maybe this time?

The Kauai Beekeepers Association is hosting

a Public Meeting Today

 

Saturday 2:00pm – 3:30pm
February 20, 2010

Invitation to the Public to attend informational meeting
On Varroa Mite Prevention Strategies for Kauai
Learn how to become involved with KBEE
Get informed on ways to prevent Varroa Mite from becoming a
major problem on Kaua’i

Saturday 2:00pm – 3:30pm

KCC-Technology Building

What will we do about varroa mite and honeybees?

come check out our meeting today at KCC in the Tech Building. the meeting starts at 2pm and will conclude around 3:30. hope you can make it. malama pono, aloha aina

Smelling the Flowers

still figuring it out

Mahalo to Dr Francis Takahashi for his leadership and support of KBee. Francis was instrumental in setting up the KBee information booth at KCC's culinary fundraising event. There were loads of people and we had a chance to expose folks to KBee's mission and objectives. Check out today's Garden Island News article by Dennis Fujimoto. Also check this out this photo of Dr Takahasi with a swarm trap that will be used in the effort to Keep Kauai Varroa Mite Free.
If you are interested in learning how to become involved with KBee's effort to keep the deadly little buggas off our bees, please join us for an informational meeting at KCC next Saturday Feb 20, 2010 at 2:00pm. This meeting will be an opportunity for folks to find out more about KBee's partnership with the county and state to help keep varroa at bay. For more information feel free to contact Jimmy Trujillo @ 346 7725 or e.mail him . You can always leave a comment here as well. Enjoy the fine weather today and take time to smell the flowers. Just watch out for our winged friends in there; they like that smell just as much as we do.

You Read It Here First

hey, so the garden island got part of the story; at least they got some of the story . but where's the picture?
any how, mahalo to young brother's community advisory board and to george costa with our county's office of economic development to fund some future KBee activities. they see the connection between healthy bees, a healthy environment and a healthy economy. of course if we want a healthy economy we need a healthy environment. food production is some thing we need more of not less. loosing all feral hives to varroa would be a significant loss for our pollinating friends. the impacts on our local flower power could be quite negative.  i'm no expert but me thinks it would be bad for the environment and the economy.
anywaze, here some info on varroa. pretty basic stuff but devastating for the bees. we'll have more information to share as we figure out a schedule of events and trainings for beekeepers and their  supporters. we'll need to build up the stocks of managed hives and increased apiary activities all across the island if we'd like to see our food productivity increase and not decline in the coming years. the longer we can hold off the infestation the better off we'll be. staying varroa mite free is a worthy cause. please join in the effort to build community around a vision of sustainable agriculture, right lively hood and environmental justice. with so much inter island traffic the likely hood of varroa coming to kauai is pretty high. we'll need to take every precaution with in reason to help our bees stay clean. we'll keep you posted on our progress. you might even read it here first

For Immediate Release

Feb 5, 2010
Kauai Beekeepers Association
For Immediate Release:
Contact Info:
*********************************************************
Jimmy Trujillo 346 7725   
Erik  Coopersmith 335-0710
Jose Bulatao, Jr.
Chris Kobayashi 
**********************************************************
LOCAL EEFORT TO PREVENT SPREAD OF VARROA MITE

KBEE AND GIRCD RECEIVES FUNDING
WILL ASSIST STATE DOA
IN VARROA MITE PREVENTION PROGRAM

AWARD PRESENTATION FRIDAY FEB 5
10 AM @ YB NAWILIWILI OFFICE

LOCAL MEDIA INVITED


Scroll Down or See Attachment for Full Story

*************************************

Local beekeepers on Kauai have received financial assistance from two
local sources to help keep the Garden Island Varroa mite free. The
Kauai Beekeepers Association(KBEE) will work with the Hawaii State
Department of Agriculture to help keep Kauai's bees clean and free
from this deadly parasite. KBEE will be assisted by Garden Island
Resource Conservation and Development, Inc. (GIRC&D), an 18 year old
community-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, who is the financial
oversight co-sponsor of this community movement.

At the request of KBEE, the County Of Kauai and Young Brothers have
given financial assistance to help implement a local response plan for
monitoring against the introduction of Varroa mite.

