Penn State workshop empowers beekeepers to breed more resilient honey bees

Aug. 5—Honey bees are crucial for pollinating crops, but in Northeastern states, more than 40% of honey bee colonies die each winter partly due to susceptibility to parasites and pathogens.

One way to improve honey bee survival and increase sustainable beekeeping is to train beekeepers in controlled breeding for resilient traits, according to Robyn Underwood, apiculture educator with Penn State Extension.

To learn instrumental insemination of honey bees — also called artificial insemination — six participants attended a hands-on workshop July 20-22, at Penn State's University Park campus.

The workshop was part of a long-term extension program funded by a $217,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program.

Launched in May 2022, the program is called "EPIQ," which stands for education about production and insemination of queens. It includes biweekly lunch-and-learn Zoom sessions and hands-on workshops and is led by Underwood and Kate Anton, research technologist in the Department of Entomology and Center for Pollinator Research in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences and Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.

"It is rewarding to collaborate with Dr. Underwood and bring this training program to life," Anton said. "I use these practices to support the Grozinger Lab research program, and it is easy to recognize the value it offers to the beekeeping industry."

Selected through a competitive application process, a cohort of about 100 experienced beekeepers participate in the queen rearing education at no cost. A few of the highest performers were invited to learn instrumental insemination.

The grant is aimed at improving honey bee husbandry by providing in-depth training for beekeepers in colony assessment, honey bee biology, and queen and drone production.

Underwood noted that honey bee queens mate in flight often with dozens of males called drones. By using instrumental insemination, breeders can control both the amount of sperm each queen receives and the genetic origin of the queen and the drones. The closed mating system produces well-mated queens capable of serving as breeding stock that can pass on their traits to their offspring.

The process of instrumental insemination starts with collecting the semen. In comparison to other livestock, honey bee queens mate only during one or two days in the beginning of their lives and store millions of sperm that are used to fertilize eggs for the rest of their lives — which can last several years.

"To perform the insemination, we need to collect semen from many drones in a capillary tube," Underwood said. "After semen is collected, it is injected into the oviducts of an anesthetized queen bee. This process is particularly challenging and requires specialized equipment."

The equipment — which can cost around $5,000 — includes such items as a microscope, insemination instrument, capillary tubes and handmade glass needles. Participants acquired only basic skills during the training; to become proficient, they must practice extensively at home, Underwood explained. To support their practice, they were provided with free equipment, thanks to the funding of Northeast SARE.

"It's expected to take at least two years and hundreds of hours of practice before these beekeepers become proficient enough to produce and sell inseminated queens," Underwood said. "During semen collection, contamination is the number one risk: it can occur when the drone defecates or if any of its anatomy touch your finger, or if mucus gets into the semen, requiring you to discard it."

She emphasized the high level of diligence required. "At one point I stepped out of the room and when I came back, there was pure silence," she said. "Everybody was focused and working hard. I felt proud of their dedication and stamina to look in a microscope for eight hours."

Due to the significant financial cost and time investment and the complexity of the process, the skill of honey bee instrumental insemination is extremely rare, Underwood noted.

She expressed her hope to establish Penn State Extension as a national hub for this education. Although the participants currently are part of a grant-funded program, her vision is to transition to a model where beekeepers pay for queen rearing education, given the skill's high demand, which can lead to increased profits by reducing chemical pesticide applications, increasing honey production, and selling bees and queens locally.

"Our goal is to have one person in each Northeast state proficient in instrumental insemination," Underwood said. The instructors plan to hold the workshop twice more next year and anticipate the grant will continue until at least 2025.

"As we increase the knowledge and skill sets of this network of beekeepers, we will gain the needed foundation for a regional breeding effort," Anton said. "Educating farmers in the art and science of queen rearing and instrumental insemination in the short term will pave the way to improvement of honey bee stocks in the region in the long term."

Rep. Watro supports funding for schools

schools with hunting, archery programs

Rep. Dane Watro, R-Kline Township, this week issued the following statement regarding the Biden administration's decision to withhold funding for schools with hunting and archery programs based on its interpretation of a new law.

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) was signed by the president last year after a string of mass shootings.

"I am strongly opposed to this misguided decision by the administration. The U.S. Department of Education could not be more wrong in its interpretation of the BSCA. Now, many school districts have no choice but to drop their hunting and archery programs or lose out on federal funding.

"We all know how popular hunting is in parts of Pennsylvania and how important school hunter safety programs in those areas are in teaching students about the proper use of a firearm. Many schools also have shooting and archery squads where students compete, build self-esteem and learn about teamwork. Now, those opportunities are going to disappear.

"Even though the president has said he has no issue with the rights of law-abiding sportsmen and sportswomen under the Second Amendment, it seems the administration is twisting the new law to suit its purposes, and that's simply not fair."

North Branch Land Trust to host

second annual Barn Banquet

Northeastern Pennsylvania conservation non-profit North Branch Land Trust is hosting their Second Annual NEPA Barn Banquet on Monday Aug. 14, at Friedman Farms in Dallas.

The Barn Banquet is a celebration of Pennsylvania's agricultural heritage and the importance of conserving working lands and agricultural soils.

Friedman Farms is a gorgeous rustic venue that, in addition to beautiful events, is also a working stable. Guests will be able to enjoy the views of stunning fields and horses right outside the original barn dining area.

Chefs from Bank + Vine prepared a locally inspired menu that pulls from the flavors of late NEPA summer.

The banquet will also feature a Handmade and Home-Grown Raffle to highlight local agriculture and craftsmanship. All items in the raffle have been cultivated from regional supporters.

