ARTICLES

• President's Message
• Exotic Species Invade Our Space
• Honeybees and the Gardener
• Master Gardeners:
  The Next Generation
• A Hike To Remember
• Congratulations

New Online Format

Starting with this edition of the Garden Gate, we are utilizing a new format for the online edition that will hopefully make it easier to read and navigate (less clicking required). Comments or suggestions are always welcome! Email the webmaster, Darcie Boschee.

Congratulations

Jan Hargate was elected Treasurer of the WVMGA at their Annual Meeting June 2, 2007. She will serve a two-year term. Jan served as KCMGA Treasurer for two terms and has served three terms on WVMGA Board.

Delores Barber was elected to the International Master Gardener Association Committee. She will represent the Northeastern United States. This will be her second term on that committee.      Back to Top

Clinton Sloan, Provisional Master Gardener 2006

I am writing this article because several gardeners have asked me so many questions about beekeeping. They say they would love to have one hive of bees in the garden, just to look at. People must be willing to put in the time and money as outlined below, otherwise it may be more prudent for gardeners to attract honeybees to the garden, like we do hummingbirds and butterflies. Honey is much cheaper from a beekeeper or the supermarket.

There are seven known extant varieties of the honeybee. Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Arthropoda, Class: Insecta, Order: Hymenoptera, Family: Apidae, Tribe: Apini, Genus: Apis. The best known and most widely bred species of honeybee is Apis mellifera, or western honeybee. This species has been cultivated by man at least since the ancient Egyptians. Most species have been exploited since ancient times for their beeswax, honey, and more recently their collection of pollen, which we collect to make various healthcare products. We also transport honeybees to various types of orchards for pollination of fruit and nut trees. I have been raising honeybees for nearly 20 years. My grandfathers on both sides of the family were beekeepers, and though I’m very busy professionally, this is a lot of fun for me and a way I can keep in contact with my ancestral roots.

Life Cycle: Like most social bees, a colony contains one fertile breeding female (queen), several thousand sterile female worker bees, and several hundred males (drones). An egg is laid in each hexagonal wax cell made and shaped by the female worker bees from wax glands in their bodies. The eggs hatch into larvae. The workers feed each larvae royal jelly (a special substance made from glands in the belly) then honey and pollen. If the workers determine that the queen is injured or weak, they will feed, about a half-dozen or so larvae, solely on royal jelly which will turn those larvae into queens. There can only be one queen per hive. Therefore, those half-dozen queens will fight to the death, leaving only one surviving new queen to kill the old weak queen, and therefore take over her hive.

There is one exception to this rule. If a hive gets overcrowded and there is no space to make honey or lay eggs, the hive goes into a frenzy and there is a move to produce some queen cells and produce several new queens. The new queens again fight to the death leaving only one new queen. This time instead of killing the old queen (since she is healthy), the new queen takes one half the worker and drone bees and flies to a new location (a hole in an old tree trunk or an empty manmade hive body). They leave behind one half the worker bees and the old, though healthy, queen. Now there is enough room in the old hive for the queen to lay and carry out hive function, and the new queen can start another hive in a new location. This process of resolving hive overcrowding is called “swarming.”

Swarming is very undesirable, since the apiarist (beekeeper) loses half of his honey crop for the season when this happens. We can prevent this from happening by placing a box of new wax-filled frames, called “supers” (the individual white wooden boxes) on top of each hive body. This makes more room for honey making and usually prevents swarming.

The last item in the honeybee’s life cycle that bears discussion is about the drones (the only males in the hive). A few hundred are hatched out in the spring. In the spring and summer the only thing the males are good for is eating up honey stores and breeding the queen (just like in humans). In the fall, when the queen stops laying and honey stores are at a premium for the winter, the female worker bees kill all the male drones in the hive. There is no use to waste precious honey stores by over-wintering drones. It takes about 40,000 worker bees to carry a hive through the winter. They feed the queen, clean the hive, and surround the queen in a ball the size of a basketball. When it is 10 degrees outside, the temperature inside that ball has been shown to be approximately 80 degrees in the center.

Production of Honey: Honey is a substance produced when the bees collect the sweet dew-like substance from flowers called nectar. Nectar is used exclusively to produce honey. Most apiarists rob the hives of excess honey in about August, although it is possible to rob it also in May, if honey flow is exceptional that year. I only rob mine in August. Pollen is used by bees to produce protein substances that are used during brood (baby honeybee) rearing. Beeswax is produced by worker bees of a certain age from glands on their abdomens. The comb is formed from this. We humans use beeswax for various purposes. Propolis is called bee glue and is created by the bees from resins and tree saps. It is used to hold the hive together and to seal cracks in the hive.

Why keep honeybees in your garden? For me there are three good reasons. In addition to maintaining family history by doing as my grandfathers did, I love talking to people from all walks of life. I rub elbows with farmers, construction workers, doctors, lawyers, and even a judge, who keep bees and talk trade secrets.

Finally, you must know that due to the diseases of honeybees, such as tracheal mites, varroa mites, and American and European foulbrood disease, there are no honeybees left in the wild in the vast majority of the United States. That is why the United States Department of Agriculture has invested a lot of money to help support beekeeping by the small beekeeping hobbyist. In fact, many states will help support hobbyist beekeepers by paying for at least some of the antibiotics and hive insecticides needed to treat our hives at least once or twice yearly. Our crops depend on pollinators such as the honeybee, and many food and health products are made from honey, beeswax, and pollen.

What are the disadvantages to raising honeybees? The biggest reason is the time and expense. A beekeeper must dress up in a bee suit and check the hive at least once monthly. Starting the first of March, the hive must be checked for diseases and cleaned up after over wintering (the bees have done most of the cleaning). Then it is necessary to treat for foulbrood with Terramycin, an antibiotic. Then if vorroa mites are present, 40 days of treatment with an insecticide such as Sucrocide, etc. must begin. Also, in March beekeepers support the hive with sugar water for about two months until the workers can make enough honey to support the newly hatched larvae. Then one must check on how things are going in the hives each month through the summer. August is the culmination of all this labor, when the hives are robbed of their excess honey. After this harvest, the hives are treated with Terramycin for foulbrood and then treated for varroa mites, to get them ready for fall and winter. The hives need to be checked every month during the fall and winter months to be sure they are not running out of their honey stores. As you can see, there is a lot of work and expense.

How can I attract honeybees to my garden? Since there are no wild honeybees in this part of the United States, you can only attract honeybees if there is a beekeeper within three to five miles of your home. The good news is that Kanawha, Lincoln, Boone, Putnam, and Cabell Counties have plenty of beekeepers. You can get a list from the WVDA. The State Apiarist Division is in the blue pages under Dept. of Agriculture. Honeybees love most flowers. They are fond of poplar and locust blossoms in the spring (producing a dark honey). They like shrub flowers and for some reason, I’ve found that the smaller the flower on shrubs, the more fragrant, the better. They love white clover, but unfortunately, we homeowners don’t like that in our lawns. Let me name a few plants in the flower bed, vegetable garden, and landscape that are especially delectable to honeybees: Anise Hyssop, Mountain Mint, Agastache, Echinops, Oregano, Buttonbush, Black locust, Chinese Tallow tree, plants of the genus Vitex, sometimes called incise, Basswood or Linden tree, alfalfa, privet hedge blossoms, most fruit trees, and some clovers. Fortunately, West Virginia had plenty of natural flora to sustain honeybees, as long as we keep coming up with innovative new ways to treat the varroa mite, tracheal mite and foulbrood resistance.

I hope this was educational and will help you make a more informed decision on whether you want to go into beekeeping or just attract them to your garden. By the way, attracting honeybees should not be a worry. They are generally very docile on flowers and do not tend to sting unless squashed in some way. When away from the hive, they do not chase people like members of the wasp family do. We have only had a very few incidences of the Africanized bee in WV as of this date. Beekeepers suspicious of such a hive due to unexplained superaggression of the colony will destroy the hive with fire immediately. I have no such hives yet.

Bibliography: 1. Garden Way’s Practical Beekeeping, 1982, Garden Way Publishing, Charlotte, Vermont.
2. The Hive and the Honey Bee, 1999, Dadant & Sons Publication, Hamilton, Illinois.
3. Hive Management. A Seasonal Guide for Beekeepers. 1995, Garden Way Publishing, Charlotte, Vermont.
A Cookbook of WV Honey Recipes, WV Dept of Agriculture, Charleston, WV      Back to Top

Leslie Fitzwater, KC Master Gardener 2002

An alien race finds its way to your hometown and methodically eliminates all your friends and neighbors. Sounds like a bad science fiction movie? It’s not, and it’s a sure bet that some form of alien has already made its way to your corner of the planet.