Pictured here, Young Brothers Community Advisory Chair Wanda Shibata
says, "Kauai residents and businesses need to understand the Varroa
mite poses a threat to the Kauai honeybee population and their
introduction to Kauai will disrupt the pollination process having an
effect on our local food production, agriculture crops and our
indigenous plants. Should the Varroa mite get out of hand, it poses an
unfathomable and consequentially dangerous situation to our local
agricultural economy and to the existing local environment as well."
Shibata continues, "Before it gets to that point, we need to take
these monitoring measures and address the issue beforehand and not
after the fact. YB is taking a proactive role to assure that the
spread of this mite is not in transit from our shipping operations.
With this grant, YB will be assisting in the purchase of the swarm
traps to assist KBEE and GIRC&D, Inc. with their volunteer monitoring."


Ray Maki, GIRC&D Board Secretary adds, "We are pleased to be
supporting KBEE's mission to keep Kauai Varroa mite free.  GIRCD would
like to thank Young Brothers and the County of Kauai for supporting
this unique collaborative effort between the Hawaii Department Of
Agriculture, the County of Kauai and  local community groups and
businesses."

For more information about KBEE and how to get involved with their
efforts to keep Kauai Varroa mite free please visit their
informational blog, KauaiBuzz, at http://kauaibuzz.blogspot.com/.

***********************************************************************
FOR FULL STORY Continue:

The effort by local beekeepers on Kauai to help keep the Garden Island
varroa mite free just got a boost. The Kauai Beekeepers Association
(KBEE), a project of Garden Island Resource Conservation and
Development (GIRCD), has received financial assistance from two local
sources to help keep Kauai?s bees clean and free from the deadly
parasite. The County Of Kauai and Young Brothers Community Advisory
Board have awarded financial assistance to KBEE to help develop a
local response plan for Varroa mite.
*******         *******                **********           ********
Varroa mite (scientific name- Varroa destructor) is a tiny external
parasite which attaches itself  to the bodies of honey bees and feeds
off the hemolymph or blood of the host bee. The mites are then
established in the hives and have a devastating impact on the host
colony. Feral or wild honeybees are at greatest risk of destruction.
Varroa is a global threat and was discovered on Oahu in 2006.  A 2008
outbreak in Hilo, Hawaii raised the level of concern about the spread
of varroa throughout the state.
*******         *******                **********           ********
KBEE was formed as a direct result of the Big Island infestation in
January 2009 after a series of community meetings were convened and
hosted by Garden Island Honey proprietors Marie and Jimmy Torio, of
Anahola. Selection of KBEE's organizing committee occurred at a
community meeting that January in Niumalu.
*******         *******                **********           ********
One of the organizing committee members, Erik Coopersmith says, "KBEE
is not merely an organization for professional beekeepers. In fact,
many members receive little or no compensation for their beekeeping;
we are largely volunteers and hobbyists, but we really need Kauai's
professional beekeepers to get involved, too. What we all have in
common is a great appreciation for our honeybee's critical plant
pollination activities, in addition to their honey and other wonderful
by-products. KBEE holds monthly meetings and has been actively
courting Kauai's beekeepers and anyone else interested in the future
of Kauai's honeybees to attend our meetings and get involved."
Coopersmith, a Westside resident and beekeeper helped to secure the
two grants that KBEE received.

According to another KBEE member and organizer, Jimmy Trujillo,
"KBEE was formed as a proactive effort to rally Kauai beekeepers,
community members and government officials to take action and prevent
the spread of the varroa mite to Kauai from infested areas on the
islands of Oahu and Hawaii." Trujillo, a Kapahi resident who tends a few hives on a
neighbor's parcel and removes unwanted hives from buildings continues, "With the funding
from the Office of Economic Development and Young Brothers
Community Advisory Grant, KBEE is helping to establish a program to
assist the state's Department of Agriculture in monitoring swarm traps
in high risk areas. By placing and monitoring swarm traps in
areas adjacent to the ports and harbors on Kauai KBee members can be
of assistance to the lone HDOA staff person responsible for Kauai's
first line of defense against a potential varroa infestation."

Community advocate Jose Bulatao Jr., a KBEE supporter who appreciates
the contribution of honey bees to a healthy environment and
sustainable food production asks, "How will our agricultural
activities be affected; what will happen to the flowers to make leis
to greet our visitors; in which ways will our local economy be
impacted?". The retired educator from Kekaha continues, "Isn?t this
reason enough to make every attempt to work together and address the
"plight of the honeybees" here in the State of Hawaii?".

*******         *******                **********           ********
In March 2009, KBee hosted two meetings that involved state and county
interests. The first, held at Kauai Community College, took place with
HDOA staff from Oahu and Kauai. This meeting was the first opportunity
to meet face to face with HDOA folks who are involved with varroa mite
eradication efforts on Oahu and Hawaii. The second meeting occurred at
Kalapaki Beach Park with state and county officials present along with
community members to discuss critical issues facing agriculture, bees
and the environment.