Director of Marketing & Development, Karley Stasko said, "I am happy we will be expanding our celebrations through a raffle this year. There are many talented folks in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and we cannot express enough gratitude to those who have chosen to share their gifts with us!"

Funds raised through the NEPA Barn Banquet will support North Branch Land Trust's conservation work throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania.

NBLT Executive Director, Ellen Ferretti explained, "Conserving our natural resources, our natural beauty, our working lands and the benefits they provide the community can be hard to quantify at times. Resilient habitats, clean air and water, these things are not always noticeable at a glance. But standing in a working NEPA barn, surrounded by incredible landscape, tasting local flavors, it is much easier to understand why it is so important to protect working lands as a part of the wealth of natural resources Pennsylvania holds."

In addition to working landscapes, North Branch conserves forests, open space, and other natural and scenic landscapes in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Visit nblt.org/barnbanquet for reservations and more information.

If you would like to share a portion of your harvest or craft with fellow Northeastern Pennsylvania conservationists, please contact info@nblt.org.

PFBC documents invasive snakehead fish

reproduction in lower Susquehanna River

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) this week issued a strong advisory to encourage anglers who catch invasive Northern Snakeheads in the lower Susquehanna River, and elsewhere in the Commonwealth, to report and dispose of any fish caught.

This advisory follows multiple Northern Snakehead captures in Conowingo Reservoir by anglers and natural resource agency biologists this summer, including the first evidence of Northern Snakehead reproduction in the reservoir.

The PFBC and partner natural resource agencies have been conducting surveillance monitoring for Northern Snakeheads in the lower Susquehanna River since May 2020, when 21 fish passed the Conowingo Dam during fish lift operations for native migratory fish passage.

While Northern Snakehead abundance currently appears to be low in Conowingo Reservoir, documentation of reproduction is concerning.

The Northern Snakehead is an invasive species, in contrast to native species like American Eel that play an ecologically important role in the aquatic community, or species naturalized in the river system like Smallmouth Bass that support a world-class fishery.

"Northern Snakeheads are voracious predators and may cause declines in important sport fisheries, such as bass and panfish, and may inhibit recovery efforts for species of conservation concern in the region such as American Shad and Chesapeake Logperch," said Sean Hartzell, PFBC Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator. "This is a critical time to protect the Susquehanna River from further expansion of invasive Northern Snakeheads by removing them to reduce adverse impacts."

In response to these recent findings in Conowingo Reservoir, which is managed jointly by the PFBC and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the PFBC is reminding anglers to harvest or properly dispose of any Northern Snakeheads caught and report captures from Pennsylvania waters to the PFBC at — https://www.fishandboat.com/Conservation/AIS/Pages/default.aspx

Anglers are reminded that possession, transport, and importation of live snakeheads is illegal in both Pennsylvania and Maryland, and violations of these regulations may incur legal consequences following investigation by conservation law enforcement professionals. In Pennsylvania and Maryland, Northern Snakeheads have no size or creel limits and may be taken by hook and line, as well as by bowfishing.

Harvest is strongly encouraged and anglers in possession of a Northern Snakehead must immediately kill the fish onsite. Because Northern Snakeheads are tough, air breathing fish which can survive outside of water for extended periods of time, it is recommended to kill them by removal of the head, removal of the gill arches, or removal of the internal organs. Northern Snakeheads produce white meat fillets that are considered desirable table fare. Carcasses may also be disposed of appropriately in the trash or used as garden fertilizer.

"Biologists are monitoring for Northern Snakeheads and removing individuals caught to reduce abundance both during targeted work and during fisheries surveys for other species," said Kris Kuhn, Director of the PFBC Bureau of Fisheries. "Anglers play a critical role in controlling the spread of this invasive species by harvesting and reporting any fish caught. We're counting on their cooperation."

Back Woods Bass Results

Bob Strunk reports results from the Back Woods Bass Harveys Lake Wednesday night Lunker Tournament, the Back Woods Bass Harveys Lake Friday Night Tournament and the Monday Night River Tournament.

Week of July 31

Back Woods Bass Harveys Lake

Monday Night River Tournament

1st Place: Chet Williams, 2.79 lbs.

2nd Place: Wyatt Frederick, 1.74 lbs.

3rd Place: Joe Frederick, 1.71 lbs.

4th Place: John Centak, 1.61 lbs.

5th Place: Sheldon Strunk, 1.52 lbs.

Harveys Lake Wednesday

Night Lunker League

1st Place: Joe Zombek, 2.82 lbs.

2nd Place: Jimmy Roberts, 2.72 lbs.

3rd Place: Evan Stravinski, 2.70 lbs.

4th Place: Nate Hazeltine, 2.69 lbs.

5th Place: Cody Cutter, 2.68 lbs.

6thPlace: Kyle Drake, 2.62 lbs.

7th Place: John Stravinski, 2.41 lbs.

8th Place: Joe Simko, 2.40 lbs.

9th Place: Brian Cutter, 2.21 lbs.

10th Place: Duane Deno, 2.08 lbs.

Harveys Lake Friday

Night Tournament

1s Place: Joe Zombek/Mike Bahnweg, 10.70 lbs.

Also won Lunker Award, 4.65 lbs.

2nd Place: Josh Colarusso/Pete Sulla, 7.65 lbs.

3rd Place: John Niezgoda/Brad Rinehimmer, 7.00 lbs.

4the Place: John & Evan Stravinski, 6.50 lbs.

5th Place: Chuck Peterman/Rob Vales, 4.03 lbs.

Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle