By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

LOVELAND, Ohio — More than 400 beekeepers from four states met in Clermont County last month for the Southwestern Ohio Beekeeper School. Since nearly a third of those were first-time beekeepers, keynote speaker Dr. James Tew gave a description of beekeeping in Ohio, in 16-year increments.

“Beekeepers enjoyed good times in 1977 and bees were called the angels of agriculture,” said Tew, a professor of entomology at The Ohio State University. “Just a few years later we saw the plague of the American Foul Brood. That was the big disorder that year.
“Still, beekeeping took off and began to grow and grow. The industry was flourishing. At that time the hot topic was pesticides and the talk was how humans were all going to die from the use of such chemicals.”

“In 1993 things got a lot tougher,” he said. “Things like varroa mites and trachael mites invaded the colonies and there was a cloud over our industry. A few years later everyone had these mites. That same year everyone became terrified over the Africanized honeybee which was invading Texas and California.

“By 2009 the big dilemma was colony collapse disorder (CCD). And queens are more sickly nowadays, and I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that we don’t have our feral bee population anymore. Still, the beekeeper’s spirits are high and bees are still available and the general public is more sympathetic about the plight of beekeepers everywhere.”

Most of those in attendance wondered if bees are going to recover from CCD, varroa mite infestation or American Foul Brood, the latter a disease that strikes beehives with deadly results. “To a degree, yes,” Tew said. “Some are recovering, but many bee colonies are still weak, even puny.”

According to him, losses are around 25 percent this past winter. While that is better than the previous year’s 50-72 percent loss, it is still a high winter mortality count.

“In 16 years bees will still sting you, but in 16 years we’ll probably have ways to understand what it takes to mutate the sting,” Tew said. “By 2025 we’ll have better science and healthier bees. In that year we’ll probably see hand-held pheromone detectors. Bees will be the same, but beekeepers will change and the way keepers get their information about bees will change.

“By 2025 we’ll understand nutritional needs better, we’ll understand vitamins, minerals and trace elements better 16 years from now. And, it wouldn’t surprise me if varroa mites aren’t an issue.”
Tew gave veteran and first-time beekeepers encouragement, reminding them that he’s seen the best and worst of times in this hobby.

“I have chosen not to see things that might go wrong, because since 1984 beekeeping has seen its share of things that have gone wrong. I’ve chosen to see good things ahead,” he said.