Further discussions with the Kauai County Office of Economic
Development (OED) led to a partnership with Garden Island Resource
Conservation and Development (GIRCD). GIRCD is a federal non profit
501 c3  on Kauai, dedicated to supporting community groups and efforts
related to water and soil conservation, agriculture, and cultural
awareness. This partnership led KBee to seek county funding to
purchase swarm traps and work with HDOA and the UH BeeProject. The
goal is to develop a first line of defense and a rapid response plan
to facilitate containment of known varroa infested bee colonies on
Kauai.
*******         *******                **********           ********

George Costa, OED Director states, "The County of Kauai, Office of
Economic Development acknowledges the effort of the Kauai Beekeepers
Association in preventing the infiltration of the varroa mite on
Kauai. This grassroots organization that was formed a year ago and is now led by
Executive Committee Chair James Trujillo. Through diligence and
collaboration, KBEE has received a grant from the OED administered
through Garden Island RC&D and in partnership with HDOA to monitor
traps in the Nawiliwili area for varroa mite. KBEE has also created an
awareness of the varroa mite and the detrimental affects it can have
on our honeybee population and pollination of our essential
agriculture industry and island food supply."

Ray Maki, a board of director with GIRCD adds, "We are pleased to be
supporting KBEE's mission to keep Kauai varroa mite free. GIRCD would
like to thank Young Brothers and the county for supporting this unique
collaborative effort between the Hawaii DOA, the County of Kauai and
local community groups and businesses."

Young Brother Community Advisory Chair Wanda Shibata adds, "Kauai
residents and businesses need to understand about the varroa mite
threat to the honeybee population and the pollination process and how
it affects the fruiting seasons for our local food production and
agriculture like mangoes, lychee, tropical flowers, vegetables, etc.
and our indigenous plants. Should the varroa mite threat get out of
hand, it poses an unfathomable and consequentially dangerous situation
to our local agricultural economy and to the existing local
environment as well."
Shibata continues, "Before it gets to that point, we need to take
measures and address the issue beforehand and not after the fact. YB
is taking measures to assure that the spread of this mite is not in
transit from our shipping operations. With this grant assisting KBEE
and GIRD with the purchase of the swarm traps we can help keep that
potential threat at a very low or non-existant level."

Mr. Bulatao concludes, "Perhaps nothing on our list of disappearing
America is so dire. Honeybee populations are plummeting so enormously;
and are so necessary to the survival of our food supply. 'Colony
Collapse Disorder,' or CCD, has spread throughout the U.S. and Europe
over the past few years, wiping out 50% to 90% of the colonies of many
beekeepers, and along with it, their livelihood. If this does not ring
bells among ALL of us here in Hawaii, think about what will happen
when the natural pollination process "changes" drastically."
*******         *******                **********           ********

For more information about KBEE and how to get involved with the
effort to keep Kauai varroa mite free please visit their informational
blog, KauaiBuzz, at http://kauaibuzz.blogspot.com/. Their next
informational meeting will be held at 2pm on Sat. Feb 20 at KCC. Call
346 7725 or visit their blogsite for more information.

Kauai Beekeepers Association
Executive Organizing Committee


Jimmy Trujillo - Chair,
Erik Coopersmith - Vice Chair
Susan Zollinger - Treasurer
Ryan Wooton - Secretary,
Francis Takahashi -Advisor
  Jose Bulatao, Jr. - Advisor
Chris Kobayashi - Advisor
Debbie Erickson - Advisor
*************************************************************
What is a varroa mite? The scientific name is Varroa destructor
(Anderson and Trueman).  In Hawaii, it's only known host is the common
(western or European) honey bee.   Elsewhere in the world, it can
utilize a different species called the Asian or Oriental honey bee.


Why are varroa mites a problem?

Varroa mites are one of the most destructive pests of honey bees.
Adult female varroa mites lay their eggs in the brood cells of bee
hives.  The mites feed on bee larvae and pupae, resulting in
deformation of the wings and bodies of bees when they develop and
emerge as adults.  They also feed on adult bees.  The feeding causes a
decline in bee populations which ultimately reduces pollination
necessary for the production of tropical fruits and vegetables.

*******         *******                **********           ********
Kauai Beekeeper?s Association
For Immediate Release:
Contact Info:
**************************************
Jimmy Trujillo 346 7725   
Erik  Coopersmith  335-0710 
Jose Bulatao, Jr.
Chris Kobayashi