The Heartland Bee Newsletter
March 2023 (29th edition)
Florida Honey Report - February 2023
by USDA AMS
Temperatures were about average with a few colder than normal days in northern Florida. Precipitation amounts were about normal during January, typically a fairly dry month in Florida. Bee health was considered to be below average primarily due to the lingering effects from Hurricane Ian.
The freezing temperatures around Christmas and another shorter freezing event in January wiped out most sources of food for the bees. Maple did begin blooming in the middle of the month in the south and had moved up to Central Florida by later in the month. This was one of the few sources of nectar and pollen for bees. Supplemental feeding was required for almost all of the state during most of the month. Some bees were pollinating blueberries for part of the month and are expected to continue into February.
Partly due to hive losses from Ian, Florida may only send about 50% as many bees to California for almond pollination this year. There also appears to be a surplus of almonds left over from last year’s crop and more almond growers are beginning to use self-pollinating almond trees. With reduced demand for bees, pollination rates may be similar to last year’s rates.
Orange trees are expected to begin blooming around the middle to late February. Last year’s production of orange blossom honey was very light. Producers are hoping for a larger yield this year, but citrus greening continues to remain a problem for Florida citrus growers and beekeepers. Some beekeepers will try to return home from California in time for orange honey production.
No honey was produced during the month for commercial use and practically no honey was stored at the end of the month.
Introducing Sonja Tyus
Highlands County Master Gardener Volunteer
by Colleen Rafatti
You don’t have to look far to find an enthusiastic Highlands County Master Gardener volunteer with a deep love of nature, plants… and bees! Meet Sonja Tyus! Sonja has been a Highlands County Master Gardener Volunteer since 2019. She’s extremely active with our group, serving as our MG President in 2021 and currently as a Board Member-at-Large. She’s quick to volunteer to help with activities, always enthusiastic and positive, and has taught/co-taught several educational workshops on her favorite topics… bees and beekeeping!
Sonja, a full-time resident of Sebring, Florida since 2019, moved here from Colorado with her Florida-native husband. Sonja was also a Master Gardener Volunteer in Colorado, and joining our group was a natural extension. She noted that, despite that prior MG experience in Colorado, she had absolutely no idea what to plant, or when, after her move to Florida! She was eager to learn more about Florida gardening- and the MG training was very helpful. Sonja’s sister also lives in Sebring and her two grown children reside in New York. Sonja recently started a new full-time job with the Florida State Department of Health as an Environmental Specialist II, conducting health inspections in a variety of venues and describes herself as now “firmly rooted in Highlands County”.
Sonja’s love of growing and gardening goes back many years, having begun as a young child. She fondly recalls helping her Mother work in the family gardens. She also studied environmental science in college. Her interest in bees and beekeeping resulted from years of mentoring in this specialized topic by her late husband and partner, zoologist Dr. Harold Tyus. In an article describing how Sonja was drawn into this activity in our September 2022 MG Newsletter Sonja explained:
I began beekeeping as a helper to my partner back in 2006, basically just tagging along as we
began our life together. He gave me a brand new bee suit that was a bit too big, and gloves that
very much were too big. I was surprisingly unafraid, as I put great faith in my partner, and the
protective gear he furnished me with that first foray into the apiary with him and his bees. I found
myself being gently drawn into that world, soothed by the slow and steady timbre of his voice as
he explained what he was doing, and the steady hum of the bees as he carefully moved frames of
brood and honey around while he inspected the hive. I fell in love with the craft of keeping
bees in short time.
Sonja is the Vice President of Heartland Beekeepers and maintains hives at her home. She noted that this is a difficult time to be a beekeeper in Florida. Beekeeping involves a big learning curve at first and a considerable outlay of expense to get started. Besides the variable weather and hurricanes, challenges for Florida beekeepers include battling varroa mites (which infect and kill the bees), small hive beetles (which feed on the pollen and honey, kill the bee brood and workers, and spoil the honey), wax moths (which feed on the hive wax), and ants and bears (both which seek out the sweet honey in the hives). Sonja has had a “close encounter” with a bear that tore through a powerful electric fence to reach her hives. Despite these, she has been successful in raising healthy bees and hives and in producing great honey.
When asked what a home gardener could do to help maintain our local bee populations Sonja suggested that they include plants in their landscaping that would attract and support bees such as bottlebrush, hibiscus, coral vine, plumbago, pentas, sweet almond, bulbine, porterweed and firebush- and not be so quick to eradicate natural wildflowers that are often considered weeds such as bidens alba (Spanish Needle). Sonja has been working toward replanting and rebuilding her own landscaping which was damaged by recent freezes and hurricanes and is planting many of those bee favorites along with a variety of fruiting trees and plants including starfruit, figs, avocados, mango, guava and papaya. Her goal is to create a personal “food forest” to nurture herself and her bees and other pollinators.
Say hello to Sonja when you cross paths with her at our Highlands master gardener activities! She is a wealth of knowledge and you’re certain to have an enjoyable and informative conversation with her!
