 ± 3.6 %) than mite lines of Li (62.9 ± 5.6 %) or Ld (53.6 ± 5.8 %). Mouse responses which included time to death, food consumption and total mice weight change depended on mite species and their O. tsutsugamushi genotype, more than on feeding procedure (IF vs. PF) except for mite lines within the Lc. Infected mite lines of Lc were the most virulent infected mites assessed whereas the infected Ld species was the least virulent for the ICR. Mice killed by various mite lines showed enlarged spleens and produced ascites. The results of this investigation of the clinical responses of ICR mice to feeding by various infected mite lines indicated that the different species of infected mites and their O. tsutsugamushi genotype produced different clinical presentations in ICR mice, a scrub typhus mouse model which mimics the natural transmission of O. tsutsugamushi that is critical for understanding scrub typhus disease in terms of natural transmission, host-pathogen-vector interaction and vaccine development. PMID:22527840 Lurchachaiwong, Woradee; Monkanna, Taweesak; Leepitakrat, Surachai; Ponlawat, Alongkot; Sattabongkot, Jetsumon; Schuster, Anthony L; McCardle, Patrick W; Richards, Allen L The apple rust mite Aculus schlechtendali (Nal.) (Acari: Eriophyidae), is a main pest in apple-growing areas in Ankara, Turkey, and chemical control applications have\\u000a some limitations. Entomopathogenic fungi have a potential for biological control of mites. In this study, an entomopathogenic\\u000a fungus, Paecilomyces lilacinus (Thom) Samson (Deuteromycota: Hyphomycetes), was first isolated from the mite cadavers on Japanese crab apple leaves Fikret Demirci; Evsel Denizhan Two exotic phytoseiid mites, Neoseiulus cucumeris and Amblyseius swirskii, are commercially available in Japan for the control of thrips and other pest insects. As part of a risk assessment of the non-target effects of releasing these two species, we investigated intraguild predation (IGP) between these exotic phytoseiid mites and an indigenous phytoseiid mite Gynaeseius liturivorus, which is promising as an indigenous natural enemy for the control of thrips in Japan. To understand IGP relations between the exotic and indigenous phytoseiid mites after use of the exotic mites for biological control, we investigated IGP between them in the absence of their shared prey. When an IG prey was offered to an IG predator, both exotic and indigenous females consumed the IG prey at all immature stages (egg, larva, protonymph, deutonymph), especially at its larval stages. The propensity for IGP in a no-choice test was measured by the survival time of IG prey corrected using the survival time of thrips offered to the IG predator. There was no significant difference in the propensity for IGP between N. cucumeris and G. liturivorus, but the propensity was significantly higher in A. swirskii than G. liturivorus. The propensity for IGP in a choice test was measured by the prey choice of the IG predator when a conspecific and a heterospecific larva were offered simultaneously as IG prey. Both exotic females consumed the heterospecific larva only. The indigenous female preferentially consumed the heterospecific larva when the heterospecific larva was N. cucumeris, but consumed the conspecific larva when the heterospecific larva was A. swirskii. We concluded that further investigation would be necessary for the exotic mites' risk assessment, since the propensity for IGP of the two exotic females was similar to or higher than that of the indigenous female in both the no-choice and choice tests. PMID:21465332 Sato, Yukie; Mochizuki, Atsushi The American house dust mite, Dermatophagoidesfarinae Hughes, and European house dust mite, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus Trouessart, are major pests of medical importance throughout the developed world, causing atopic diseases such as asthma, rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis. Previous studies in our laboratory have shown that the behavioral responses of house dust mites toward volatiles from food sources could be assessed using a Y-tube olfactometer assay. The current study used this Y-tube assay to investigate house dust mite pheromones. A hexane extract of D.farinae, along with fractions of the extract prepared by microscale liquid chromatography over Florisil, were tested for behavioral activity. One of the chromatographic fractions was shown to be significantly attractive (P < 0.05) for D. farinae, compared with a solvent control. Coupled gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of this behaviorally active fraction indicated that neryl or geranyl formate was the major component. Peak enhancement by gas chromatography, using authentic samples of the neryl and geranyl isomers prepared in high purity by chemical synthesis, confirmed the identity of the major peak as neryl formate. In Y-tube assays, male and female D. farinae and D. pteronyssinus both were significantly attracted to synthetic neryl formate at doses of 100 and 10 ng, respectively (P < 0.05). No significant differences were found for D. farinae and D. pteronyssinus when synthetic neryl formate and house dust mite extracts containing natural neryl formate were tested at the same level. Dynamic headspace collection of D. farinae and D. pteronyssinus colonies showed that neryl formate was released as a volatile organic compound by both species. Our study shows that neryl formate is an aggregation pheromone for D. farinae and D. pteronyssinus, and has the potential to be used as part of a novel lure-and-kill system for house dust mite control. PMID:20939374 Skelton, A C; Cameron, M M; Pickett, J A; Birkett, M A Glycidyl esters (GE) are process contaminants generated during the deodorisation step of edible oil refining. In particular, GE are found in high abundance in refined palm oil. Palm oil is unique in that it contains a high amount of diacylglycerols (DAG, 4–12%). In the present study, a series of model reactions mimicking palm oil deodorisation has been conducted with pure Frédéric Destaillats; Brian D. Craft; Mathieu Dubois; Kornél Nagy Oil palm is widely grown in Malaysia. Palm oil has attracted the attention of researchers to develop an ‘environmentally friendly’ and high quality fuel, free of nitrogen and sulfur. In the present study, the catalytic cracking of palm oil to biofuel was studied over REY catalyst in a transport riser reactor at atmospheric pressure. The effect of reaction temperature (400–500°C), Pramila Tamunaidu; Subhash Bhatia ? Abstract—The increased use of palm oil as feedstock for biodiesel production has been a focus of discussion due to several environmental problems. This paper presents a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of biodiesel from palm oil (PME). Alternative land use change (LUC) scenarios and fertilization types have been evaluated. A life-cycle inventory and modeling of palm plantation and oil extraction Erica G. Castanheira; Fausto M. Freire The effect of hydrogenated palm oil on lipid profiles and on activities of selected glutathione-dependent enzymes in rats was investigated. Male albino wistar rats were randomly divided into 2 groups, fed on fresh palm oil (control) and hydrogenated palm oil (HPO) supplemented (5% by weight) diets respectively for 10 weeks. Serum cholesterol, liver lipid peroxidation and daily excretion of triacyl Godwin C. Ojieh; Georginah O. Idokpesi; George O. Eidangbe; Kingsley Omage; Olarewaju M. Oluba Shortage of wood as a raw material has forced wood-based industries to find alternative local raw materials. Currently, oil palm biomass is undergoing research and development (R & D) and appears to be the most viable alternative. This work examines the conversion of oil palm trunk (OPT) and oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) into new plywood and analyses its H. P. S. Abdul Khalil; M. R. Nurul Fazita; A. H. Bhat; M. Jawaid; N. A. Nik Fuad The link between dietary fats and cardiovascular diseases has necessitateda growing research interest in palm oil, the second largest consumedvegetable oil in the world. Palm oil, obtained from a tropical plant, Elaeis guineensis contains 50% saturated fatty acids, yet it does notpromote atherosclerosis and arterial thrombosis. The saturated fatty acidto unsaturated fatty acid ratio of palm oil is close to D. O. Edem This work describes the modelling of a new supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) process for palm oil refining. The aim is to develop the new, intensified and simpler palm oil refining process that is based on SFE technology that can overcome the limitations of the existing technology for palm oil refining. Two steps approach were used. Firstly, the phase equilibrium behavior Z. A. Manan; C. S. Lim; N. S. Abd Rahman; S. R. Wan Alwi The palm oil mills are characterized by the availability of considerable amounts of by-products of high-energy value such as empty fruit bunches (EFB), fibers, shells and liquid effluents with high content of organics called palm oil mill effluent (POME). A palm oil mill produces residues equivalent to almost three times the amount of oil produced by biomass, showing a huge F. R. P. Arrieta; F. N. Teixeira; E. Yáńez; E. Lora; E. Castillo ...Docket No. 12-AWP-10] Amendment of Class D and Class E Airspace; Twentynine Palms...SUMMARY: This action amends Class D and Class E airspace at Twentynine Palms...Airport, Twentynine Palms, CA. The Class D airspace and Class E airspace... Sustainable management of water resources allocated to palm crops requires reliable tools for measuring palm water use. Thermometric sap flow methods developed for woody dicot plants hold great potential for use in palms, but there have been few investigations to determine whether such methods can be used successfully in ‘woody’ monocots. Here, we evaluate two sap flow methods for measuring Wasantha S. Madurapperuma; Timothy M. Bleby; Stephen S. O. Burgess Several species of the Raphia palm exists and are largely confined to tropical Africa, south of the Sahara, from sea level of about 2000m altitude. In Nigeria, it is found in the south-south geopolitical zone. It provides material for furniture, house construction, food, clothing, edible oil, and so on. Raphia palm is one of the most useful palms economically. The F. I. Obahiagbon Since 1971 there has been a revival of interest in the possibilities for cultivation of the true sago palm, Metroxylon spp. Agronomic and economic research shows that the palm can become an important starch producing crop. Many queries concerning the agronomy of the crop have been solved. The palm is especially suited to humid tropical lowlands. It is fairly salinity M. Flach; D. L. Schuiling Typically, Indonesian oil palm plantations rest on rolling topography. There is limited information on how topography affects soil fertility and oil palm yields. A study was conducted to evaluate these relationships in a commercial oil palm plantation located in South Sumatra, Indonesia. Two sites with differing past management history and fertility regimes were each partitioned into three topographic positions. At S. K. Balasundram; P. C. Robert; D. J. Mulla; D. L. Allan ...Lake Worth Inlet; West Palm Beach, FL AGENCY: Coast...Lake Worth Inlet, West Palm Beach, Florida, to provide...designated representative. DATES: This rule is effective...delay in the effective date of this rule would be...Lake Worth Inlet in West Palm Beach, Florida.... ...Class E Airspace in the West Palm Beach, FL area, as new Standard...SIAPs) have been developed at Palm Beach County Park Airport...operations within the West Palm Beach, FL airspace area. This...coordinates of the airport. DATES: Effective 0901 UTC,... Laboratory and field investigations were carried out to characterize the chemical communication system of the date palm fruit stalk borer, Oryctes elegans, and to develop pheromone-based trapping in Eastern Iran. Adults of both sexes feeding on date palm pieces attracted conspecifics, whereas date palm alone was minimally attractive. Males were twice as attractive as females. More beetles were captured at Didier Rochat; Kazem Mohammadpoor; Christian Malosse; Arman Avand-Faghih; Martine Lettere; Josiane Beauhaire; Jean-Paul Morin; Adeline Pezier; Michel Renou; Gholam Abbas Abdollahi Peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) is a relatively new food crop with great potential for the humid tropics. Native to tropical America, it is commercially grown to produce hearts-of-palm and, to a lesser extent, an edible fruit. Peach palm is well adapted to nutrient poor, acid soils, and is cultivated in Brazil and Costa Rica on highly weathered soils with J. Deenik; A. Ares; R. S. Yost Background Oil palm is the world's most productive oil-food crop despite yielding well below its theoretical maximum. This maximum could be approached with the introduction of elite F1 varieties. The development of such elite lines has thus far been prevented by difficulties in generating homozygous parental types for F1 generation. Results Here we present the first high-throughput screen to identify spontaneously-formed haploid (H) and doubled haploid (DH) palms. We secured over 1,000 Hs and one DH from genetically diverse material and derived further DH/mixoploid palms from Hs using colchicine. We demonstrated viability of pollen from H plants and expect to generate 100% homogeneous F1 seed from intercrosses between DH/mixoploids once they develop female inflorescences. Conclusions This study has generated genetically diverse H/DH palms from which parental clones can be selected in sufficient numbers to enable the commercial-scale breeding of F1 varieties. The anticipated step increase in productivity may help to relieve pressure to extend palm cultivation, and limit further expansion into biodiverse rainforest. Regioisomerism of triacylglycerols in lard, tallow, yolk, chicken skin, palm oil, palm olein, palm stearin, and a transesterified blend of palm stearin and coconut oil analyzed by tandem mass spectrometry. Triacylglycerols (TAG) of lard, tallow, egg yolk, chicken skin, palm oil, palm olein, palm stearin, and a transesterified blend of palm stearin and coconut oil (82:18) were investigated by chemical ionization and collision-induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry. Accurate molecular level information of the regioisomeric structures of individual TAGs was achieved. When existing in a TAG molecule of lard, palmitic acid occupied 90-100% of the sn-2 position. Within the major fatty acid combinations in tallow TAGs, the secondary position sn-2 was preferentially occupied in the decreasing order by oleoyl > palmitoyl > stearoyl residues, the order in saturated TAGs being myristoyl > stearoyl = palmitoyl. TAGs in egg yolk were more asymmetric than in chicken skin, with linoleic acid highly specifically attached in the yolk sn-2 carbon. Nearly 50% of yolk TAGs contained 52 carbon atoms with two or three double bonds. Linoleic, oleic, and palmitic acids were in the sn-2 location in decreasing quantities in palm oil and its fractions. Triacylglycerols of equal molecular weight behaved similarly in the fractionation process. Randomization of the parent oil TAGs was seen in the transesterified oil. The tandem mass spectrometric analysis applied provided detailed information of the distribution of fatty acids in individual combinations in TAGs. PMID:11453776 Kallio, H; Yli-Jokipii, K; Kurvinen, J P; Sjövall, O; Tahvonen, R Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who have native exposure to a sign language such as American Sign Language (ASL) have received almost no scientific attention. This paper reports the first studies on a sample of five native-signing children (four deaf children of deaf parents and one hearing child of deaf parents; ages 4;6 to 7;5) diagnosed with ASD. A domain-general deficit in the ability of children with ASD to replicate the gestures of others is hypothesized to be a source of palm orientation reversal errors in sign. In Study 1, naturalistic language samples were collected from three native-signing children with ASD and were analyzed for errors in handshape, location, movement and palm orientation. In Study 2, four native-signing children with ASD were compared to 12 typically developing deaf children (ages 3;7 to 6;9, all born to deaf parents) on a fingerspelling task. In both studies children with ASD showed a tendency to reverse palm orientation on signs specified for inward/outward orientation. Typically developing deaf children did not produce any such errors in palm orientation. We conclude that this kind of palm reversal has a perceptual rather than a motoric source, and is further evidence of a "self-other mapping" deficit in ASD. PMID:22981637 Shield, Aaron; Meier, Richard P Biometrics is defined as identifying people by their physiological characteristic, such as iris pattern, fingerprint, and face, or by some aspects of their behavior, such as voice, signature, and gesture. Considerable attention has been drawn on these issues during the last several decades. And many biometric systems for commercial applications have been successfully developed. Recently, the vein pattern biometric becomes increasingly attractive for its uniqueness, stability, and noninvasiveness. A vein pattern is the physical distribution structure of the blood vessels underneath a person's skin. The palm vein pattern is very ganglion and it shows a huge number of vessels. The attitude of the palm vein vessels stays in the same location for the whole life and its pattern is definitely unique. In our work, the matching filter method is proposed for the palm vein image enhancement. New palm vein features extraction methods, global feature extracted based on wavelet coefficients and locality preserving projections (WLPP), and local feature based on local binary pattern variance and locality preserving projections (LBPV_LPP) have been proposed. Finally, the nearest neighbour matching method has been proposed that verified the test palm vein images. The experimental result shows that the EER to the proposed method is 0.1378%. Bu, Wei; Wu, Xiangqian; Zhao, Qiushi Background The lack of genomic data available for mites limits our understanding of their biology. Evolving high-throughput sequencing technologies promise to deliver rapid advances in this area, however, estimates of genome size are initially required to ensure sufficient coverage. Methods Quantitative real-time PCR was used to estimate the genome sizes of the burrowing ectoparasitic mite Sarcoptes scabiei, the non-burrowing ectoparasitic mite Psoroptes ovis, and the free-living house dust mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus. Additionally, the chromosome number of S. scabiei was determined by chromosomal spreads of embryonic cells derived from single eggs. Results S. scabiei cells were shown to contain 17 or 18 small (< 2 ?M) chromosomes, suggesting an XO sex-determination mechanism. The average estimated genome sizes of S. scabiei and P. ovis were 96 (± 7) Mb and 86 (± 2) Mb respectively, among the smallest arthropod genomes reported to date. The D. pteronyssinus genome was estimated to be larger than its parasitic counterparts, at 151 Mb in female mites and 218 Mb in male mites. Conclusions This data provides a starting point for understanding the genetic organisation and evolution of these astigmatid mites, informing future sequencing projects. A comparitive genomic approach including these three closely related mites is likely to reveal key insights on mite biology, parasitic adaptations and immune evasion. The response of the predatory mite Amblyseius longispinosus (Acari: Phytoseiidae) to the webnest of the spider mite Schizotetranychus nanjingensis (Acari: Tetranychidae) was examined using two-choice tests in the laboratory. A. longispinosus females were found significantly more often on leaves with webnests than on leaves without webnests and were often observed searching under the webbing. Because spider mites and their eggs were removed from the webnests before experiments, predators responded to stimuli associated with webbing, mite feeding damage and other residues in the webnests. PMID:11108388 Zhang, Y X; Ji, J; Zhang, Z Q; Lin, J Z Waste palm dates were subjected to analysis for composition and enzymatic hydrolysis of their flesh fibers. The fruit contained 32% glucose and 30% fructose, while the water-insoluble fibers of its flesh consisted of 49.9% lignin and 20.9% polysaccharides. Water-insoluble fibers were settled to 55% of its initial volume in 12 h. The presence of skin and flesh colloidal fibers results in high viscosity and clogging problems during industrial processes. The settling velocity of the fibers was improved by enzymatic hydrolysis. Hydrolysis resulted in 84.3% conversion of the cellulosic part of the fibers as well as reducing the settling time to 10 minutes and the final settled volume to 4% of the initial volume. It implies easier separation of the fibers and facilitates fermentation processes in the corresponding industries. Two kinds of high- and low-lignin fibers were identified from the water-insoluble fibers. The high-lignin fibers (75% lignin) settled easily, while the low-lignin fibers (41.4% lignin) formed a slurry suspension which settled very slowly. The hydrophilicity of these low-lignin fibers is the major challenge of the industrial processes. PMID:21151438 Shafiei, Marzieh; Karimi, Keikhosro; Taherzadeh, Mohammad J Waste palm dates were subjected to analysis for composition and enzymatic hydrolysis of their flesh fibers. The fruit contained 32% glucose and 30% fructose, while the water-insoluble fibers of its flesh consisted of 49.9% lignin and 20.9% polysaccharides. Water-insoluble fibers were settled to 55% of its initial volume in 12 h. The presence of skin and flesh colloidal fibers results in high viscosity and clogging problems during industrial processes. The settling velocity of the fibers was improved by enzymatic hydrolysis. Hydrolysis resulted in 84.3% conversion of the cellulosic part of the fibers as well as reducing the settling time to 10 minutes and the final settled volume to 4% of the initial volume. It implies easier separation of the fibers and facilitates fermentation processes in the corresponding industries. Two kinds of high- and low-lignin fibers were identified from the water-insoluble fibers. The high-lignin fibers (75% lignin) settled easily, while the low-lignin fibers (41.4% lignin) formed a slurry suspension which settled very slowly. The hydrophilicity of these low-lignin fibers is the major challenge of the industrial processes. Shafiei, Marzieh; Karimi, Keikhosro; Taherzadeh, Mohammad J. A process of infecting the chaffinch nestlings Fringilla coelebs with three analgoid feather mites, Analges passerinus L., 1758, Monojoubertia microphylla (Robin, 1877), and Pteronyssoides striatus (Robin, 1977), commonly occurred on this bird species was investigated. 15 nests contained totally 65 nestlings, from 2 to 6 individuals in a brood, have been examined from the day of hatching till 11th day. Observations were held in the neighbourhood of the bird banding station "Rybachy" (Russia, Kaliningrad Province) in June of 1982. Number of mites on alive nestlings taken temporarily from their nest was counted by means of binocular lens under the magnification x12.5 and x25. The nestlings receive the mites from the chaffinch female during the night time, when the female sits together with the young birds and heats them. In the condition of this prolonged direct contact the mites migrate from the female onto the nestlings. As it was shown in our study of seasonal dynamics of mites on the chaffinch (Mironov, 2000), the chaffinch female only gives its mites to young generation and looses about three quarter of its mite micropopulation during the nesting period (June), hile in the chaffinch males the number of mites continues to increase during all summer. The infections with three feather mite species happen in the second part of the nestling's stay in the nest. The starting time of this process, its intensity, and sex and age structure of mite micropopulations on the nestlings just before their leaving the nest are different in the mite species examined. These peculiarities of feather mite species are determined by the biology of examined species, and first of all by their morphological characteristic and specialisation to different microhabitats, i.e. certain structural zones of plumage. Pteronyssoides striatus (Pteronyssidae) is rather typical mite specialised to feathers with vanes. In adult birds with completely developed plumage this species occupies the ventral surface of the big upper coverts of primary flight feathers. This species appears on the chaffinch nestlings in a significant number on 7th day. The mites occupy the basal parts of primary flight feathers represented in that moment by the rods only. They sit on practically open and smooth surface of this microhabitat, which is uncommon for them, because the vanes of the big upper coverts are not yet open and also represented by thin rods. During the period of the last 5 days (from 7 to 11th day) the mean number of mites per one nestling increases from 2.3 +/- 0.5 to 17.1 +/- 1.8 mites. Just before the day, when the nestling leave the nest, the tritonymphs absolutely predominate (82.4%) in the micropopulation of P. striatus. Analges passerinus (Analgidae) is specialised to live in the friable layer formed by numerous not-engaged thread barbles of the down feathers and basal parts of the body covert feathers. Mites have special hooks on legs used for hard attaching to the barbles and for fast moving in the friable layer of feathers. On the chaffinch nestlings, these mites appear usually on 8th day, when the rod-like body covert feathers begin to open on apices and form short brushes; however some individuals occur on the skin of nestlings even on 6th day. The mean number of mites per nestling on the 11th day reaches 16.5 +/- 1.4 individuals. The micropopulation of A. passerinus is represented on the nestlings mainly by the females (45.5%), tritonymphs (23.6%) and males (11.5%). Monojobertia microphylla (Proctophyllodidae) is a typical dweller of feathers with large vanes. Mites of this species commonly occupy the ventral surface of primary and secondary flight feathers and also respective big upper covert feathers of wings. M. microphylla appears on the nestlings in a significant number (7.1 +/- 1.2 mites) on 9th day, only when the primary flight feathers already have short vanes about 10 mm in length. In next three days the number of mites increases very fast and reaches on 11th day 60.3 +/- 5.7 mites per nestling. In the micropopulation of this specie Mironov, S V; Malyshev, L L Eriophyid mites have been considered to have a high potential for use as classical biological control agents of weeds. We reviewed known examples of the use of eriophyid mites to control weedy plants to learn how effective they have been. In the past 13 years, since Rosenthal's 1996 review, 13 species have undergone some degree of pre-release evaluation (Aceria genistae, A. lantanae, Aceria sp. [boneseed leaf buckle mite (BLBM)], A. salsolae, A. sobhiani, A. solstitialis, A. tamaricis, A. thalgi, A. thessalonicae, Cecidophyes rouhollahi, Floracarus perrepae, Leipothrix dipsacivagus and L. knautiae), but only four (A. genistae, Aceria sp. [BLBM], C. rouhollahi and F. perrepae) have been authorized for introduction. Prior to this, three species (Aceria chondrillae, A. malherbae and Aculus hyperici) were introduced and have become established. Although these three species impact the fitness of their host plant, it is not clear how much they have contributed to reduction of the population of the target weed. In some cases, natural enemies, resistant plant genotypes, and adverse abiotic conditions have reduced the ability of eriophyid mites to control target weed populations. Some eriophyid mites that are highly coevolved with their host plant may be poor prospects for biological control because of host plant resistance or tolerance of the plant to the mite. Susceptibility of eriophyids to predators and pathogens may also prevent them from achieving population densities necessary to reduce host plant populations. Short generation time, high intrinsic rate of increase and high mobility by aerial dispersal imply that eriophyids should have rapid rates of evolution. This raises concerns that eriophyids may be more likely to lose efficacy over time due to coevolution with the target weed or that they may be more likely to adapt to nontarget host plants compared to insects, which have a longer generation time and slower population growth rate. Critical areas for future research include life history, foraging and dispersal behavior, mechanisms controlling host plant specificity, and evolutionary stability of eriophyid mites. This knowledge is critical for designing and interpreting laboratory and field experiments to measure host plant specificity and potential impact on target and nontarget plants, which must be known before they can be approved for release. One of the more successful examples of an eriophyid mite controlling an invasive alien weed is Phyllocoptes fructiphilus, whose impact is primarily due to transmission of a virus pathogenic to the target, Rosa multiflora. Neither the mite nor the virus originated from the target weed, which suggests that using "novel enemies" may sometimes be an effective strategy for using eriophyid mites. PMID:19760101 Smith, L; de Lillo, E; Amrine, J W Fluxes by virtual disjunct eddy covariance were measured for the first time in South-East Asia in 2008 from an oil palm plantation. Malaysia and Indonesia account for more than 80% of world oil palm production. Our in situ findings suggest much higher isoprene emissions from oil palms than from rainforest, which is consistent with earlier lab-based predictions of emissions from oil palms (Wilkinson et al., 2006). 50% of global biogenic VOC emissions are estimated to derive from tropical rainforests (Guenther et al., 1995) although in fact a large portion of the emission may derive from oil palms in the tropics. Isoprene and monoterpenes are regarded as the most important biogenic VOCs for the atmospheric chemistry. Overall, maximum isoprene emissions from oil palms were recorded at 11:00 local time, with a mean value of 13 mg m-2 h-1. At the rainforest, the maximum fluxes of isoprene were observed later in the day, at about 13:00 with an average of 2.5 mg m-2 h-1. Initial flux results for total monoterpenes indicate that their mass emission ratio with respect to isoprene was about 1:9 at the rainforest and 1:18 at the oil palm plantation. The results are presented with reference to temperature, photosynthetic radiation and meteorological drivers as well as in comparison with CO2 and H2O fluxes. Empirical parameters in the Guenther algorithm for MEGAN (Guenther et al, 2006), which was originally designed for the Amazon region, have been optimised for this oil palm study. The emission factor obtained from eddy covariance measurements was 18.8 mg m-2 h-1, while the one obtained from leaf level studies at the site was 19.5 mg m-2 h-1. Isoprene fluxes from both Amazonia (Karl et al., 2007) and from rainforest in Borneo 2008 seem to be much lower than from oil palms. This can have consequences for atmospheric chemistry of land use change from rainforest to oil palm plantation, including formation of ozone, SOA and particles and indirect effects on the removal rate of greenhouse gases and pollutants by decreasing OH budgets. Global models predicting atmospheric changes and bottom-up estimates from the tropics must be constrained by direct measurements such as presented here, taking separate account of these major contributions from oil palm plantations and tropical rainforests. References: Guenther, A., C.N. Hewitt, D. Erickson, R. Fall, C. Geron, T.E. Graedel, P. Harley, L. Klinger, M. Lerdau, W.A. McKay, T. Pierce, B. Scholes, R. Steinbrecher, R. Tallamraju, J. Taylor and P. Zimmerman, 1995: A global model of natural volatile organic compound emissions. Journal of Geophysical Research 100, 8873-8892. Guenther, A., T. Karl, P. Harley, C. Wiedinmyer, P. I. Palmer, and C. Geron, 2006: Estimates of global terrestrial isoprene emissions using MEGAN (Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature). Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., 6, 107-173. Karl, T., A. Guenther, R. J. Yokelson, J. Greenberg, M. Potosnak, D. R. Blake, and P. Artaxo, 2007: The tropical forest and fire emissions experiment: Emission, chemistry, and transport of biogenic volatile organic compounds in the lower atmosphere over Amazonia. Journal of Geophysical Research 112, D18302. Wilkinson, M. J., S. M. Owen, M. Possell, J. Hartwell, P. Gould, A. Hall, C. Vickers, and C. N. Hewitt, 2006: Circadian control of isoprene emissions from oil palm (Elaeis guineensis). Plant Journal 47, 960-968. Misztal, P. K.; Cape, J. N.; Langford, B.; Nemitz, E.; Helfter, C.; Owen, S.; Heal, M. R.; Hewitt, C. N.; Fowler, D. Palm leaf manuscripts were one of the earliest forms of written media and were used in Southeast Asia to store early written knowledge about subjects such as medicine, Buddhist doctrine and astrology. Therefore, historical handwritten palm leaf manuscripts are important for people who like to learn about historical documents, because we can learn more experience from them. This paper presents an image segmentation of historical handwriting from palm leaf manuscripts. The process is composed of three steps: 1) background elimination to separate text and background by Otsu's algorithm 2) line segmentation and 3) character segmentation by histogram of image. The end result is the character's image. The results from this research may be applied to optical character recognition (OCR) in the future. Surinta, Olarik; Chamchong, Rapeeporn Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is a cultivated woody plant species with agricultural and economic importance. Here we report a genome assembly for an elite variety (Khalas), which is 605.4?Mb in size and covers >90% of the genome (~671?Mb) and >96% of its genes (~41,660 genes). Genomic sequence analysis demonstrates that P. dactylifera experienced a clear genome-wide duplication after either ancient whole genome duplications or massive segmental duplications. Genetic diversity analysis indicates that its stress resistance and sugar metabolism-related genes tend to be enriched in the chromosomal regions where the density of single-nucleotide polymorphisms is relatively low. Using transcriptomic data, we also illustrate the date palm’s unique sugar metabolism that underlies fruit development and ripening. Our large-scale genomic and transcriptomic data pave the way for further genomic studies not only on P. dactylifera but also other Arecaceae plants. Al-Mssallem, Ibrahim S.; Hu, Songnian; Zhang, Xiaowei; Lin, Qiang; Liu, Wanfei; Tan, Jun; Yu, Xiaoguang; Liu, Jiucheng; Pan, Linlin; Zhang, Tongwu; Yin, Yuxin; Xin, Chengqi; Wu, Hao; Zhang, Guangyu; Ba Abdullah, Mohammed M.; Huang, Dawei; Fang, Yongjun; Alnakhli, Yasser O.; Jia, Shangang; Yin, An; Alhuzimi, Eman M.; Alsaihati, Burair A.; Al-Owayyed, Saad A.; Zhao, Duojun; Zhang, Sun; Al-Otaibi, Noha A.; Sun, Gaoyuan; Majrashi, Majed A.; Li, Fusen; Tala; Wang, Jixiang; Yun, Quanzheng; Alnassar, Nafla A.; Wang, Lei; Yang, Meng; Al-Jelaify, Rasha F.; Liu, Kan; Gao, Shenghan; Chen, Kaifu; Alkhaldi, Samiyah R.; Liu, Guiming; Zhang, Meng; Guo, Haiyan; Yu, Jun The occurrence of a large number of fossil woods having resemblance in anatomical features with the modern palm genus, Phoenix L in Deccan Intertrappean fossil flora of Maastrichtian-Danian age (i. e. Late Cretaceous and Earliest Tertiary (65-67 my)) indicates the most primitive record of date palm. Present discovery of biocompounds from fossil wood of Phoenix collected from Deccan Intertrappean having affinity with the biocompounds known from modern plant further exemplify the earliest documentation of Phoenix in Indian peninsula. PMID:24966541 Sharma, Dinesh Chandra; Khan, Mohd Sajid; Khan, M Salman; Srivastava, Rashmi; Srivastava, Ashwini Kumar; Shukla, Ritu This paper presents a novel gender classification method based on geometry features of palm image which is simple, fast, and easy to handle. This gender classification method based on geometry features comprises two main attributes. The first one is feature extraction by image processing. The other one is classification system with polynomial smooth support vector machine (PSSVM). A total of 180 palm images were collected from 30 persons to verify the validity of the proposed gender classification approach and the results are satisfactory with classification rate over 85%. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed approach is feasible and effective in gender recognition. Wu, Ming; Yuan, Yubo The aim of the present study was to carry out comparative therapeutic effect of moxidectin pour on, doramectin and ivermectin on psoroptes infestation in buffalo. A total of 318 buffalo in 77 small scale herds suspected to have mange mites were examined clinically and parasitologically. Fifty-three (16.66%) buffalo in 25 herds were recorded to be infested; 51 (16.35%) with psoroptic mites, and two (0.31%) with chorioptic mites. Buffalo with psoroptic mites were randomly allocated into three groups (17 buffalo each). First group was treated with moxidectin pour on at a dose rate of 0.5 mg kg(-1). The second group received doramectin (200 microg kg(-1) twice subcutaneously, 14 days apart). The third group received ivermectin (200 microg kg(-1) twice subcutaneously, 14 days apart). Adjunct to each drug, deltamethrin was applied to the surrounding environment twice at a two week interval. Treatment outcomes of 51 buffalo with psoroptic mites showed that moxidectin pour on and doramectin had a significant higher effect on mite count reduction (MANOVA, P < 0.01; Walks' Lambda, P < 0.01) and clinical sum scores (MANOVA, P < 0.05; Walks' Lambda, P < 0.05) compared with injectible ivermectin. On clinical level, the number of clinically recovered buffalo in moxidectin and doramectin treated groups was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than that of ivermectin treated group. The result of the present study indicated that psoroptic mites are the main cause of mange in buffalo in Lower Egypt. This is the first report that describes the effect of moxidectin in buffalo. Moxidectin is a good alternative and easily applied drug for treatment of psoroptes infestation in buffalo. PMID:19347598 el-Khodery, Sabry A; Ishii, Mitsu; Osman, Salama A; Al-Gaabary, Magdy H Glandular trichomes on the leaves of wild tomato, L. hirsutum f. hirsutum Mull, also known as Solanum habrochaites (Solanaceae), synthesize and accumulate high levels of methyl ketones (MKs). L. hirsutum accession LA 407, having high concentration of MKs, was grown from seeds under greenhouse conditions. Four MKs (2-undecanone, 2-dodecanone, 2-tridecanone, and 2-pentadecanone) were screened for their toxicity to spider mites, Tetranychus urticae Koch and cowpea aphids, Aphis craccivora Koch. The objectives of this investigation were to: (1) develop a bioassay for testing MKs on spider mite and cowpea aphid mortality and (2) compare the efficacies of wild tomato leaf crude extracts and pure standard materials of MKs against spider mite and cowpea aphid mortality. Our results revealed that spider mites are most sensitive to 2-tridecanone (LC50 = 0.08 ?mole cm(-2) of treated leaf surface) and least sensitive to 2-undecanone (LC50 = 1.5 ?mole cm(-2) of treated leaf surface) 4 h after treatment. Similarly, 2-tridecanone caused greatest mortality (LC50 = 0.2 ?mole cm(-2) of treated leaf surface), whereas 2-undecanone caused the lowest morality (LC50 = 0.48 ?mole cm(-2) of treated surface) of cowpea aphid. We concluded that all MKs tested in this investigation are toxic to spider mites and aphids. 2-Tridecanone is more effective in killing mites and aphids compared to other MKs. Toxicity of crude extracts, prepared from the leaves of L. hirsutum accession LA 407, to spider mites and cowpea aphids revealed greater mortality compared to a combined mixture of MKs standard material (used at the same concentration as found on LA 407 leaves). This indicates that in addition to MKs, other unidentified compounds in LA 407 leaf extract also have pesticidal properties. Accordingly, leaf extracts of LA 407 could be explored in crop protection, and they might open a new area of MK formulations and discovery of biorational alternatives for pest control in agricultural fields. PMID:24813988 Antonious, George F; Kamminga, Katherine; Snyder, John C The study tested the effect of the chitin metabolic effectors, teflubenzuron, diflubenzuron, and calcofluor, and a combination of a chitinase and soybean trypsin inhibitor (STI) on the population growth of eight species of stored product mites under laboratory conditions. The compounds were incorporated into the diets of the mites in concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 50 mg g(-1). The final populations of mites were observed after 21 days of growth in controlled conditions. Diflubenzuron and calcofluor suppressed the growth of all the tested species more effectively than the other compounds. The doses required to suppress the mite populations to 50% (rc(50)) in comparison to the control ranged from 0.29 to 12.68 mg g(-1) for diflubenzuron and from 1.75 to 37.7 mg g(-1) for calcofluor, depending on the mite species. When tested at the highest concentration (10 mg g(-1)), teflubenzuron also suppressed all of the tested mite species in comparison to the control. The addition of chitinase/STI into the diet influenced population growth in several ways. When the highest concentration of chitinase in a cocktail of chitinase and STI (12.5 mg g(-1) of diet) was compared to the control, populations of Acarus siro, Aleuroglyphus ovatus and Aëroglyphus robustus decreased significantly, whereas populations of Tyroborus lini and Sancassania rodionovi increased significantly. The sensitivity of species to the tested compounds differed among species. The most tolerant species was S. rodionovi, the most sensitive was A. ovatus. The results confirmed that calcofluor and diflubenzuron have a toxic effect on stored product mites. PMID:20229097 Stara, Jitka; Erban, Tomas; Hubert, Jan Stored product mites commonly occur in agricultural work environments and sometimes in homes in significant numbers. They are a source of allergens that sensitize and induce allergic reactions. This may include atopic dermatitis. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if the common species of storage mites are the sources of molecules that influence the function of human dermal microvascular endothelial cells that regulate the trafficking of inflammatory and immune cells into the dermis during allergic reactions and other skin diseases. Human dermal microvascular endothelial cells were challenged with varying doses of extracts of the storage mites Acarus siro L., Chortoglyphus arcuatus (Troupeau), Lepidoglyphus destructor (Schrank), or Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank) and the secretion of cytokines and expression of adhesion molecules were measured. The role of endotoxin and protein in inducing these responses was evaluated. These stored product mite extracts induced secretion of interleukin-6, interleukin-8, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, and granulocyte/monocyte colony stimulating factor. Some of these effects were induced by protein present in the extracts, some were induced by endotoxin, and some were induced by other substances. C. arcuatus and T. putrescentiae extracts also down-regulated tumor necrosis factor a-induced vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 expression. Stored product mite extracts contain an assortment of molecules, including endotoxins and proteins, which modulate the expression of cell adhesion molecules and the secretion of cytokines by microvascular endothelial cells. These modulating properties varied among mite species indicating that each mite species has a unique set of molecules that is responsible for its activity. PMID:23270170 Elder, B Laurel; Morgan, Marjorie S; Arlian, Larry G The predatory mite Phytoseiulus macropilis is a potential biological control agent of the two-spotted spider mite (TSSM) Tetranychus urticae on strawberry plants. Its ability to control TSSM was recently assessed under laboratory conditions, but its ability to locate and control TSSM under greenhouse conditions has not been tested so far. We evaluated whether P. macropilis is able to control TSSM on strawberry plants and to locate strawberry plants infested with TSSM under greenhouse conditions. Additionally, we tested, in an olfactometer, whether odours play a role in prey-finding by P. macropilis. The predatory mite P. macropilis required about 20 days to achieve reduction of the TSSM population on strawberry plants initially infested with 100 TSSM females per plant. TSSM-infested plants attract an average of 27.5 +/- 1.0% of the predators recaptured per plant and uninfested plants attracted only 5.8 +/- 1.0% per plant. The predatory mites were able to suppress TSSM populations on a single strawberry plant and were able to use odours from TSSM-infested strawberry plants to locate prey in both olfactometer and arena experiments. Hence, it is concluded that P. macropilis can locate and reduce TSSM population on strawberry plants under greenhouse conditions. PMID:19016335 Oliveira, Hamilton; Fadini, Marcos Antonio Matiello; Venzon, Madelaine; Rezende, Daniela; Rezende, Fernanda; Pallini, Angelo The attack of phytophagous mites may induce plants to produce volatiles, which in turn may attract predators. The occurrence of multiple phytophagous infestations on plants may influence predator response. In this paper, we investigated whether the attraction of the predatory mite Phytoseiulus macropilis (Banks) to phytophagous-infested plants would change with the simultaneous presence of two tetranichid mites Oligonychus ilicis (McGregor) and Tetranychus urticae Koch. While the former species is rarely found on strawberry plants and is only occasionally found in association with P. macropilis, the latter is commonly found on strawberry plants and is frequently found in association with P. macropilis. Y-tube olfactometer test assays demonstrated that the predator preferred plants infested with T. urticae, avoided plants infested with O. ilicis, and had no preference for plants infested with both phytophagous mite species. These results indicated that the presence of a non-prey species (O. ilicis) on a given plant can alter the response of the predator to one of its prey (T. urticae). The consequences of the predatory behavior determined in this study on the predator ability to control T. urticae population on