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Some disturbing news
by Mark J. Sommer 11 Apr '26

11 Apr '26

https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/soon-after-massive-hon eybee-deaths-trump-moves-to-close-the-nations-premier-bee-lab/ ~Mark Mark J. Sommer 03 Las Huertas Road, Placitas, New Mexico 87043 PHONE: 505-480-3157 E-MAIL: <mailto:msommer@somware.com> msommer(a)somware.com

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Beltsville Research Lab 9.11.25
by katewhealen＠earthlink.net 10 Apr '26

10 Apr '26

I also find the closing of the Beltsville Bee Lab disturbing. Many of us have submitted bee and comb samples to the Beltsville Lab for help in identifying disease. This is a free service and there is no redundancy here—no other agency provides this service and we have nothing comparable in the state of New Mexico. Many other periodicals have covered this story including Bee Culture and The American Bee Journal. This is absolutely a topic of interest to beekeepers, please read the letter of concern below explaining why this Bee Lab is so important. Please refrain from personal attacks. Your moderator, Kate > Begin forwarded message: > > From: Jerry Hayes | Editor | Bee Culture Magazine <jerry(a)beeculture.com> > Subject: Support For the Beltsville Research Lab 9.11.25 > Date: September 11, 2025 at 11:02:58 AM MDT > To: beto1234(a)earthlink.net > Reply-To: Jerry Hayes | Editor | Bee Culture Magazine <jerry(a)beeculture.com> > > Trouble seeing this email? Click here to view email in browser > <https://kalng9.fd58.fdske.com/e/c/01k4wvnxp4sgbncrvjdh9rqqr3/01k4wvnxp4sgbn…> > > <https://kalng9.fd58.fdske.com/e/c/01k4wvnxp4sgbncrvjdh9rqqr3/01k4wvnxp4sgbn…> > > Click below to read all the BUZZ! > SUPPORT FOR BELTSVILLE RESEARCH LAB > <https://kalng9.fd58.fdske.com/e/c/01k4wvnxp4sgbncrvjdh9rqqr3/01k4wvnxp4sgbn…> > This letter was sent out by the Honey Bee Health Coalition at the end of August in support of the Beltsville Research Lab. > > To Whom it May Concern, > On behalf of the Honey Bee Health Coalition and the undersigned, we are reaching out to offer our collective support in safeguarding the future of the USDA-ARS Bee Research Laboratory (BRL), part of the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) in Beltsville, Maryland. Recently, USDA announced the potential closure of BARC as part of a broader agency reorganization plan. > The BRL is an internationally recognized leader in honey bee health research and diagnostics. Its work is essential to identifying and addressing the diseases and stressors that threaten managed honey bees, while leading national efforts to combat severe colony losses. These efforts are not only scientifically critical but also economically vital: honey bees contribute more than $20 billion annually to the U.S. economy by pollinating nearly one-third of the food we eat—including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. This year, honey bee colony losses have reached record levels, with disease continuing to play a major role. Closure or relocation of the BRL would severely disrupt ongoing research and undermine its indispensable Bee Disease Diagnostic Service, which supports beekeepers nationwide. > CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL LETTER > <https://kalng9.fd58.fdske.com/e/c/01k4wvnxp4sgbncrvjdh9rqqr3/01k4wvnxp4sgbn…> > > > https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VbTtU1tH4MxiRdwpK4J6U4LT-ie9LNFeNCYd14n… > Letter of concern regarding proposed relocation of USDA Beltsville Bee Lab > docs.google.com > > August 20, 2025 > > > > The Honorable Brooke Rollins > Secretary of Agriculture of the United States > U.S. Department of Agriculture > 1400 Independence Ave. > Washington, D.C. 20250 > > The Honorable Stephen Vaden > Deputy Secretary of Agriculture of the United States > U.S. Department of Agriculture > 1400 Independence Ave. > Washington, D.C. 20250 > > > > Dear Secretary Rollins and Deputy Secretary Vaden, > > > > The undersigned honey bee scientists and U.S. beekeeping industry leaders write to express our strong opposition to relocating the USDA Beltsville Bee Research Laboratory. The U.S. beekeeping industry is currently facing unprecedented challenges. Last year, beekeepers experienced the highest colony losses – 55.6% – in U.S. history[1]. For the past several decades, the USDA Beltsville Bee Research Laboratory has coordinated diagnostic services and developed new tools to reduce colony losses, thereby providing critical help to U.S. beekeepers. Below we highlight the strategic importance of keeping the USDA Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville. > > > > Relocating the USDA Beltsville Bee Research Laboratory would disrupt essential services and industry-supporting research. The Beltsville laboratory and its globally recognized researchers provide diagnostic services for deadly diseases, including American and European Foulbrood[2]. The laboratory also coordinates the National Honey Bee Disease Survey[3], which provides critical information to beekeepers and state apiarists so they can keep U.S. honey bees healthy and avoid disease outbreaks. The laboratory is also at the forefront of developing new tools to control the varroa mite, which is currently harming the U.S. beekeeping industry[4]. Any disruption in these services, information, and tools will threaten the viability of the U.S. beekeeping industry and pollination services to U.S. crops. Pollination of U.S. crops is currently worth >$15 billion annually[5], but shortfalls in U.S. crop pollination have recently been identified[6]. > > [1] https://apiaryinspectors.org/US-beekeeping-survey-24-25 <https://apiaryinspectors.org/US-beekeeping-survey-24-25> > [2] https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/beltsville-md-barc/beltsville-agric… <https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/beltsville-md-barc/beltsville-agric…> > earch-laboratory/docs/bee-disease-diagnosis-service/ <https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/beltsville-md-barc/beltsville-agric…> > > [3] https://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant-pests-diseases/honey-bee-surveys <https://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant-pests-diseases/honey-bee-surveys> > [4] https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.05.28.656706v1 <https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.05.28.656706v1> > [5] https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0037235 <https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0037235> > [6] https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.0922 <https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.0922> > Beltsville offers a low-risk environment for disease spillover, enabling controlled study of high-risk honey bee pathogens. Situated away from major commercial beekeeping centers, Beltsville offers strategic isolation and biosecurity. Relocating the laboratory to a high-density beekeeping state would jeopardize containment measures and increase the risk of introducing harmful agents into the nation’s bee populations. > > > > Beltsville’s four distinct seasons – unlike the milder climates of other USDA-ARS bee research locations – provide important conditions for studying overwintering losses. Overwinter mortality, seasonal disease dynamics, and the broader impacts of climate on colony health, remain primary drivers of annual colony losses. The Mid-Atlantic climate is broadly representative of the environmental conditions faced by most U.S. beekeepers. Thus, the geographical location of Beltsville provides environmental conditions that are ideal for understanding stresses on the U.S. beekeeping industry. > > > > Below, we share quotes from prominent U.S. beekeeping scientists and organizations that highlight the importance of maintaining the USDA Beltsville Bee Research Laboratory’s services, research, and expertise: > > > > “The central tenet in business is location, location, and location, and the same holds true in honey bee research at the USDA-ARS Beltsville bee lab. Their central location of laboratory and clinical services has been indispensable to the apiculture industry for decades, and any disruption in those services would have negative ripple effects for beekeepers across the nation. The proximate location of the participating lab groups within the unit makes them hyper-efficient to respond quickly to urgent issues in the industry; breaking up the unit would greatly diminish their ability to do so. Beltsville is ideally situated to connect industry, university research, and policymakers to make substantial differences in the lives of beekeepers; there cannot be a more well-suited location for USDA honey bee research in the nation.” – David Tarpy, University Faculty Scholar Professor, North Carolina State University > > > > “The USDA Beltsville Bee Lab has been a critical lab for many research trials and confirmations of products commercial beekeepers use or shouldn't use due to lack of efficacy. They have been the lab running the National Honey Bee Disease Survey, which is a great well of data for our industry. My home state of North Dakota’s Agriculture Department contributes to help this survey due to the critical Information it offers. We understand some of the Beltsville staff are willing to relocate, but as we have seen in other similar USDA relocations, we would lose half of the staff. For this reason, it would be best to maintain the lab, find a new lab there, or find a partnership with the University of Maryland.” – Chris Hiatt, Past President, American Honey Producers Association > > > > “The USDA Bee Research lab in Beltsville has been a critical hub of research on our nation’s honey bees and a critical provider of diagnostic services on the diseases and parasites that affect the health of bees. Keeping bees healthy is vital to the pollination of American fruit, vegetable and almond crops and to the livelihood of beekeepers – the unsung heroes of agriculture.” – Marla Spivak, Professor Emeritus and McArthur Fellow, University of Minnesota > > > > “Beekeepers across the United States rely on the services of the Beltsville Bee Lab and the research they provide. The results must be accurate and timely in order to assist us in making decisions that are critical to our industry. Beekeepers and our services are critical to food security in the U.S. and that requires healthy bees. A lab that works collaboratively with other researchers in the same location saves time and money for beekeepers as well as the government. We request that you rethink your decision to close/relocate this facility.” – Debbie Seib, Vice President, American Beekeeping Federation > > “The USDA-ARS Beltsville Bee Research Laboratory (BRL) is an indispensable fixture of American apiculture. Its staff and scientists provide disease and pest diagnostic services for the nation’s beekeepers, conduct vital research on the impact and mitigation of honey bee colony stressors, and collaborate with a broad network of other scientists on topics of relevance to honey bee husbandry. For decades, the BRL has provided answers to beekeepers’ most pressing questions.” – Jamie Ellis, Gahan Endowed Professor, University of Florida > > “The USDA Beltsville Bee Research Lab & its teams remain a point of prestige and excellence for American agriculture, providing core centralized expertise, co-ordination, and emergency response to our embattled American Beekeeping industry on which billions of dollars of specialty crops - and American farmers - rely. By providing centralized expertise and repositories, especially of agricultural bee diseases, its presence vastly improves the efficiency of USDA spending across the nation by preventing wasteful duplication of effort between states' bee labs. Closing it risks reducing the efficiency of government spending in support of safeguarding American fruit and vegetable production and consequently reducing American access to safe nutritious food on which the "Make America Healthy Again" agenda ultimately rests.” – Lewis Bartlett, Assistant Professor, University of Georgia > > > > “The Beltsville Lab has been a cornerstone of honey bee research and the beekeeping industry, providing critical scientific insights that have shaped how we understand and respond to the challenges facing these important crop pollinators. Their work is essential not just to the health of honey bees, but to the stability of our entire agricultural system.” – Samantha Alger, Assistant Research Professor, University of Vermont > > “The USDA Beltsville Bee Research Laboratory plays a vital role in advancing honey bee health and supporting beekeepers nationwide. The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) Bee Lab is proud to collaborate with Beltsville through the APHIS Honey Bee Health Survey, which provides critical data, diagnostic services, and insights to beekeepers in Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri. Their diagnostic expertise and commitment to pollinator health are essential to our shared mission of sustaining healthy bee populations and supporting U.S. agriculture.”– Judy Wu-Smart, Associate Professor & Extension Specialist, University of Nebraska-Lincoln > > “For over a century, the Beltsville USDA-ARS Bee Laboratory has been vital to US beekeeping, providing rapid responses during crises, decades of diagnostic services, and research uniquely enabled by its isolated apiary. The scientists, Drs. Chen, Evans, Corona, Cook and Alburaki, hold unmatched expertise and institutional knowledge that directly benefit beekeepers and agriculture nationwide. Closing this lab would undermine pollinator health, food production, and the livelihood of the US citizens. I strongly urge USDA leadership to keep the Beltsville Bee lab open in perpetuity.” – Elina Nino, Professor, University of California, Davis > > > As U.S. honey bee scientists and beekeeping industry leaders, we urge you to reconsider the proposed relocation of the USDA Beltsville Bee Research Laboratory. Relocating the lab would likely result in immediate and long-term harm to the U.S. beekeeping industry, thereby compromising essential pollination services to U.S. agriculture. > > > > Sincerely, > > *Signatures in this letter to not represent official positions or views of their institutions. > > > > David Tarpy, Professor > Department of Applied Ecology > North Carolina State University, NC, USA > Patty Sundberg, President > American Beekeeping Federation > Columbus, MT, USA > Chris Hiatt, Past President > American Honey Producers Association > Bowman, ND, USA > Marla Spivak, Professor Emeritus > Department of Entomology > University of Minnesota, MN, USA > Debbie Seib, Vice President > American Beekeeping Federation > Mooresville, IN, USA > Lewis Bartlett, Assistant Professor > Department of Entomology > University of Georgia, GA, USA > Christina Grozinger, Professor > Department of Entomology > Penn State University, PA, USA > Geoff Williams, Associate Professor > Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology > Auburn University, AL, USA > Elina L. Nino, Professor > Department of Entomology & Nematology > University of California, Davis, USA > Samantha Alger, Research Assistant Professor > Dept. of Agriculture, Landscape & Environment > University of Vermont, VT, USA > Reed Johnson, Professor > Department of Entomology > Ohio State University, OH, USA > Judy Wu-Smart, Associate Professor > Department of Entomology > University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NE, USA > Scott McArt, Associate Professor > Department of Entomology > Cornell University, NY, USA > Margarita M. López-Uribe, Associate Professor > Department of Entomology > Penn State University, PA, USA > Danielle Downey, Executive Director > Project Apis m. > Salt Lake City, UT, USA > > (all additional signatures will be added prior to submitting letter to USDA) > > > > > <https://flodesk.com/c/1Y2RST?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=email-footer>

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Second swarm in two weeks. 1859 Camino Lumbre.
by John Harvey 08 Apr '26

08 Apr '26

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SdC Beekeepers Mtg. Thursday Mar 26 @ 6:30
by katewhealen＠earthlink.net 23 Mar '26

23 Mar '26

Hello SDC members, We will be having our first SDC Beekeepers meeting of the 2026 season Thursday March 26, starting at 6:30 PM. Our meetings are held at St John’s Methodist Church located at 1200 Old Pecos Trail…..in the Choir Room. As some of us may have lost one or more hives over the winter, we plan to present information on how to determine what caused your bees to die or abscond. We call this learning process “Dead Out Forensics”. In addition, we will physically examine one or more hives during the class, as a group, to look for evidence of why the hive did not make it. Several members are bringing their “dead out hive” or frames/combs for us to inspect as a class. Show and Tell: Steve Wall of Buckin’ Bee Honey will bring a pollen trap he designed for top bar hives We also will be discussing: • Spring hive management • Feeding during the likely spring dearth. • Possible early splitting of strong hives. As well as any issues members want to discuss. Once again we will be offering an early session from 6:00-6:30, dedicated to new beekeepers who can benefit from more basic information about hive inspections and such. Everyone can choose to come at either 6:00 or at 6:30. There will be free smoker fuel available to all attendees. Hope to see you all there! We will attempt a Zoom connection: Time: Mar 26, 2026 06:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81583827756 Meeting ID: 815 8382 7756 Steve and Kate SDC Beekeepers meetings are always held on the fourth Thursday of the month……so MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

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Nucs for Sale
by John Gagne 22 Mar '26

22 Mar '26

We will again be offering our 5 frame nucleus colonies for sale this spring. Limited quantities, inquire for additional information. John San Juan Apiaries

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Norroa approved for varroa mite control in Mew Mexico
by Kate Whealen 20 Mar '26

20 Mar '26

https://norroa.com/norroa https://www.mannlakeltd.com/varroa-mite/norroa/?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medi… Norroa™ mannlakeltd.com

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Save the date: SdC Beekeepers Mtg March 26
by Kate Whealen 14 Mar '26

14 Mar '26

Hello SDC members, We will be having our first SDC Beekeepers meeting of the 2026 season Thursday March 26, starting at 6:30 PM. Our meetings are held at St John’s Methodist Church located at 1200 Old Pecos Trail…..in the Choir Room. As some of us may have lost one or more hives over the winter, we plan to present information on how to determine what caused your bees to die or abscond. We call this learning process “Dead Out Forensics”. In addition, we hope to phsically examine one or more hives during the class, as a group, to look for evidence of why the hive did not make it. We are hoping that one or more members will offer to bring their “dead out hive” for us to inspect as a class. We also will be discussing: • Spring hive management • Feeding during the like spring dearth. • Possible early splitting of strong hives. As well as any issues members want to discuss. Once again we will be offering an early session from 6:00-6:30, dedicated to new beekeepers who can benefit from more basic information about hive inspections and such. Everyone can choose to come at either 6:00 or at 6:30. There will be free smoker fuel available to all attendees. Hope to see you all there! Steve and Kate SDC Beekeepers meetings are always held on the fourth Thursday of the month……so MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

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Still time to bid on silent auction items for NMBKA
by katewhealen＠earthlink.net 16 Feb '26

16 Feb '26

https://nmbka.betterworld.org/auctions/nmbka-winter-auction-2026 NMBKA Winter Auction 2026 by New Mexico Beekeepers Association nmbka.betterworld.org

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Hello! Introduction
by Cynthia Hartin 09 Feb '26

09 Feb '26

Hi! My name is Cindy Hartin and we recently moved to Lamy, NM. I am new to beekeeping and was wondering if someone in the area is open to mentoring or at least showing me their hives to get an intro? I am looking forward to learning more from this group! Cindy

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8 frame and extractor
by Sam N 16 Nov '25

16 Nov '25

Hi everyone, I have acquired some equipment I won’t use. Pics attached 8 frame deep, with bottom board, and cover. Appears to be unused. Also have a 2 frame plastic extractor. Missing handle- but I have a solution to attach an electric drill. These items are for sale (cheap - make lowball offer) or barter ( I use 10 frame equipment). I am near airport / cerrillos in Santa Fe Sam 214.641.4745

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