Stay Connected

Almond Pollination Contract 2015

Have your almond pollination contract in place by the end of the summer - at the latest! In 2015, it will take 1.7M honey bee colonies to pollinate the almond crop alone. A contract template can be accessed on the PAm website. Click here.

PAm Now Has a Satellite Office in Shafter, CA!

PAm will now have a presence in one of the richest pollinated-crop areas of the US. Beginning this month, PAm will have office space at the Shafter Research Station.The area around Shafter is home to more than 300,000 honey bee colonies each February and March. PAm's main address is still Paso Robles, CA, but Shafter will allow us to have additional resources in a key honey bee and research area.

Beekeeping Events

2014 - 2015

It's time to plan for beekeeping club meetings and conferences. Registration is open for several events. Visit our 'Events' page for direct links.

Western Apicultural Society

        September 17 - 20, 2014
         Doubletree on the River
                  Missoula, MT

14th Annual North American Pollinator Protection Campaign International Conference - NAPPC

October 21 - 23, 2014
Washington, D.C.

The Russians Are Coming:

Migratory Beekeeping, Almond Pollination & Honey Production

       October 25 - 26, 2014
   Bee Culture Conference Center
                 Medina, OH

2014 California State Beekeepers Association - 125th Annual

    November 18th - 20th, 2014
              Hyatt Regency
                Valencia, CA

Idaho Honey Association Meeting

December 4 - 5, 2014
Boise, ID

Almond Board Conference

December 9 - 11, 2014
Sacramento, CA

North American Beekeeping (ABF) Conference and Tradeshow

          January 6 - 10, 2015
             Disneyland Hotel
                Anaheim, CA

American Honey Producers (AHPA) Convention & Tradeshow

          January 6 - 10, 2015
     Manhattan Beach Marriott
        Manhattan Beach, CA

Honey Bee Forage Plant

Great Valley Gumweed

Grindelia camporum

High drought and salt tolerance allows this plant to persist throughout the late summer months when other plants wither, making it an important late-season source of pollen and nectar for honey bees. For this reason, it is often planted in pollinator meadows and hedgerows. Source: NRCS

PAm Supporter!

Paramount Farming

Paramount Farming, the world's largest grower and processor of almonds, has generously donated to PAm to help continue research to improve honey bee health and crop production. Thank you for your donation!

PAm Supporter!

Ruth Hargreaves

PAm received a memorial donation in honor of her late husband, Hal Hargreaves. Ruth writes from Idaho "Keep up the good work!" Thank you, Ruth, for your donation and support!

PAm Supporter!

Scientific Ag

Joe Traynor, Scientific Ag Company manager and PAm board member has generously donated again to PAm. Based in Bakersfield, CA, Joe operates a pollination service for beekeepers and almond growers. Thank you!

Buzz Worthy

Photo - Archie Mitchell

Articles, Books and Videos

The Wisdom of the Hive

Video 4:12 minutes

A Conversation about Bee Declines, Impacts on Our Food System and What You Can Do About It

Berkeley Food Institute

Video 1:15:13

Honey Bee Gut is a Fermenting Tank

Catch the Buzz

Emergency Response Kit

Bee Informed Partnership offers this service to aid beekeepers with crashing hives that require immediate attention. With ERKs, beekeepers gain a better understanding of the factors that contribute to their colony loss and what may be ruled out. To order kits call (301) 405-3799 or
send an email.

HELP HONEY BEES

Make your donation to Project Apis m. securely with PayPal or mail to:

Project Apis m.

6775 Chardonnay Road

Paso Robles, CA 93446

BEE On Our Supporters' Page!

With your donation, your name will be placed on our Supporters' Page.

Make your donation today!

Help Us Help the Honey Bee!

August 2014

PAm Seeking Research Proposals

This is what PAm does best, and other entities think so too! We are looking to fund researchers with a passion for honey bees. Blue Diamond Growers has entrusted PAm with monies to petition for research that helps almond growers improve crop production and helps improve the health and vitality of honey bees. Let's get some needed work done! We are looking for practical solutions for managed colonies with the efficient transfer of research results into field practice. Proposals are being accepted now through August 25th so don't delay! To get started, read the article block below.

West of the Rockies, everybody is still talking about the drought - so we will, too, and and it may affect you! California Border Inspection Stations will have limited water this Fall to keep your truckloads of bees cool. Plan ahead - consider pre-watering colonies before you get to the border, in case of delays, and plan on arriving during normal business hours.

Meg Ribotto, Editor

PAm Seeks Research Proposals

Deadline August 25, 2014

Immediate Release - PAm is issuing a call for almond grower-friendly research proposals. Submitted proposals should meet the following objectives:

Provide practical solutions for almond growers and for managed honey bee colonies
Yield results that can be transferred into field practice
Provide an excellent rate-of-return for beekeepers and growers.

Awards are between $5,000 and $35,000. Funding at a higher level will be considered but not to exceed $75K. DEADLINE For FULL PROPOSALS is Monday, August 25th. Proposal format can be found here.

Attention Beekeepers: LIMITED Water Supply at California Border Inspection Stations

Migratory beekeepers transporting colonies to California for pollination services may have to find alternative ways to keep their honey bees cool. The statewide drought has impacted some water hose bibs that were recently installed with funding from CSBA, the Almond Board and PAm to help beekeepers. CDFA contacted PAm in a collaborative effort to alert apiary shipments that will begin in October. To date, the CA Border Inspection Stations impacted by the drought are:

Tulelake (SR 139) - Well is operating but having intermittent problems with air bleeding into the well. Early indication signs that the well may be running dry.
Needles (I-40) - Well is operating but is having intermittent problems with sand in the uptake.
Yermo (I-15) - Well is non-operational and is not repairable. This is likely due to a collapse of the well from water table running dry.

Project Apis m. will continue to update beekeepers.

PAm Establishes Partnership with Pheasants Forever

Folks who work on behalf of pheasants, and those who work on behalf of honey bees, have a lot in common. PAm and Pheasants Forever have combined efforts and expertise to build honey bee, pheasant and monarch butterfly habitat opportunities in the Upper Midwest. In the pic above, Zac Browning, beekeeper and PAm Board Member, along with Pete Berthelsen, Pheasants Forever, inspect a habitat demonstration plot in North Dakota. You will hear much more about this partnership in the coming months!

Multiple Benefits of Planting Cover Crops

Cover Crops and Water Infiltration of Soil

Watch this 4 minute video on the benefits of planting a cover crop. A Sacramento Valley grower shows how legumes, such as clover and vetch that PAm offers to almond growers, planted in the orchard rows provide numerous advantages. Benefits not just for orchardists but for honey bees and other pollinators! This video was produced by USDA-NRCS to encourage and educate landowners.

Improved soil fertility
Improved water infiltration and aeration
Improved soil structure and porosity
Improved organic matter
More beneficial insects - including honey bees
More rainfall absorbed
Soil sealing reduced from rain's impact

Now Enrolling CA Almond Growers in Honey Bee Forage Project

PAm is once again providing free seed to almond growers in California. The 'Seeds for Bees' honey bee forage project is now enrolling cooperators. Working with land managers and owners, PAm has established acreage, seed mixes, seed suppliers, and planting regimes.

By educating growers about the value of providing honey bee forage, many acres of potential honey bee habitat can be made available to sustain nutrition-starved honey bees. Mustard for pre-almond bloom and clover/vetch for post-almond. If you are an almond grower, contact Meg@ProjectApism.org. Visit our forage page to learn more on cover cropping.

Providing Honey Bees Needed Nutrition

Western Farm Press has published an article, Planting Bee Forage Crops in San Joaquin Valley, written by NRCS Soil Conservationist, Priscilla Baker. PAm visited Priscilla at her Madera County office this past Spring where we had opportunity to talk about the 'Seeds for Bees' honey bee forage project. NRCS has been supportive of PAm's cover cropping program and has directed almond growers to the free seed offered by Project Apis m.

Priscilla interviewed Meg Ribotto (PAm Pollination Director), Grewal Brothers Farming and Bellach Farm Management (two almond growers and PAm forage project cooperators), Bret Adee (a migratory commercial beekeeper), Dr. Gordon Wardell, Paramount Farming's bee biologist, and David Doll (UCCE farm advisor). Both USDA-NRCS and Project Apis m. are helping to promote pollinator health through planting cover crops. Click above to read.

PAm & CDFA: Grant Update

Christi Heintz (PAm) & Anna Shkrabak (CDFA) visit the bee-friendly garden at UCDavis. Project Apis m. and Kimiora Ward, Research Associate, Dept. of Entomology, UCDavis, provided CDFA a grant update on building CA bees for CA Specialty Crops.

August Bee Husbandry

Inspect and monitor for Varroa - check often
Be aware that strong colonies in mid-summer can be highly infested with mites and can crash in late-summer and fall
Inspect and monitor for Nosema - check often
Be aware that Nosema in the presence of high mite levels can compromise colony health
Nutrition in the form of natural forage can be limited in late summer
When floral resources are inadequate, feed bees sugar syrup and pollen substitutes to improve colony survival and performance.
Project Apis m. has e-learning modules and YouTube videos on Varroa, Nosema and Nutrition - Just click on the word!

Project Apis m. has developed Best Management Practices (BMPs) for beekeepers and almond growers, including hive, colony and business management. All can be accessed here.

Project Apis m | | christih@cox.net | http://www.ProjectApism.org
6775 Chardonnay Road

Paso Robles, CA 93446