strawberry plants are discussed. PMID:20498963 Fadini, Marcos A M; Venzon, Madelaine; Oliveira, Hamilton; Pallini, Angelo; Vilela, Evaldo F Palm kernel oil, palm olein, crude palm oil and palm acid oil were used for the synthesis of poly\\u0009(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) [P(3HB-co-3HHx)] by a mutant strain of Wautersia eutropha (formerly Ralstonia eutropha) harboring the Aeromonas caviae polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) synthase gene. Palm kernel oil was an excellent carbon source for the production of cell biomass and P(3HB-co-3HHx). About 87% (w\\/w) of the Ching-Yee Loo; Wing-Hin Lee; Takeharu Tsuge; Yoshiharu Doi; Kumar Sudesh The oil palm sector is one of the major plantation industries in Malaysia. Palm kernel cake is a byproduct of extracted palm\\u000a kernel oil. Mostly palm kernel cake is wasted or is mixed with other nutrients and used as animal feed, especially for ruminant\\u000a animals. Recently, palm kernel cake has been identified as an important ingredient for the formulation of L. G. A. Ong; S. Abd-Aziz; S. Noraini; M. I. A. Karim; M. A. Hassan The acaricidal activity of the neem product MiteStop was investigated for its potential use as a botanical acaricide for the control of the poultry red mite Dermanyssus gallinae. This neem product is a special formulation of an extract of the seeds of the neem tree Azadirachta indica A. Juss. The efficacy was tested under laboratory conditions as well as in poultry houses. Four different methods of application were used in a filter paper bioassay to evaluate contact and vapour phase toxicity tests. The neem product proved to be already active in very small doses. In order to investigate the efficacy under field conditions, a poultry house was sprayed twice within a 7-day period using 1:33 and 1:50 diluted MiteStop. Cardboard traps were used to assess the mite population before, during and after the treatment. The mite population could be reduced by 89%. In a second poultry house, the spraying of defined areas with a 1:30, 1:33 or 1:50 dilution of the acaricide proved to be highly efficacious against all mite stages. Three other field trials proved that MiteStop is highly active against the red poultry mite. The most efficient dilution is 1:33 with tap water and spraying two or three times at intervals of 7 days. PMID:20424858 Locher, Nina; Al-Rasheid, Khaled A S; Abdel-Ghaffar, Fathy; Mehlhorn, Heinz Papular urticaria (PU) is a clinical entity where various stages of bite reactions occur simultaneously on an individual who has been exposed to biting arthro pods for prolonged periods. PU is usually inflicted by fleas and midges, but sometimes by biting mites. The mite Cheyletus malaccensis is a predator of domestic mites and is found occasionally in homes, where its Rediscovery of Meristaspis lateralis (Kolenati) (Acari: Mesostigmata: Spinturnicidae) parasitizing the Egyptian fruit bat, Rousettus aegyptiacus (Geoffroy) (Mammalia: Chiroptera), with a key to mites of bats in Egypt. Faunistic information about bat mites in Egypt is scarce. Collection records of parasitic mites, Meristaspis lateralis (Kolenati, 1856) (Mesostigmata: Spinturnicidae), are reported from the Egyptian fruit bat, Rousettus aegyptiacus (Geoffroy, 1810) (Mammalia: Chiroptera) in Assiut Governorate, Egypt. Seven species of bat mites are recognized from Egypt to date. A host-parasite checklist and an identification key to these species are presented. PMID:24961009 Negm, Mohamed W; Fakeer, Mahmoud M Background The resident skin microbiota plays an important role in restricting pathogenic bacteria, thereby protecting the host. Scabies mites (Sarcoptes scabiei) are thought to promote bacterial infections by breaching the skin barrier and excreting molecules that inhibit host innate immune responses. Epidemiological studies in humans confirm increased incidence of impetigo, generally caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes, secondary to the epidermal infestation with the parasitic mite. It is therefore possible that mite infestation could alter the healthy skin microbiota making way for the opportunistic pathogens. A longitudinal study to test this hypothesis in humans is near impossible due to ethical reasons. In a porcine model we generated scabies infestations closely resembling the disease manifestation in humans and investigated the scabies associated changes in the skin microbiota over the course of a mite infestation. Methodology/Principal Findings In a 21 week trial, skin scrapings were collected from pigs infected with S. scabies var. suis and scabies-free control animals. A total of 96 skin scrapings were collected before, during infection and after acaricide treatment, and analyzed by bacterial 16S rDNA tag-encoded FLX-titanium amplicon pyrosequencing. We found significant changes in the epidermal microbiota, in particular a dramatic increase in Staphylococcus correlating with the onset of mite infestation in animals challenged with scabies mites. This increase persisted beyond treatment from mite infection and healing of skin. Furthermore, the staphylococci population shifted from the commensal S. hominis on the healthy skin prior to scabies mite challenge to S. chromogenes, which is increasingly recognized as being pathogenic, coinciding with scabies infection in pigs. In contrast, all animals in the scabies-free cohort remained relatively free of Staphylococcus throughout the trial. Conclusions/Significance This is the first experimental in vivo evidence supporting previous assumptions that establishment of pathogens follow scabies infection. Our findings provide an explanation for a biologically important aspect of the disease pathogenesis. The methods developed from this pig trial will serve as a guide to analyze human clinical samples. Studies building on this will offer implications for development of novel intervention strategies against the mites and the secondary infections. Swe, Pearl M.; Zakrzewski, Martha; Kelly, Andrew; Krause, Lutz; Fischer, Katja Background Pruritic scabies lesions caused by Sarcoptes scabiei burrowing in the stratum corneum of human skin facilitate opportunistic bacterial infections. Emerging resistance to current therapeutics emphasizes the need to identify novel targets for protective intervention. We have characterized several protein families located in the mite gut as crucial factors for host-parasite interactions. Among these multiple proteins inhibit human complement, presumably to avoid complement-mediated damage of gut epithelial cells. Peritrophins are major components of the peritrophic matrix often found in the gut of arthropods. We hypothesized that a peritrophin, if abundant in the scabies mite gut, could be an activator of complement. Methodology/Principal Findings A novel full length scabies mite peritrophin (SsPTP1) was identified in a cDNA library from scabies mites. The amino acid sequence revealed four putative chitin binding domains (CBD). Recombinant expression of one CBD of the highly repetitive SsPTP1 sequence as TSP-hexaHis-fusion protein resulted in soluble protein, which demonstrated chitin binding activity in affinity chromatography assays. Antibodies against a recombinant SsPTP1 fragment were used to immunohistochemically localize native SsPTP1 in the mite gut and in fecal pellets within the upper epidermis, co-localizing with serum components such as host IgG and complement. Enzymatic deglycosylation confirmed strong N- and O-glycosylation of the native peritrophin. Serum incubation followed by immunoblotting with a monoclonal antibody against mannan binding lectin (MBL), the recognition molecule of the lectin pathway of human complement activation, indicated that MBL may specifically bind to glycosylated SsPTP1. Conclusions/Significance This study adds a new aspect to the accumulating evidence that complement plays a major role in scabies mite biology. It identifies a novel peritrophin localized in the mite gut as a potential target of the lectin pathway of the complement cascade. These initial findings indicate a novel role of scabies mite peritrophins in triggering a host innate immune response within the mite gut. Holt, Deborah C.; Kemp, Dave J.; Fischer, Katja Scabies is a parasitic infestation of the skin by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei that causes significant morbidity worldwide, in particular within socially disadvantaged populations. In order to identify mechanisms that enable the scabies mite to evade human immune defenses, we have studied molecules associated with proteolytic systems in the mite, including two novel scabies mite serine protease inhibitors (SMSs) of the serpin superfamily. Immunohistochemical studies revealed that within mite-infected human skin SMSB4 (54 kDa) and SMSB3 (47 kDa) were both localized in the mite gut and feces. Recombinant purified SMSB3 and SMSB4 did not inhibit mite serine and cysteine proteases, but did inhibit mammalian serine proteases, such as chymotrypsin, albeit inefficiently. Detailed functional analysis revealed that both serpins interfered with all three pathways of the human complement system at different stages of their activation. SMSB4 inhibited mostly the initial and progressing steps of the cascades, while SMSB3 showed the strongest effects at the C9 level in the terminal pathway. Additive effects of both serpins were shown at the C9 level in the lectin pathway. Both SMSs were able to interfere with complement factors without protease function. A range of binding assays showed direct binding between SMSB4 and seven complement proteins (C1, properdin, MBL, C4, C3, C6 and C8), while significant binding of SMSB3 occurred exclusively to complement factors without protease function (C4, C3, C8). Direct binding was observed between SMSB4 and the complement proteases C1s and C1r. However no complex formation was observed between either mite serpin and the complement serine proteases C1r, C1s, MASP-1, MASP-2 and MASP-3. No catalytic inhibition by either serpin was observed for any of these enzymes. In summary, the SMSs were acting at several levels mediating overall inhibition of the complement system and thus we propose that they may protect scabies mites from complement-mediated gut damage. Mika, Angela; Reynolds, Simone L.; Mohlin, Frida C.; Willis, Charlene; Swe, Pearl M.; Pickering, Darren A.; Halilovic, Vanja; Wijeyewickrema, Lakshmi C.; Pike, Robert N.; Blom, Anna M.; Kemp, David J.; Fischer, Katja Eriophyoid mites, which are among the smallest plant feeders, are characterized by the intimate relationships they have with their hosts and the restricted range of plants upon which they can reproduce. The knowledge of their true host ranges and mechanisms causing host specificity is fundamental to understanding mite-host interactions, potential mite-host coevolution, and diversity of this group, as well as to apply effective control strategies or to use them as effective biological control agents. The aim of this paper is to review current knowledge on host specificity and specialization in eriophyoid mites, and to point out knowledge gaps and doubts. Using available data on described species and recorded hosts we showed that: (1) 80% of eriophyoids have been reported on only one host species, 95% on one host genus, and 99% on one host family; (2) Diptilomiopidae has the highest proportion of monophagous species and Phytoptidae has the fewest; (3) non-monophagous eriophyoids show the tendency to infest closely related hosts; 4) vagrant eriophyoids have a higher proportion of monophagous species than refuge-seeking and refuge-inducing species; (5) the proportions of monophagous species infesting annual and perennial hosts are similar; however, many species infesting annual hosts have wider host ranges than those infesting perennial hosts; (6) the proportions of species that are monophagous infesting evergreen and deciduous plants are similar; (7) non-monophagous eriophyoid species have wider geographic distribution than monophagous species. Field and laboratory host-specificity tests for several eriophyoid species and their importance for biological control of weeds are described. Testing the actual host range of a given eriophyoid species, searching for ecological data, genetic differentiation analysis, and recognizing factors and mechanisms that contribute to host specificity of eriophyoid mites are suggested as future directions for research. PMID:19789985 Skoracka, Anna; Smith, Lincoln; Oldfield, George; Cristofaro, Massimo; Amrine, James W The side-effects of pesticides on predatory mites have been investigated at various levels and international teams (e.g., the IOBC/wprs Working Group "Pesticides and beneficial organisms") have selected a few species of predatory mites occurring in Central and Northern Europe as representative for such studies. Key biocontrol species occurring in Southern Europe have received much less attention. Kampimodromus aberrans is the most important predator of herbivorous mites in South-European vineyards treated with selective pesticides. The impact of pesticides on K. aberrans populations has been studied in field conditions whereas few toxicological tests have been conducted in the laboratory because of difficulties in rearing this species. A method for rearing K. aberrans in the laboratory has recently been set up allowing toxicological studies to be conducted. In this paper, a toxicological method to assess the effects of pesticides on K. aberrans is described and the effects of insecticides frequently used in European vineyards on two K. aberrans strains are reported. These strains were collected from vineyards treated with organophosphates. Insecticides characterized by different modes of action were selected for trials. Among these, etofenprox and spinosad were classified as harmful to predatory mites. Chlorpyrifos reduced predatory mite fecundity, and was classified as moderately harmful for both strains. The toxicity of thiamethoxam and flufenoxuron varied with the strain (low to moderate). Indoxacarb and methoxyfenozide appeared to be harmless or slightly harmful. Implications of this study for adopting IPM tactics with a reduced risk for K. aberrans are discussed. PMID:23856464 Tirello, Paola; Pozzebon, Alberto; Duso, Carlo Otodectes cynotis, ear mite or ear canker mite, is the most common cause of otitis external in cats (approximately 50%) and to a lesser extent in dogs, foxes and ferrets. The mite is living on the epidermal surface of auditory canal without burrowing into the tissue and feeding on tissue fluids and debris. In most of the cases they induce hypersensitivity reactions in the host. Four puppies; Siberian husky, Cocker spaniel, Terrier and mixed Pekignese with different genders and ages were referred to the Small Animal Hospital, Veterinary Faculty of Tehran University, Tehran, Iran for routine clinical examination just after they were imported from Thailand in a timeframe between June to August 2008. Clinical examinations showed an excessive dark brown discharge in both ears. No signs of other clinical situations were observed. White moving mites were seen during otoscopy examination, the specimen of ear discharge was sent to parasitology laboratory for precise identification of genus and species. Mites were identified as Otodectes cynotis and the presence of concurrent yeast and bacterial infection was showed by laboratory examinations. Topical Amitraz solution in combination with otic antibacterial and antifungal agents were administered as the treatment. Since, all the reported cases were imported from Thailand, careful clinical examination and quarantine strategies are highly recommended at the borders. Maazi, N; Jamshidi, Sh; Hadadzadeh, HR The effect of four avermectins on the population growth of pest mite Lepidoglyphus destructor was tested in laboratory experiments. The avermectins (abamectin, doramectin, emamectin-benzoate and ivermectin) of analytical purity were incorporated into an experimental diet at the same molar concentrations, ranging from 0.16 to 8 nmol/3 g of diet. Using an initial population of 50 mites, the population growth was recorded after 21 days at 85 % relative humidity and 25 °C; 12 repeats were performed per avermectin concentration and control. The diets containing the avermectins successfully suppressed the population growth of L. destructor. The EC(50) recalculated to ng of substance per g of diet showed different suppressive effects of the avermectins: doramectin (181 ng/g diet), abamectin (299 ng/g diet), emamectin-benzoate (812 ng/g diet) and ivermectin (992 ng/g diet). Of the tested avermectins, abamectin is registered for the control of phytophagous mites and ivermectin against parasitic mites, i.e., Psoroptes ovis. Although emamectin-benzoate and ivermectin were less effective on L. destructor, all of the tested avermectins are highly suitable compounds for the control of synanthropic mites. PMID:22527833 Erban, Tomas; Rybansky, Jakub; Hubert, Jan Selamectin, a novel avermectin compound, was evaluated for its efficacy against naturally occurring infestations of Psoroptes cuniculi and Sarcoptes scabiei. A total of 42 New Zealand rabbits with psoroptic mange and 37 Angora rabbits with sarcoptic mange were used in the present study. On day 0, infested rabbits were treated topically with either selamectin at minimum dose of 6 mg kg(-1) (6-18 mg kg(-1) for New Zealand rabbits, n = 31 and 10-12 mg kg(-1) for Angora rabbits, n = 23) or vehicle only (control groups, n = 11 for New Zealand rabbits, n = 14 for Angora rabbits). The efficacy of selamectin was assessed both clinically and parasitologically by the presence or absence of viable mites. Rabbits were scraped for sarcoptic mites on days 7, 14, 28, 42 and 56 and had otoscopeic and/or microscopic examination for the detection of Psoroptes mites on days 7, 14, 42 and 56. Fisher's exact test was used to assess differences between the vehicle and selamectin treatment in the number of rabbits without mites (cure rates) on each assessment date. It was found that significantly fewer selamectin-treated rabbits had mites detected on skin scrapings (for S. scabiei) or otoscopeic and/or microscopic examination (for P. cuniculi) (P < 0.01) than the vehicle group. Results of the present study suggest that selamectin is effective against naturally infestations of P. cuniculi and S. scabiei in rabbits. PMID:17222235 Kurtdede, Arif; Karaer, Zafer; Acar, Abuzer; Guzel, Murat; Cingi, C Cagri; Ural, Kerem; Ica, Anil Seventy similar bungalows constructed between 1968 and 1970 in the same suburban area of Stockholm were investigated regarding the content of house dust mite allergen, absolute indoor humidity, type of ventilation and basement construction. Houses with mechanical exhaust and supply ventilation had an indoor humidity above 7 g/kg less often than houses without this type of ventilation (Odds ratio 0.1, 95% confidence interval 0.0-0.2). Furthermore, only five of the 24 houses with exhaust and supply ventilation contained mattress dust mite allergen concentrations exceeding the median value (98.5 ng/g) compared with 30 of 46 hours which did not have such ventilation (odds ratio = 0.1, C.I. 0.0-0.5). Houses with both natural ventilation and crawl space basement harboured significantly less mattress mite allergen than houses having the same type of ventilation, but with a concrete slab basement. In a cold temperature climate, type of building construction and ventilation seem to be important for the occurrence of house dust mite allergens in dwellings. Our results indicate that modern energy-efficient houses should be equipped with mechanical exhaust and supply ventilation to reduce indoor air humidity during the dry winter months and the risk of mite infestation. PMID:8187025 Wickman, M; Emenius, G; Egmar, A C; Axelsson, G; Pershagen, G In more than 20% of the world population, sensitization to house dust mite allergens triggers typical allergic diseases such as allergic rhinitis and asthma. Amongst the 23 mite allergen groups hitherto identified, group 1 is cysteine proteases belonging to the papain-like family whereas groups 3, 6, and 9 are serine proteases displaying trypsin, chymotrypsin, and collagenolytic activities, respectively. While these proteases are more likely to be involved in the mite digestive system, they also play critical roles in the initiation and in the chronicity of the allergic response notably through the activation of innate immune pathways. All these allergenic proteases are expressed in mite as inactive precursor form. Until recently, the exact mechanisms of their maturation into active proteases remained to be fully elucidated. Recent breakthroughs in the understanding of the activation mechanisms of mite allergenic protease precursors have highlighted an uncommon and unique maturation pathway orchestrated by group 1 proteases that tightly regulates the proteolytic activities of groups 1, 3, 6, and 9 through complex intra- or inter-molecular mechanisms. This review presents and discusses the currently available knowledge of the activation mechanisms of group 1, 3, 6, and 9 allergens of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus laying special emphasis on their localization, regulation, and interconnection. Dumez, Marie-Eve; Herman, Julie; Campizi, Vincenzo; Galleni, Moreno; Jacquet, Alain; Chevigne, Andy Anatomical injury of the leaves of the invasive species, Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop., caused by the eriophyid mite Aceria anthocoptes (Nal.), which is the only eriophyid mite that has been recorded on C. arvense worldwide, is described. The injury induced by the mite feeding on the leaves of C. arvense results in visible russeting and bronzing of the leaves. Other conspicuous deformations are folding and distortion of the leaf blade and curling of leaf edge, as well as gradual drying of leaves. The anatomical injury of the mature leaves of field-collected plants was limited to the epidermis of the lower leaf surface. However, on young leaves of experimentally infested plants, rust mite injuries extend to epidermal cells on both leaf surfaces and to those of deeper mesophyll layers. On these leaves, lesions on the lower leaf surface even affected the phloem of the vascular bundles. Leaf damage induced by A. anthocoptes is discussed with regard to the mite's potential as a biological control agent of C. arvense. PMID:16612668 Rancic, Dragana; Stevanovic, Branka; Petanovi?, Radmila; Magud, Biljana; Tosevski, Ivo; Gassmann, André Objective To examine the acaricidal effects of the essential oil of Cymbopogon citratus leaf extract (lemongrass) and ethanolic Azadirachta indica leaf extract (neem) against house dust mites Dermatophagoides farinae (D. farinae) and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (D. pteronyssinus). Methods Twenty-five adults mites were placed onto treated filter paper that is soaked with plant extract and been tested at different concentrations (50.00%, 25.00%, 12.50%, 6.25% and 3.13%) and exposure times (24hrs, 48hrs, 72hrs and 96 hrs). All treatments were replicated 7 times, and the experiment repeated once. The topical and contact activities of the two herbs were investigated. Results Mortalities from lemongrass extract were higher than neem for both topical and contact activities. At 50 % concentration, both 24 hrs topical and contact exposures to lemongrass resulted in more than 91% mortalities for both species of mites. At the same concentration and exposure time, neem resulted in topical mortalities of 40.3% and 15.7% against D. pteronyssinus and D. farinae respectively; contact mortalities were 8.0% and 8.9% against the 2 mites, respectively. There was no difference in topical mortalities of D. pteronyssinus from exposure to concentrations of lemongrass and neem up to 12.50%; lemongrass was more effective than neem at the higher concentrations. Conclusions Generally, topical mortalities of D. farinae due to lemongrass are higher than that due to neem. Contact mortalities of lemongrass are always higher that neem against both species of mites. Hanifah, Azima Laili; Awang, Siti Hazar; Ming, Ho Tze; Abidin, Suhaili Zainal; Omar, Maizatul Hashima Stored product mites can often infest stored products, but currently there is little information regarding the efficacy of pesticides that can be used for control. In this study we evaluated several common pesticides formulated from single active ingredients (a.i.) or commercially available mixtures (chlorpyrifos, deltamethrin, beta-cyfluthrin, and a combination of deltamethrin and S-bioallethrin), plus an acaricide composed of permethrin, pyriproxyfen and benzyl benzolate, for efficacy against Acarus siro, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, and Aleuroglyphus ovatus. The pesticides were incorporated into the mite diets in a dose range of 10-1000 microg a.i. g(-1) diet. Concentrations for suppression of 50 and 90% population growth and eradication (rC0) of mites were fit to linear regression models. None of the tested pesticides gave complete eradication of A. siro, which was the most tolerant of the three mite species tested. The most effective pesticide Allergoff 175 CS was a combination product (a nano-capsule suspension of permethrin, pyriproxyfen and benzyl benzolate) labeled for dust mites, with rC0 range of 463-2453 microg a.i. (permethrin) g(-1) diet depending on the species. Least effective were chlorpyrifos and deltamethrin. PMID:17674127 Hubert, Jan; Stejskal, Vaclav; Munzbergova, Zuzana; Hajslova, Jana; Arthur, Frank H Analysis by one-dimensional (1-D) SDS-PAGE/Western blotting of whole mite extract (larval and adult stages) with sheep sera taken 0-84 days after infection with the sheep scab mite, Psoroptes ovis revealed a progressive IgE antibody response, with a dominant high molecular weight allergen (MW 180 kDa) detected early during infection. Further analysis by two-dimensional (2-D) SDS-PAGE/Western blotting with post-infection sera, revealed a more complex picture with numerous (> 20) IgE reactive spots. Trypsin digest and Maldi-ToF analyses of these spots identified two house dust mite allergen homologues, namely tropomyosin (Der p 10) and paramyosin (Der p 11), and analysis of a third spot indicated an apolipoprotein-like IgE reactive protein (Der p 14). Further 1-D and 2-D SDS/Western blotting, with specific antibodies to the house dust mite allergens Der p 10, 11, and to the IgE reactive peptide of the high molecular weight house dust mite allergen, Der p 14 (vitellogenin/apolipophorin), provided firm evidence for the presence of these three allergens in extracts of the Psoroptes mite. These studies show for the first time that homologues of the house dust mite 10, 11 and 14 group allergens are represented as immunodominant allergens of the sheep scab mite, and may represent important vaccine candidates. PMID:15679630 Huntley, J F; Machell, J; Nisbet, A J; Van den Broek, A; Chua, K Y; Cheong, N; Hales, B J; Thomas, W R The influence of ectoparasitic water mite larvae (Arrenurus) on the fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of forewing length and cell number in the foreweings of the damselfly Coenagrion puella has been investigated. We show a significant correlation between the FA of forewing length and the mite load. Most explanations for increases in FA implicate environmental stress combined with the inability of the A. Bonn; M. Gasse; J. Rolff; A. Martens Animals are commonly infested with ectoparasites which can be large relative to the host. Here a previously unrecognised consequence of infection for such hosts and for their parasites is examined. As a model host-parasite system the chironomid midge Paratrichocladius rufiventris and the hydracarinid mite Unionicola ypsilophora were adopted. Previous work has shown that mites have a profound effect on the A. J. McLachlan; T. W. Pike; J. C. Thomason Two new quill mite species parasitizing sunbirds (Nectariniidae) are described: Aulobia nectariniae sp. nov. from the Olive-backed Sunbird Cinnyris jugularis (L.), from the Black Sunbird Leptocoma sericea (Lesson), and Aulobia anthreptes sp. nov. from Plain-throated Sunbird Anthreptes malacensis. The family Nectariniidae is a new host group for syringophilid mites. Maciej Skoracki; Eliza G?owska Although all known phytoseiid mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae) are predators of mites or small insects, many readily feed and reproduce on pollen as well. This ability to feed on food from plant origin increases their survival during periods when prey is locally sparse, but might occur at the expense of the ability to utilize food as efficiently as specialized predators. In Paul C. J. Van Rijn; Lynell K. Tanigoshi Honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies are declining, and a number of stressors have been identified that affect, alone or in combination, the health of honey bees. The ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor, honey bee viruses that are often closely associated with the mite, and pesticides used to control the mite population form a complex system of stressors that may affect honey bee health in different ways. During an acaricide treatment using Apistan (plastic strips coated with tau-fluvalinate), we analyzed the infection dynamics of deformed wing virus (DWV), sacbrood virus (SBV), and black queen cell virus (BQCV) in adult bees, mite-infested pupae, their associated Varroa mites, and uninfested pupae, comparing these to similar samples from untreated control colonies. Titers of DWV increased initially with the onset of the acaricide application and then slightly decreased progressively coinciding with the removal of the Varroa mite infestation. This initial increase in DWV titers suggests a physiological effect of tau-fluvalinate on the host's susceptibility to viral infection. DWV titers in adult bees and uninfested pupae remained higher in treated colonies than in untreated colonies. The titers of SBV and BQCV did not show any direct relationship with mite infestation and showed a variety of possible effects of the acaricide treatment. The results indicate that other factors besides Varroa mite infestation may be important to the development and maintenance of damaging DWV titers in colonies. Possible biochemical explanations for the observed synergistic effects between tau-fluvalinate and virus infections are discussed. Forsgren, Eva; Fries, Ingemar; de Miranda, Joachim R. The ectoparasitic Varroa destructor mite is a major contributor to the ongoing honey bee health crisis. Varroa interacts with honey bee viruses, exacerbating their pathogenicity. In addition to vectoring viruses, immunosuppression of the developing honey bee hosts by Varroa has been proposed to explain the synergy between viruses and mites. However, the evidence for honey bee immune suppression by V. destructor is contentious. We systematically studied the quantitative effects of experimentally introduced V. destructor mites on immune gene expression at five specific time points during the development of the honey bee hosts. Mites reproduced normally and were associated with increased titers of deformed wing virus in the developing bees. Our data on different immune genes show little evidence for immunosuppression of honey bees by V. destructor. Experimental wounding of developing bees increases relative immune gene expression and deformed wing virus titers. Combined, these results suggest that mite feeding activity itself and not immunosuppression may contribute to the synergy between viruses and mites. However, our results also suggest that increased expression of honey bee immune genes decreases mite reproductive success, which may be explored to enhance mite control strategies. Finally, our expression data for multiple immune genes across developmental time and different experimental treatments indicates co-regulation of several of these genes and thus improves our understanding of the understudied honey bee immune system. PMID:24829325 Kuster, Ryan D; Boncristiani, Humberto F; Rueppell, Olav Background Scabies is a disease of worldwide significance, causing considerable morbidity in both humans and other animals. The scabies mite Sarcoptes scabiei burrows into the skin of its host, obtaining nutrition from host skin and blood. Aspartic proteases mediate a range of diverse and essential physiological functions such as tissue invasion and migration, digestion, moulting and reproduction in a number of parasitic organisms. We investigated whether aspartic proteases may play role in scabies mite digestive processes. Methodology/Principle Findings We demonstrated the presence of aspartic protease activity in whole scabies mite extract. We then identified a scabies mite aspartic protease gene sequence and produced recombinant active enzyme. The recombinant scabies mite aspartic protease was capable of digesting human haemoglobin, serum albumin, fibrinogen and fibronectin, but not collagen III or laminin. This is consistent with the location of the scabies mites in the upper epidermis of human skin. Conclusions/Significance The development of novel therapeutics for scabies is of increasing importance given the evidence of emerging resistance to current treatments. We have shown that a scabies mite aspartic protease plays a role in the digestion of host skin and serum molecules, raising the possibility that interference with the function of the enzyme may impact on mite survival. Mahmood, Wajahat; Viberg, Linda T.; Fischer, Katja; Walton, Shelley F.; Holt, Deborah C. Palm oil is one of the most important edible oils in the world. Its composition (rich in palmitate and oleate) make it suitable for general food uses but its utility could be increased if its fatty acid quality could be varied. In this study, we have modified a palm olein fraction by transesterification with the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, alpha-linolenate or eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Evaluation of the potential nutritional efficacy of the oils was made using chondrocyte culture systems which can be used to mimic many of the degenerative and inflammatory pathways involved in arthritis. On stimulation of such cultures with interleukin-1alpha, they showed increased expression of cyclooxygenase-2, the inflammatory cytokines tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-1alpha and IL-1beta and the proteinase ADAMTS-4. This increased expression was not affected by challenge of the cultures with palm olein alone but showed concentration-dependent reduction by the modified oil in a manner similar to EPA. These results show clearly that it is possible to modify palm oil conveniently to produce a nutraceutical with effective anti-inflammatory properties. PMID:19449050 Zainal, Zaida; Longman, Andrea J; Hurst, Samantha; Duggan, Katrina; Hughes, Clare E; Caterson, Bruce; Harwood, John L The proposed scheme involves an idea of including three biometric traits of a person where in the sense even if one fails the other trait could be utilised for verification or identity.Moreover the concept of cryptosystem is involved , where one of the biometric trait - the palm vein itself acts as a key to utilise the stored template database. B. Prasanalakshmi; A. Kannammal; R. Sridevi In recent times there has been a growing research interest in palm oil, one of the major edible plant oils in the tropical countries, because of the link between dietary fats and coronary heart disease. Obtained from a tropical plant, Elaesis guineensis, it has a polyunsaturated fatty acid\\/saturated fatty acid ratio close to unity and a high amount of antioxidant P. E. Ebong; D. U. Owu; E. U. Isong Palm oil industries play a significant role in the Indonesian economy, particularly in Sumatera provinces. Annual production in 2006 was 16 million tones from 6 million hectares plantation area and it has been growing at 12.5% per year since 1990. The plantation area is expected to grow up to about 18 million hectares mainly in the provinces of Sumatera, Kalimantan, Soni Solistia Wirawan The distribution of periphytic algae communities depends on various factors such as type of substrate, level of disturbance, nutrient availability and light. According to the prediction that impacts of anthropogenic activity provide changes in environmental characteristics, making impacted Palm swamps related to environmental changes such as deforestation and higher loads of nutrients via allochthonous, the hypothesis tested was: impacted Palm swamps have higher richness, density, biomass and biovolume of epiphytic algae. We evaluated the distribution and structure of epiphytic algae communities in 23 Palm swamps of Goiás State under different environmental impacts. The community structure attributes here analyzed were composition, richness, density, biomass and biovolume. This study revealed the importance of the environment on the distribution and structuration of algal communities, relating the higher values of richness, biomass and biovolume with impacted environments. Acidic waters and high concentration of silica were important factors in this study. Altogether 200 taxa were identified, and the zygnemaphycea was the group most representative in richness and biovolume, whereas the diatoms, in density of studied epiphyton. Impacted Palm swamps in agricultural area presented two indicator species, Gomphonema lagenula Kützing and Oedogonium sp, both related to mesotrophic to eutrophic conditions for total nitrogen concentrations of these environments. PMID:23917560 Dunck, B; Nogueira, I S; Felisberto, S A We present a case study on the differing roles of temperate and tropical ex situ facilities in supporting the conservation of a major tropical plant group. The conservation value of botanic garden palm collections is reviewed by using (1) survey data from 35 collections in 20 countries, and (2) case studies examining the conservation value and utility of botanic garden M. Maunder; B. Lyte; J. Dransfield; W. Baker Cellulose is widely used in many aspect and industries such as food industry, pharmaceutical, paint, polymers, and many more. Due to the increasing demand in the market, studies and work to produce cellulose are still rapidly developing. In this work, liquid phase oxidation was used to extract cellulose from palm kernel cake to separate hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin. The method FARM YAN YAN; DUDUKU KRISHNIAH; MARIANI RAJIN; AWANG BONO Bacterial leaf stripe caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. arecae is a disease of arecanut palm (Areca catechu L.) in Karnataka, India. Disease outbreaks are confined to the monsoon season, i.e., July to October. Studies on the epidemiology of bacterial leaf stripe showed that disease incidence and severity are high when there are more than ten rainy days per month in

Not to be outdone by the elder beekeepers reading books to bees, this afternoon Emily and I made sure our hive was the most festive at the apiary. A Christmas card to ‘Queen Myrtle and bees’ was also slipped under the roof. However, if it sounds like we were having too much fun, there was some proper beekeeping to be done: giving the bees oxalic acid. Oxalic acid is a winter treatment for bees. Above, you can see Pat treating his hive with Emily looking on. Oxalic acid burns the feet and tongues of varroa mites so they fall off bees. The treatment is particularly effective in winter when the mites are living on adult bees, because there is little or no capped brood for them to hide inside. Our apiary uses a pre-mixed solution of 3% oxalic acid in sugar syrup and about 5ml is dribbled on each ‘seam of bees’, that is the gap between each frame which has bees. It is important to get the dosage right as over-dosing may be harmful. Last year I took this video of Giving the bees oxalic acid. The British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) has a good advisory leaflet on oxalic acid. Not all beekeepers like to use this treatment for a number of reasons, such as: it is not ‘natural’ (although oxalic acid is a naturally occurring substance; although cyanide is naturally occurring too, so this might not say much!); accumulative effects of annual treatments may harm the queen (I haven’t read enough to know if this is a risk); it may harm the bees (the winter workers will die in spring to be replaced by new bees so its effects on the colony may not be long-lasting). I think it is advisable to treat hives in an apiary environment in a city, because disease may spread more easily. After a challenging year for our bees, it was great to see them alive and well for their midwinter oxalic acid ‘gift’. When we lifted the roof they were happily tucking into the bag of sugar fondant, although the hive is quite heavy with honey stores. They should be tightly clustered inside the hive, but today was quite mild and the cluster had become loose. Above, Emily treats our bees with oxalic acid. They were much better behaved than last year and didn’t make much fuss. Myrtle must be a gentle-natured queen. There was a small crowd led by Pat and John to treat all the hives at the apiary and after all that hard work it was time for tea with homemade mince pies and a generous-sized apple pie! There was also honey mead so the banter was quite lively. Yet another exposé on what Ealing beekeepers really get up to! Soon it will be January and we will be looking for the first signs of spring when we can see our bees again. Merry Christmas everyone from Queen Myrtle and her bees!

Ozark Farmers' Market Producing and Buying Local Food The White River Group strongly supports growing and buying local food (as well as organic, fair trade, heirloom varieties, etc.) Buying locally supports agriculture in our area, and often means you get a product that is fresher and more nutritious. It also eliminates the air pollution from the transportation required to bring food into our areaoften from as far away as 1500 miles! If youre concerned about climate change, however, and would really like to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, consider reducing your consumption of meat. A Carnegie Melon study found that the average American would benefit the planet more by being vegetarian one day per week than by switching to a totally local diet. And as the journalist who reported this in the Washington Post said, Heck, why not do both? WRG has created this page to help our members and friends locate foods grown in our area, as well as plants and seeds and related services. Local food customers and vendors are welcome to suggest additional listings for this page by calling 581-8318 or send emails to [email protected]. Area code is 417, unless otherwise indicated. Da Barefoot Chef Pauly and Amy Uses local food whenever possible. Stoney Acres Sheep Dairy Pasture Nectar Farm Welkerss Organic Berry Farm Grow Your Own Contact your local University of Missouri Extension Center for more information. Seasons Harvest Eco-Farm Larry & Carla Vogel Natural Organic Mineral based Fertilizers and soil amendments. Classes in beekeeping, raised organic gardening, canning and even building your own small wind turbine. Lawncare and Landscaping Beautiful Days Landscaping Bechard Family Farm Our Shorthorn cows produce excellent meat, milk and cream for your family. They eat only fresh grass and clover from our rotated chemical-free pastures during the growing season, and hay in the winternever steroids, hormones, or processed feeds, no animal by-products. Peace Valley Poultry Chickens and Turkeys, pesticide/herbicide free pasture. Antibiotic-free, non-GMO ration. Native plants are hardy, requiring less watering, fertilizing and care and support Fassnight Creek Farms Farm of Hard Rocks Greater Springfield Farmers Market Winter schedule includes some Saturdays through April 4th. The 2009 Season begins on April 11. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds We only offer open-pollinated seeds: pure, natural and non-GMO! We offer over 1200 varieties from 66 countries, including many that we collected ourselves. Monthly festivals and twice yearly garden shows. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle This is Kingsolver up-close-and-personal discussing her familys efforts to live on locally produced food for one year. The Omnivores Dilemma The author examines the sources of four meals from different food production processes, and considers the ethical, environmental and political aspects of each. The Meat You Eat Missouri writer and longtime Sierra Club activist and staffperson discusses the production of meat in the United States. Copyright Sierra Club White River Group, Missouri Chapter.

In This Issue Winter Bee Classes February class registration is open. These are one day beginning beekeeping classes and cover the basics of starting in beekeeping, including tools and equipment, hive management, seasonal maintenance, and honeybee biology and health. Classes are held at Jane Addams Hull House Museum in Chicago from 10 AM to 3 PM. Lunch is shared potluck. Registration fee is $70.00 to register and pay visit our "Classes" page. Most Popular Holiday Product? The first correct answer posted to our Facebook page gets a rare 1 lb jar of Chicago Honey Co-op Honey. Which product do you think people bought the most of? Check out the store to see the contenders. Those of you looking for our beeswax candles can find them at Haymaker Shop. Our Honey Mustard can be found at Southport Grocery, and Chicago's Downtown Farmstand. GreenGrocer has Honey and Mustard gift sets and candles Honey is currently available in our online store Follow us, we're fun. Join Chicago Honey Co-op at Feast Bucktown, 1616 N Damen Ave. in Chicago on January 25th for wine tasting and a special cocktail , the "InCider" featuring Chicago Honey Co-op Honey. Only $20.00 per person All proceeds will go toward our apiary relocation fund. Save the Date and come on out! We are very thankful for the outpouring of support from people from near and far who have shared our story, tweeted, posted to Facebook and suggested locations or connections. Many thanks to those who answered the call and made a donation towards our apiary relocation. We are happy to say that so far $5,125.00 has been raised. We are trying for $20,000.00 by the end of February so we still need a lot of help. We are hoping to have enough money on hand when the move comes to cover not only the cost of moving but also the likelihood that we will have to fence at least one or two locations which will cost several thousand dollars. If you made a donation and Chicago Honey Co-op was not mentioned in your thank you letter from Crossroads Fund, the funds were not directed to us. Send us an email and let us know so your donation goes where you meant it to. You can still or send a check to Crossroads Fund, 3411 W. Diversey, #20, Chicago, IL 60647. Just make sure to indicate that your gift supports the Honey Co-Op in the notes section of the webpage or on your check.

Film evenings begin with potluck refreshments & social hour at 6:30 pm, followed by the film at 7:30 pm, followed by a discussion after the film. Queen of the Sun by Taggart Siegel What are bees telling us? Let’s have a look into their lives. This film is a profound, alternative look into the tragic, global bee crisis. It’s also an engaging and ultimately uplifting film that weaves an unusual and dramatic story of the heartfelt struggles of beekeepers, scientists, and philosophers from around the world including Michael Pollan, Gunther Hauk, Vandana Shiva, and Jacqueline Freeman. The film takes us on a multi-dimensional journey through both the catastrophic disappearance of bees and the mysterious world of the beehive. In 1923, Rudolf Steiner, a scientist, philosopher, and social innovator, predicted that in 80 to 100 years honeybees would collapse. His prediction has come true with Colony Collapse Disorder where bees are disappearing in mass numbers from their hives with no clear explanation. In an alarming inquiry into the insights behind Steiner’s prediction, this important film examines the global bee crisis through the eyes of biodynamic beekeepers, scientists, farmers, and philosophers. On a pilgrimage around the world, 10,000 years of beekeeping is unveiled, highlighting how our historic and sacred relationship with bees has been lost due to highly mechanized industrial practices. This film reveals both the problems and solutions in renewing a culture in balance with nature. Wheelchair accessible around the corner at 411 28th Street $5 donations are accepted Added to the calendar on Thursday Jun 28th, 2012 6:00 PM

UPDATED 2013: Celebrate the harvest season in the Hudson Valley at these fall fairs and festivals in Westchester and Rockland counties, including Bear Mountain, Brewster, Cortlandt Manor, Katonah, Pleasantville, Sleepy Hollow, and beyond. Bring the kids for apple picking, pumpkin carving, hayrides, corn mazes, and more fun fall activities. Fall Festivals in Westchester Philipsburg Manor, Sleepy Hollow Aug. 31 - Sept. 2 CORNucopia, the Hudson Valley’s first-ever corn festival, will feature a bounty of corn-centric delicacies and interactive, corn-related activities over Labor Day weekend. Ideal for all ages, this celebration of all things corn will feature hands-on activities, craft and cooking demonstrations, lots of corny cuisine, bluegrass music, and a friendly scarecrow come to life. All visitors get a free bag of popcorn as they enter. Maize-inspired food selections like sweet corn ice cream will be available for purchase. Visitors can compete in a corn-shucking contest, participate in a barn dance, and play corn-inspired games like Ring-a-Cob in the CORNival gaming area. Other activities include scarecrow making, open-hearth cooking demonstrations, and demonstrations of coopering (barrel-making) and milling. A kid-sized “mini maize maze” will beckon the little ones, and live bluegrass and folk music will take place throughout the day. Greenburgh Nature Center, Scarsdale GNC's naturalists prepare tasty treats from their organic garden. Learn about beekeeping, the fascinating social network of honeybees, and how honey is harvested. The harvest from the hives will be extracted indoors and away from the active outdoor beehives by beekeeper H. Peet Foster. Free tasting of fresh honey from-the-hives, and the newly harvested honey will be available for purchase. Shop for one-of-a-kind and limited edition jewelry, fashion, and accessories, furniture and home decor pieces, as well as functional and sculptural work in ceramics, glass, metal, painting, photography, wood, and mixed media. Visitors can enjoy live music all weekend long, watch craft demonstrations, participate in children's activities, eat in the expanded food court, and purchase specialty foods. John Jay Homestead, Katonah Expect lots of old-fashioned fun, including an informal barbecue, ice cream sundaes, a campfire, and music by local bands, at the Barn Dance at John Jay Homestead. The swimming pig races (held at 5:30pm and 7:30pm sharp) are always a crowd favorite. New this year: racing dachshunds! The Seabury at Fieldhome, Cortlandt Manor There’s something for everyone at Fieldhome’s 9th Annual Fall Festival—arts and crafts, a classic car show, pumpkin patch, homemade bake sale, fall plant sale, great food, and live entertainment. Little ones will head straight to the Kids’ Zone for inflatable rides, pumpkin decorating, face painting, a petting zoo, pony rides, games, and prizes. Bring canned and dried foods to donate to the food drive benefitting Yorktown Community Help, Inc. FREE! Blue Mountain Reservation, Peekskill The only show in Westchester County with both English and Western riding contests. Fair attractions include pony and hay rides, a country fair and craft market, bounce and slide rides, and a “Kountry Kitchen” featuring baked goods. Rotary members work in the foot tents serving up a full range of grilled foods, beverages, and ice cream. FREE admission and parking. Rosenthal JCC, Pleasantville Rosenthal JCC’s Fall Fest includes a barnyard petting zoo, pony rides, touch-a-truck, a trackless train, bounce house, pumpkin patch and decorating, wacky photo booth, water slide (weather permitting), crafts, and refreshments. Ride/activity tickets are sold in advance at a discount. FREE! Green Chimneys, Brewster At Green Chimneys’ Fall Harvest Festival, the fun starts with the Children’s Harvest Fun Run around the Green Chimneys Horse Barn. The rest of the day features great seasonal activities, including pumpkin decorating, hay rides, the little folks’ hay maze, and make-your-own scarecrow. Also included: live animal demonstrations, nature activities, kids’ crafts, and the bungee trampoline. Wave Hill, Bronx Wave Hill’s Honey Weekend features demos, art projects, information stations, and tastings. Most events take place throughout the weekend. For a full listing of Honey Weekend activities, visit the website. Maria Regina High School, Hartsdale The Country Fair weekend will include rides, games, pumpkin painting, food stands, live entertainment, and much more. FREE! Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, Pocantico Hills Festivities for the whole family include live music, hayrides, farm Olympics, food-crafting, farming demonstrations, and square dancing. Dobbs Ferry Streetfront, Dobbs Ferry Stroll the streets and shop for collectibles, arts and crafts, toys, clothes, and more, all while listening to the sounds of live music. There will be inflatibles for kids, an obstacle course and bouncy castle, more than 100 vendors, and many local restaurants serving their fare al fresco. Rain or shine. Glen Island Park, New Rochelle Hundreds of walkers and their dogs will take a leisurely 1.5-mile stroll along Long Island Sound as they walk the perimeter of Glen Island Park. After the procession, browse the wares of two dozen vendors (with lots of dog-related merchandise), listen to music, and enjoy refreshments such as pizza, home-baked treats, and ice cream. Get a take-home photo of you and your dog posing at the water's edge, get a balloon shaped like a dog, watch an agility demonstration, and stop by the "kiddie korner" for some face painting, a game of musical chairs, or best trick competitions. Muscoot Farm, Katonah Spend the day listening and dancing to a band, watch a blacksmithing demonstration, make origami, visit the antique cars, try your hand at a variety of farm games, decorate a sugar pumpkin, visit the Farmers' Market, take a peaceful hayride to the back fields, and more. There is a small fee for the farm games, decorating a sugar pumpkin, and hayride. Greenburgh Nature Center, Scarsdale Enjoy scarecrow-building and pumpkin-carving or painting, cider making, petting zoo, scavenger hunts, tractor rides, and more. Food available for purchase. Rain or shine. Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site, Yonkers Celebrate fall with a variety of activities, including harvest demonstrations, cider pressing, storytimes, and a pop-up playground. The day will end with a family-friendly, Halloween-themed movie. Fall Festivals in Rockland County Main Street, Nyack Take a break from an otherwise busy month by stopping by Nyack's fall street fair. Check out the event's selection traditional "fair food," street cafes, live music, funky crafts, antiques, collectibles, jewelry, art, kids games, and rides. Rain or shine. Bear Mountain State Park, Bear Mountain Sept. 14 – Oct. 27, weekends Bear Mountain once again hosts Oktoberfest, with seven weekends full of German music, food, beer, and vendors. Stroll around Hessian Lake, take in the park’s fall foliage, and enjoy the season at this family-friendly event. JCC Rockland, West Nyack Families are invited to spend a "fun day at the J" at this annual event, which this year falls during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Kids can enjoy activities in the JCC's sukkah while parents check out the community center's new group exercise schedule, learn about new offerings, and try out demos of new specialty classes such as Kettlebell, Get Fit for Baby, and IntenSati. The day also includes programs on nutrition, heart health, and healthy living. Platzl Brauhaus, Pomona Sept. 28 and Oct. 5, 12-13 Platzl Brauhaus offers a buffet of German food and beer, live music, folk dancing demonstrations, and amusement rides for kids. Reservations are required. Belleayre Mountain, Highmount Belleayre Mountain hosts this fall festival weekend with live music, theater performances, children's crafts, fishing, inflatables, mountain bike riding, kyaking demonstrations, a sky ride, guided hikes, and winter apparel sales. Central Avenue, Pearl River Stop by for food, music, entertainment, demonstrations, shopping specials, face painting, pumpkin painting, balloon twisting, bouncy attractions, and more. Crospey Community Farm, New City Enjoy farm tours, demonstrations, children's activities, and displays from local nonprofit groups. Greenmeadow Waldorf School, Chestnut Ridge The school hosts a fall fair with children's activities including cider pressing, pumpkin carving, face painting, and hayrides. Adults can check out vendors, live music, organic food, and much more. Provident Bank Park, Pomona Sample specialty foods from hot sauce and spice companies as well as food from area restaurants and produce from local farms. The event will include a Rockland County culinary competition. Activities for the public include live music, children's entertainment, a fire juggler and, of course, a spicy food-eating contest. Get a jumpstart on holiday shopping at this final event of Nyack's street fair season. The fair features more than 250 exhibitors with hand made crafts, art, photography, unique retail items, collectibles, and delicious festival food. Kids can have fun at a large children's area set up in the Main Street parking lot. Rain or shine. FREE! Memorial Park, Nyack Jeffrey and his Bossy Frog Band will provide the entertainment. Activities include an apple pie baking contest, "William Tell" (with a member of the Village Board balancing an apple on his/her head), apple face making, a guest appearance by the Hudson Vagabond Puppets, and more. Main Street, Nyack Dancing ghouls, marching bands, floats, stilt walkers, and giant puppets are all part of the action at this major annual event. Immediately following the parade, don't miss Nyack Center's Monster Mash, with live music, dancing, and a dinner buffet for kids of all ages. Where to Pick Your Own Apples in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut Spooktacular Activities for Halloween Our full calendar of events, for tons of fun and low-cost activities in the NYC area

As of February 8, 2014, Tennessee Beekeepers Association had 37 affiliated associations with 1485 members. It only takes six local members to join the TBA for the association to be affiliated and have a seat on our board of directors. (The TBA web site lists ALL beekeeping organizations, regardless of TBA affiliation for the benefit of prospective beekeepers.) Individual beekeepers receive the TBA newsletter and are part of a unified voice of beekeepers in the state. There are also benefits to local clubs who become affiliated with the TBA: Upon meeting the eligibility requirements, which will be set forth each year the grant is available, Tennessee Beekeepers Association local associations can participate in the following program. TBA, with the help of grant funds from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, will provide the equipment kit for two new beekeepers per club with the local associations purchasing one kit for a total of three kits per association. 2014 cost is $161.00 per kit Short Course Grant: Local associations are eligible for $200.00 grant to help offset their short courses. Local associations must make a request for the grant by forwarding verification of having the short course. Verification can be a list of attendees, a newspaper clipping, or flier. Request should be sent to the treasurer (Petra Mitchell) with a dead line for the request of April 30th 2014 TBA Fall Conference Scholarship – For a new 2014 TBA Member: This is a one day $25.00 early registration funded by TBA. One scholarship per affiliated association. This scholarship would be non-transferrable and only for early registrations. Each affiliated association would select/choose one new TBA member to receive the scholarship. The individual’s name would be submitted to the treasurer (Petra Mitchell) to verify as a new dues paying member of TBA for 2014 to be eligible for the scholarship. If this new member wishes to attend the two day fall conference, he/she would pay the additional $10 early registration and for any meals. Associations participating in all three grants can see a benefit of $547.00 from their affiliation with TBA.

“If the bee disappeared off the face of the earth, man would only have four years left to live.” Of course you recognize this famous quote by Albert Einstein. Bees are amazing and highly intelligent creatures. I always felt that we need to learn from them about mysteries of life, in addition to harvesting their sweet honey. I think some of the clues for a brave new world are hidden in the great designs of nature. We need to look closer and listen better. The bees unfortunately have been suffering greatly from modern agriculture and other technologies and as stewards of life and Earth, we need to better care take of them, if we want life to continue. When I met master beekeeper Debra Roberts during my Brave New World journey in Asheville, I immediately knew I was in the presence of a wise woman who has been apprenticing to the wise bees. and I knew that I had to invite her to Turkey to share her wisdom and practice with bees. Not surprisingly, she said YES! Debra will be offering three workshops on Natural Beekeeping in Turkey in May 2013: “Natural Beekeeping for BEEginners: Come explore natural beekeeping, honeybee basics, hive equipment and tools, start-up costs, what “organic” beekeeping really means, how to get in and out of a hive successfully, and good stewardship practices. Session tailored for BEEginners with no or very little experience.” In Debra’s workshop we will cover the following: • The importance of community in beekeeping and helpful resources for people beginning? • Where do I get bees (what choices do I have?) and what kind should I get? • How do I prepare my bee yard? • How do I prepared my hive bodies? • What kinds of hives should I choose? (Langstroth? 8 or 10 frame? Top bar? Or?) • What basic equipment do I need to get going? • The importance of taking notes and how to do that • What do I do when the bees first come to my yard? • How do the bees need us to be around them? • What do conditions need to be like for me to go into my hives? • What are simple first year goals as a beekeeper? • Good basic beekeeping terminology • The basic bee life cycle (queen, drones and workers) • How to use a smoker and why. • The importance of getting a lot of hands-on l experience and how to do that. • Hands-on versus hands-off beekeeping • What is Natural Beekeeping? • How is urban beekeeping different and what are the most important things to keep in mind about keeping bees in a city environment. • How do I catch a swarm? The importance of a “swarm list” in a city (connecting beekeepers with swarms). • When to harvest honey and how much. • The hive as a superorganism • What do I do when I leave this workshop? • Women’s ways in the bee yard. • Some wisdom about the bees from various Native American elders WORKSHOP VENUES AND DATES 4-5 May 2013, İstanbul İstanbul Permakültür Kolektifi Suggested participation fee: 75 TL Limited to 40 participants. 10-12 May 2013, Çanakkale Çanakkale Permakültür Topluluğu Suggested participation fee: 75 TL 17-19 May 2013, Datça Contact: [email protected] (Pınar Kınıkoğlu) Suggested participation fee: 125 TL (including lunch and coffee/tea) ABOUT DEBRA ROBERTS Debra Roberts is a Master Beekeeper, Natural Beekeeping educator, speaker, mentor and writer. She consults and collaborates with other artists on honeybee-related projects and mentors new beekeepers in their yards, by email, Skype and phone. She speaks on subjects like: - Natural beekeeping (from nuts and bolts to the path itself); - Women and beekeeping; women’s ways in the apiary; - Beekeeping as a sacred practice; - Why beekeeping makes us better people; - Modern pollination practices and the stress on bees; - Bees and consciousness. She is Vice President of The Center for Honeybee Research, designer and coordinator forAshevillage Institute’s Bee City USA Bee Immersions, on the Steering Committee of Bee City USA, Founder of The Honeybee Project, a bee mentor for Hamaatsa (an indigenous learning center in New Mexico), editor of a series of ongoing articles about honeybees and natural beekeeping, and is currently writing two books. She is also a remote faculty member of The College of the Melissae: Center for Sacred Beekeeping in Ashland, Oregon. In 2011, she birthed Holy Bee Press. Debra considers herself to be kept by her bees … and is generally bee-sotted. For more info on Debra Roberts - Here is a video interview I did with Debra the first time I met her: Dear sisters of heart & soul, what am I called to do as a woman? what is my service to this presence that we so need in our world right now? Will you share this invitation with women far and close, who might be waiting exactly for this call? I had a glimpse of Oneness yesterday. An embodied knowing of it. Thanks to a little mouse. There’s One Life only. There are no separate lives. There are separate bodies embodying the same and only Life energy. Yesterday morning I sat on a rock, my eyes fixed on the deep blue of the Aegean, the wild wind crushing everything all around me. I wanted to honor the Spring Equinox with a ritual of my own. Taking a moment to give thanks and being present to the cycles of our Mother, blessing the awakening of nature and becoming fertile once again. (sometimes I kiss the spring blossoms on trees, welcoming new life, oh it’s such a joyful thing) The wind was so strong and the tree above my head swayed so dangerously, I had to bow my head from time to time, feeling humility in witnessing this great power. Holy Mother. As I was going through my ritual, I remembered the tiny face I saw in the kitchen cupboard that morning, the tiny little mouse with the pink nose. He or she had looked at me intensely, seemingly without fear. The house I am staying at the moment has been home to a mice family since the house hasn’t been occupied in years. So in fact I was a guest at their home. Yet, due to fear and habitual ways of being, I had put mice poison in certain places in the house. During my equinox ceremony, I became aware that I couldn’t be celebrating Life and rebirth this way when I was mindlessly attempting to destroy Life in the dark corners of my kitchen. Because there’s ONE Life only. The same life manifesting as me, the wild wind, the rock I sat on, the mouse that cruised in my temporary kitchen… I felt shame and guilt. Immediately I went back to the house and started cleaning all the poison out. I swept, mopped and burned sage finally. It was an invaluable lesson for me. All the ways of awakening: sometimes the gift comes from a tiny life form that we so tend to ignore or avoid. Later during the day, I had two other encounters: one was a frog who came to listen to me as I was singing a made up “welcome Spring” song to water and rocks in the secret garden behind the house. Again, he or she stood there looking at me intensely until I finished my song and thanked this being for listening to me. The other came as a green spider who just walked to me in the bathroom and stood at a close distance as if she wanted to say something to me. My Spring Equinox was blessed with wind, mouse, frog and spider medicine. The Life I want to live. Here and Now I come back to writing, here and now. I got up from the comfortable bed where I’ve been reading a book I love so much “Entering the Healing Ground”. It’s one of those books written for the Soul, and gently invites me to be present to my Soul. I was shedding tears of compassion and healing and then I remembered. Writing is my love. For the longest time I kept delaying it: after this project, after I wrote those emails, after I come back from this trip…The right time never arrived and it won’t. Because the only right time is now. Here and Now. So I write now. I will continue writing in “now”. Thank God for the simplest truths in life. Everything happens now. I am creating space in my life these days. Not too long ago I advised some younger friends of mine who initiated an organization, a movement that is about creating the brave new world that we dream of. I told them “unless you start living your vision of this world NOW, nothing will happen.” Sounded wise to me, it still does. And recently I noticed that I am not practicing this principle that I am preaching to others about. That worried me. One of the values I hold close to my heart is to walk the talk. To me it seems nothing is real if I don’t practice what I am speaking about. I realized I wasn’t living the life that I would be living in the “brave new world”. As if we first need to get there, we need to make this place called brave new world and then I would start living the life in my vision. Excuse my language but this is a lot of bullocks! As everything is happening here and now – I will either live this life I dream of NOW or I will always strive to get there. You get the picture, I am trying to close the distance, this ever-remaining gap between the lives we dream of and the lives we live. You and I can choose to close that gap now. Or not. Note to Self: everything happens now. everything is happening now. Anyway, back to my story. Realizing that I wasn’t living the life that I would/could be happily living and since it was my birthday last week, I decided to make an experiment: I decided to prototype the life I would like to live. I even bought a new journal which I called “Stepping into the Life I want to live”. Hey, you gotta make it fun and colorful, right? The life I want to live has seven main elements: Spiritual practice (Self-reflection, prayer, silence, meditation, ceremony, gratitude practice), connection with nature (spending time in wild places, tending a garden), creativity (play, beauty, co-creation), embodiment (movement, dance, body-awareness, body work), meaningful work (getting things done, manifesting my vision, contributing to a meaningful whole, being in service of life), food and nourishment (grow, collect, cook my own food), relationships (tending relationships, being in community, co-creation, love and affection). and then there’s sleeping, resting and doing nothing of course… Because my masculine is more developed – like most of us – I tend to spend more time in ‘doing’ and in my mind, even if it’s meaningful work, and tend to forget resting, or working my body. In my prototyping I am experimenting with having these different experiences in my everyday life. Please beware I am not even pronouncing the word “balance” here which tends to stress more than anything. I am rather investigating a “flow” that my whole-being (body-mind-soul) engages with. In my prototyping, I settled in a small stone house on top of a rocky hill across the Aegean. For 10 days. I made peace with certain facts, for example that I cannot grow my own garden right this moment because I am living a nomadic life. But I can invest more time in choosing my food, cooking and eating a healthy diet. We do our best in any given situation. I said, I won’t work for more than 4 hours a day. Now, it’s quite challenging for someone who works primarily with their creativity because creativity itself is flow and one cannot frame it into these many hours. Oh well, I’ll give it a try and see. Nothing to loose. I am in the 5th day of my prototyping the life I want to live. So far I managed to keep work hours under control, I spent more time with myself, I started journaling again, I am reading a beautiful book and hallelujah I started writing again! I came up with a new creative project: I created my first e-book called “medicineWomen”. It’s a compilation of portraits of women I’ve been taking for the last 20 moths accompanied with pieces of my poetry and text from my several blogs. I am eating better and with care. I am feeling the immense presence of the wild around me: the rocks, the wind, the sea, they all witness me and I feel a deep love and appreciation for them. I honor them, I say thanks. I have a neighbor next door and we have good conversations or watch a film from time to time. She’s my community for the time being. I am grateful for the experiment. For the time and space to do it. For the place that hosts me. For the guiding spirit that called me here. For the ancestors of this place. For the most amazing sunsets from my terrace. and with this, I come back to my writing. Here and Now. Beautiful friends, brave friends, beloved friends, I am about to complete my 38th cycle on this Earth in this lifetime. wow, what a wild wild ride and what an amazing time to be alive! we are/I am truly blessed and fortunate… I am grateful for many things in my life. sometimes I frown and get lost in my little drama, but most times I am soaring with the inspiration and love I feel for everything around me, for what I witness in the world, for what I get to create and gift, for whom I get to play with (yes, YOU!!), for all the gifts I received my whole life. LIFE is so abundant and fun! I don’t usually ask anything specific for my birthdays but this time I will. the name of the game is the GIFT. If you want to play with me, let me offer you a few possibilities. 1. You can participate in my crowdfunding campaign. I honestly did not plan for my crowdfunding campaign to overlap with my birthday, but hey it happened! : Money can be a sacred tool to make magic happen in the world and that is my commitment. If what I do and offer inspires you, consider making a gift here: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/co-creating-the-brave-new-world 2. I am part of a great initiative – a gift movement in Turkey. It’s called ZUMBARA. It’s a young, fast growing time bank and much more than that. It’s a community committed to gift paradigm and anchoring that in the world. and Zumbara needs support to achieve great things that it can and dreams of. You can make a gift to Zumbara through me. 3. Go give a gift to someone in the world! It can be a hug, a touch, flowers, a meal, money, a helping hand, a poem, a love confession, cleaning a place, “I love you”. Maybe you need to gift yourself something, how about that?? and if you feel so inspired, share your story of gifting in the comments. That would be a beautiful gift to me. May GRATITUDE be our prayer, always, May GENEROSITY be our attitude, May the GIFT be the expression of our love and gratitude. That is my prayer. For all our relations.

We Need Bees We are not Let us Save One Million Dollars! Busy Bee Company New Orleans, LA Wait! Don't spray those bees! It won't solve the problem. Let us help you and save those bees! A healthy honeybee population is vital to our society! Over 52 years in the beekeeping and honeybee removal business! Serving Commercial and Residential customers from the extended New Orleans area to the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast including Biloxi, Ocean Springs and Pascagoula. A lucky shot capturing a Carpenter Bee and Honeybee in the same frame. Call us for a Free Estimate! We are professional beekeepers who raise bees for honey production. We realize the value of our delicate honeybee population. Let us remove those honeybees, relocate them to a new hive or release the into natural habitat. We provide honeybee removal and relocation services in the NEW ORLEANS and OUTLAYING AREAS: Metairie, Kenner, River Ridge, St. Rose, Destrehan, La Place, Lutcher, Arabi, Chalmette All West Bank locations: Algiers, Gretna, Marrero, Harvey, Westwego, Bridge City, Avondale, Vacherie, Belle Chasse We also service MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST. Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, Ocean Springs, Pascagoula Call for a free estimate. New Orleans: (504) 341-6607 Gulfport: (228) 831-4764 Toll Free Long Distance: (800) 735-1451

|« Back to Article| Letters: Luring businesses, faux concern, honey treats Copyright 2013: Houston Chronicle | April 25, 2013 | Updated: April 25, 2013 7:29pm Regarding "Neighbors fearing density could apply for protection" (Page A1, Tuesday), I am opposed to Chapter 42 until the law requires that the true costs of the added infrastructure for higher density living are paid for by the developer. This is how it was in the olden, golden days. The developer paid for the streets, the water lines, the electricity and all those costs were factored in to the building costs. If Chapter 42 passes, this is what will happen: The developers will be happy, the city of Houston will be happy with a higher tax base as a result of denser population, and the mayor will believe she will be guaranteed re-election because the developers will be generous to her campaign, and the city will become temporarily solvent. However, the sewer lines will plug up, the water pressure will go down, the electrical grid will be strained, and Houston will flood more and in areas that never flooded. Then the city will say we need to improve the infrastructure and we need a bond to float all this debt for increased infrastructure costs, and the poor taxpayers will have to pay for what should have been paid for by the developers. It is not fair for the taxpayers who have lived in a neighborhood for years to absorb the increased infrastructure costs for the newcomers of "high density units." The developers will be long gone. Dolley P. Madison, Houston Regarding "House flip-flops in lottery drama" (Page A1, Wednesday), I am both surprised and perplexed about the concern for the poor that was expressed by legislators. The article quotes Rep. Scott Sanford referring to the lottery as a predatory tax and a tax on poor people. Rep. Steve Toth is quoted as having stated: "This [the Texas Lottery] was nothing more than a tax on the poor." I was blown away by their concern for those who are less fortunate and almost applauded those legislators who came out and openly exhibited concern for the poor. Then, I remembered "Payday loan bill clears Senate" (Page B1, Tuesday). Some of these same legislators are pushing a bill to pre-empt more stringent local ordinances in the cities of Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and El Paso for two years, which will allow the payday loan industry to continue charging as much as 500 percent annual interest rate on their loans to the same poor people of Texas. So I wondered if, in fact, there was truly concern for the poor regarding the Texas Lottery? Or were those legislators simply playing politics with their constituents and showing how conservative they can be by opposing "evil gambling" in the state of Texas? I believe if the legislators were truly concerned about the poor, one of the first things that they could do would be to pass really stringent legislation regarding payday loans. That, however, would have them going against a very strong special interest. It is much easier to go against the poor. Jose Rodriquez, Huntsville Regarding "The buzz is all about honey in the Heights" (Page D1, Monday), as a beekeeper myself, I was pleased to see that the Zelko's Heights Honeybee Project is being promoted to your readers. As I tell my friends who ask about bee colonies and beekeeping: If you like to eat food, you will support pollinators. Houston's climate and varied plant life offer a strong and consistent environment for bees and their handiwork. Here's hoping that more Houstonians will establish a colony in their backyard. After all, the bees produce (although they surrender it very reluctantly) the sweetest and simplest reward for the humans who nurture a queen and her colony - honey. Kathleen Dawson, Houston

Mee Beauty was born from her desire to create 100% natural beauty products. She has created 5 skincare products that are all infused with raw honey straight from her beehives. Honey is known to have 3 essential properties that are beneficial for the skin. As a natural humectant, honey attracts and retains moisture; its antibacterial quality inhibits bacterial growth; and as an antioxidant, it has the ability to clean up oxygen free radicals that may damage cells. “Mee” is “Honey” in Chinese. Honey is created by honeybees as a food source. A honeybee first collects nectar from flowers then it is transferred to another honeybee; an enzymatic reaction takes place which turns the nectar into honey. It is then regurgitated and deposited into a cell within the honeycomb. Honey is formed when the honeybees fan the nectar until only approximately 16%-18% water is left. At this point, the honeybee will seal the honey by putting a layer of wax over the cell and it is now preserved. Honey is the only food on earth that will never spoil as long as the water content remains at a low level. For Ruth, it all began when her children begged for a dog, but instead she bought them three chickens. Raising chickens was rewarding and soon beekeeping piqued her interest so much that she didn't hesitate to sign up for NYCBA's course in beekeeping. Timing was perfect! The ban against beekeeping in New York City was lifted just as Ruth completed her beekeeping course. Ruth has 9 beehives in Douglaston, Queens and on an organic farm on Staten Island. Being with her bees is meditative which allows her to reboot from a busy work week and raising her four children. Ruth’s husband Matt enjoys spending time in the bee yard assisting Ruth among all the hundreds of thousands of bees. With Matt’s creative background, he designed all aspects of the website and packaging. Permaculture is what Ruth and Matt strive for in Queens. They grow vegetables and flowers from seeds; they compost; use rain barrels; their pets with benefits reward them with fresh eggs and honey. Ruth also teaches kids yoga and works on mosaic tiling. She warns that next time someone begs you for a dog…you never know where it might lead. Ruth is a core member of the New York City Beekeepers Association which teaches and advocates beekeeping. Mee Beauty consists of Bee Kissed lip balm (retail $5) Bee Moisturized body lotion (retail $20) Bee Hydrated face cream (retail $25) Bee Nourished night cream (retail: $30) Bee Rejuvented dry skin face cream (retail $25) Complete skincare system (retail $99)

The 2010 North American Beekeeping Conference & Tradeshow will be held at the Wyndham Orlando Resort, in beautiful Orlando, Florida. The newly renovated Wyndham Orlando Resort is an idyllic tropical paradise in the heart of the world's most popular vacation destination. The Wyndham features lush gardens and enchanting lagoons all inside the city of adventure. The property offers many onsite activities including a jogging path, three gorgeous swimming pools, fitness center, and game room. Additionally, the Wyndham Orlando Resort provides shuttle service to Florida's most famous theme parks including Universal Studios®, Sea World®, Wet 'n Wild®, and Walt Disney World®. Wyndham Orlando Resort Discounted Group Rates The discounted group rate of $119.00+tax (single/double) has been negotiated for the conference. There is a $20.00 per person charge for each additional person staying in the room. The room rate is subject to state and local taxes, currently at 12.5%. Additionally, a 7.5% Resort Fee per room per day will apply to all guest rooms. Reservations can be made online by visiting: Reservations can also be made by calling the Wyndham Reservations directly at (800) 421-8001. Please be sure to identify yourself as being with the American Beekeeping Federation Conference in order to receive the discounted group rate. All reservations must be guaranteed by credit card or certified check. Credit card numbers will be validated at the time a reservation is made. The Wyndham will accept reservations until Friday, December 11, 2009, or until the group block is full, whichever comes first. Cancellations will be accepted up to forty-eight (48) hours prior to arrival. Advance deposits are refundable only if timely notice of cancellation is given and a cancellation number is obtained. The hotel’s check-in time is 4:00 PM. Check-out time is 11:00 AM.

Our very own Kelley Walters was just telling me yesterday about her adventures in beginner beekeeping. I was determined to find a “beautiful” beehive to share with you all. Apparently, when you’ve got a good design, you don’t mess with it. Beehives won’t be changing any time soon. In the research, though, I found a trove of great bee-inspired designs. This gorgeous bedding with screen-printed bees was among the best. And after watching this beekeeping video, I think the sheets are more my speed.