Invasive species come in many varieties, including plants, insects and diseases. An invasive or exotic species is one that is not native to the area into which it has been introduced, and therefore, has no natural enemies to control or eliminate it. A lack of natural enemies allows an invasive species to rapidly establish itself and spread easily throughout its new environment. Climate also can play a key role in the establishment of an exotic species. Lack of killing freezes or warm moist conditions often contribute to non-native species’ ability to adapt and thrive in new locations.

Some of the most notorious invasive species are diseases. A fungus that later became known as chestnut blight made its way to America in the early 1900s. This disease, which can be spread by wind, insects or birds, systemically decimated nearly the entire species of American chestnut by causing the trees to develop cankers that kill limbs and twigs. Although specimens of American chestnut exist today, they are infected with the fungus and only produce a limited number of nut crops before succumbing to the disease. Researchers have spent decades searching for a cure for the fungus, and although there are trees that are resistant to chestnut blight, there are no trees that are immune to it.

Dutch elm disease is another example of a deadly fungus. This disease first made its way to America in the 1930s, completely changing the landscapes of cities and towns across the country. Elm trees were a staple of urban landscapes prior to the introduction of Dutch elm disease, but after the deadly fungus began killing elm trees throughout America, city designers had to rethink their plans and ultimately replant their cities. Dutch elm disease is usually spread by European elm bark beetle and was most likely brought to America in shipping materials or by the importation of infected seedlings.

Insects not only spread invasive species, they also can pose problems of their own when introduced into non-native environments. These problems can range from a harmless nuisance to humans to a death sentence for native plant species. Take for example the Asian lady beetle. Although a yearly annoyance for most residents, the Asian lady beetle is harmless to the state’s ecosystem. Scientists once believed that the Asian lady beetle could help control nut and fruit tree pests and conducted experiments that may have led to the release of the beetle into the wild. The Asian lady beetle is a perfect example of how easily a non-native species can spread. First discovered in Louisiana in 1988, the Asian lady beetle had made its way to West Virginia just four short years later in 1992. The beetle now is found in most areas of the United States and parts of southern Canada.

Unlike the harmless Asian lady beetle, gypsy moths are deadly. Gypsy moths feed on more than 500 types of trees and shrubs, but prefer oak species. The caterpillars eat the leaves of trees, thereby defoliating them and forcing them to grow a second set of leaves. This new growth taxes the tree’s food reserves making the tree vulnerable to attack by other organisms such as disease and insects, thereby increasing the risk of the tree’s death. Mortality occurs after one defoliation in tree species such as spruce, pine and hemlocks. Hardwood trees like oak have an 80 percent risk of mortality after two successive defoliations. Inadvertently introduced to Massachusetts in 1869, gypsy moth has spread south and west at the rate of 5-10 miles per year and has been found in at least 23 of West Virginia’s 55 counties. Extensive spraying programs to decelerate the spread of gypsy moth are in place in many states; however, they are costly and can only slow the spread and not prevent it.

Exotic plants species also have made their way to West Virginia, 12 of which are identified on the Division of Natural Resources’ Web site (www.wvdnr.gov) as the “dirty dozen.” This list of exotic species consists of kudzu, water shield, crown vetch, Japanese knotweed, Japanese stiltgrass, garlic mustard, tree-of-heaven, reed canary grass, mile-a-minute, purple loosestrife, multiflora rose and yellow iris. So what makes the dirty dozen so dirty? Let’s take a look at a select few.

Kudzu and crown vetch were originally introduced to the United States from Asia. Kudzu was imported as an ornamental plant to help reduce erosion on steep slopes. This perennial, woody vine spreads rapidly forming canopies over trees and shrubs, shielding them from sunlight. Kudzu can grow up to 60 feet in one season and the roots survive cold northern winters. Like kudzu, crown vetch was introduced to help reduce erosion and was planted extensively by roadsides and at excavation sites. Crown vetch also overtakes trees and shrubs shading them from sunlight. Many endangered species of plants may be at risk of annihilation from the rapid spread of crown vetch and kudzu.

Other members of the dirty dozen threaten wetlands and aquatic life. Water shield, reed canary grass, purple loosestrife and yellow iris often out compete native aquatic plants affecting insects, fish, waterfowl and other wildlife. The forest isn’t safe from members of the dirty dozen either. Garlic mustard, Japanese stiltgrass, and tree-of-heaven displace native species of trees, shrubs and wildflowers by out competing them for food, water and sunlight.

Once an exotic species has established itself it can easily spread to other areas in some unexpected ways. Seeds can be carried to new locations on the boots of hikers, in the tire treads of recreational vehicles like ATVs, dirt bikes and motorcycles, and by animals either in their fur or their scat.

Birds have long been known to distribute seed by eating fruits and berries and then depositing the seed in another location via fecal matter. But what about other animals? In a research article entitled “Exotic Seed Dispersal by White-Tailed Deer in Southern Connecticut,” authors Scott C. Williams and Jeffrey S. Ward discussed correlations between the dissemination of exotic plants and the browsing of white-tailed deer. Their study concluded that exotic plant species are being spread to non-native areas by deer scat (fecal matter). Here’s how it happens. Deer browse suburban neighborhood gardens and then carry the seed into adjacent woodlands and deposit it through their scat. But the neighborhood gardens the deer are browsing don’t necessarily have to be in your neighborhood. In fact, 50 percent of the seedlings in the study that were germinated from the deer scat were from plants native to states outside Connecticut, and some seeds were from plants native to Canada.

So what can you do to help slow the spread of exotic species? Plenty. Properly dispose of all packing materials, especially organic ones like dried grasses or wood chips. Use native plants in your landscape and container gardens. Purchase plants and seeds from reputable dealers and nurseries and be sure not to buy plants from quarantined or infected areas. Don’t bring home plants or seeds from vacations, no matter how pretty they are. After spending time outdoors be sure to clean your boots, camping equipment and tire treads. And when camping pack the marshmallows, but leave the firewood at home. Untreated firewood can carry insects and diseases, so be sure to buy your firewood at the campsite.

Invasive species are all around us, but with conscientious efforts we can all do our part to keep invasive species like the next kudzu or Asian lady beetle out of our corner of the planet.

Resources: Encyclopedia Britannica Ready Reference; www.wvdnr.gov; www.wvagriculture.org; www.wvforestry.com; “Exotic Seed Dispersal by White-Tailed Deer in Southern Connecticut,” Scott C. Williams and Jeffrey S. Ward, Natural Areas Journal 26:383-390.       Back to Top

Sara Hoblitzell, KC Master Gardener 1998

“Everything comes together here: the scenic trail, the picture postcard waterfall, the large amphitheater-like setting, the pool and rocks below. This is about as good as it gets.” With that guide book description, how could we not go and see for ourselves. Returning to Charleston from Blacksburg one cold, March weekend last year, my husband and I decided to take a side trip to Cascades Falls, located just off of US 460 near Pembroke, Virginia, about halfway between Blacksburg and Princeton.

The falls are in the Cascades Recreation Area in the Jefferson National Forest and are reported to be the most beautiful falls in Virginia. The morning temperature was just below 32°F and there was a heavy frost, but it was a glorious, sunny, pure blue sky day. Concerned about hiking an icy trail, I looked again at our guidebook, The Waterfalls of Virginia and West Virginia: A Hiking and Photography Guide by Kevin Adams: “Winter is a great time to visit, when the crowds are gone and the waterfall freezes….” and we decided to go. We made the right decision.

The trailhead is located a short drive off of Rt. 460 with a large parking area and interpretative signs. The directions in the guidebook give the best route to hike in order to get the best view – follow the trail on the way up, take the dirt road on the way back. The ascent follows Little Stoney Creek, crisscrossing several times with solid planked bridges. There are several viewing platforms along the trail. The bridges are newly constructed (built in 1996 after early spring flooding wiped out the old ones) with huge beams and solid flooring and handrails. This is a national recreation trail and is in excellent condition.

Although still wintertime with leafless trees and no wildflowers even beginning to peek out, there was still plenty to see and photograph. Wonderful moss-covered rocks, pools shimmering with glass-thin crackling ice, fallen ice-coated branches randomly edging the creekside, rhododendron thickets and magical shadowy ponds alternating with frosty rapids pulled us over repeatedly to admire and investigate. An advantage of the leafless trees was that we could see ahead to where the two hillsides we were hiking between met and mark our progress as we ascended toward the base of the falls.

A beautiful crescent moon remained suspended low in the daytime sky, beckoning us to the falls that we could now hear. True to our guidebook’s description, as we rounded the last few turns, ahead lay the falls draped in massive curtains of ice. The water dropped part way to a frozen arched mass, and then continued to the large pool at the base – a total drop of 66 feet. We continued on a boardwalk up the cliff walls along the side of the pool going as close as conditions permitted to view and photograph the falls.

Allow a minimum of two and a half hours to hike the four-mile loop trail. The hiking is not difficult; a good pair of tennis shoes is all that is needed—coming from two middle-aged, slightly out-of-shape hikers. Our time included 20-30 minutes viewing time at the top. In warmer weather and with wildflowers blooming, you would want to allow much longer. Our return was on a safe, leaf-covered one-lane dirt access road.

Sadly, we saw extensive destruction caused by the wooly adelgid. Hundreds of dead hemlocks could be seen through the woods. I have read much about the insect’s destruction and seen the damage from far away vistas, but not yet experienced the hemlock’s demise close up. The devastation was incredible, and the Forest Service and many university forestry research programs are working hard to find a way to halt the insect’s progress.

Jump ahead now to just a few weeks ago when my son and I journeyed to Cathedral State Park located on Route 50 in Aurora, WV, north of Canaan Valley. We wanted to see Cathedral’s mighty 350-year-old hemlocks (up to 90’ in height and 20’ in circumference) before the wooly adelgid claims them. Put this on your list of things to do soon as these trees seem destined to fall prey to the spreading infection.

Additionally, buy the waterfall guidebook and keep it in your car for impromptu stops. The book is well organized, dividing WV and VA into 16 regional areas. The author includes a chart on each waterfall that describes the accessibility, beauty rating, height of the falls, property ownership and trail difficulty. Driving instructions are accurate. The first part of the book includes basic FAQs on hiking and excellent information on how to photograph a waterfall.

The author states: “For many people, waterfalls are American icons.” As a hopeless waterfall addict, I wholeheartedly agree.

For more information:

Cascades Falls http://www.gilescounty.org/cascades.html The area is open year-round and there is a parking fee.

Cathedral State Park: http://www.cathedralstatepark.com

US Forest Service page on the hemlock wooly adelgid: http://na.fs.fed.us/fhp/hwa/      Back to Top

Kari Mazzaferro, Kanawha County Extension Agent

The months of May and June bring to mind for many gardeners the rush of a new planting season and the anticipation of July and Augusts’ bounty of flowers, fruits and vegetables. The summer months also invoke images of kids running through lawn sprinklers and riding bikes around town. How is it that the two images never seem to merge, such as kids working in the garden?

My charge to all is to bring kids into the garden. And before you flip to the next article—wait! I know many of you only have “kids” who are grown or “kids” that are the four-legged type, but do you have grandchildren, neighbors’ kids, or work with youth at church? – if so, read on!

I am often asked how I became interested in horticulture, and I am always quick to reference my grandfather – a gardening guru himself. My motivation for helping, other then spending time with him, was to get a ride in the wheel barrow when we were all done – yes, very silly, but when you’re 5-years-old, a treat nonetheless. When I was told I was going to kindergarten, I really believed I was going to a “garden” to play all day. You can imagine my extreme disappointment.

There has never been a summer from as far back as I can remember that I didn’t have dirt in my nails and a “farmer’s tan.” I still remember being shocked at 18 when I learned that you could actually go to college for gardening! No, not all kids that walk into a garden will take it as a lead for a career path, but teaching kids to appreciate nature, understanding where food comes from and spending quality time with an adult are all great benefits!

Now that I have a naturally curious 3-year-old, I can find no better activity than working with him in “his” garden. He has helped to plant seeds, weed, and has learned the gift of watering properly. His enthusiasm seems endless. We talk about good and bad bugs, colors of flowers and what vegetables will grow from which plants.

Almost all Master Gardeners I have talked with eventually reference their source of inspiration for gardening, whether it was a family member or a close friend. I think the greatest gift a Master Gardener could give is passing their love of gardening and nature on to the next generation.

Here are some great kids’ gardening tips from kidsgardening.com:

Recognize that kids’ gardening priorities are different, well, practically opposite of adults.

Let kids choose what to plant. Offer guidance and make sure there are some sure-success plants among their picks. But if they want beets, roses, and petunias, why not?

Relax your standards. Crooked rows or weeds as pets are fine.

Transplanting is fun, even if your child plays with plants the way they move action figures or Barbies about. But remind them that plants' roots need some time to grow in one place.

Leave room for good old-fashioned digging. Holes are a highly popular landscape feature. Look for worms. Add water, and frogs appear.

Model the message that some insects are beneficial, and even destructive bugs are highly interesting.

Do behind-the-scenes maintenance of kids' gardens, keeping them edged and weeded. Don't expect kids to do all the watering and pest patrol.

You decide: when it comes to impending doom (no pumpkins appeared on vines; the daisy is uprooted and sunning on the deck) do you add a pumpkin from the farm stand? Replace the daisy? Some parents use loss as a lesson; others smooth things over for success.

Remember: One of the best things you ever grow may be a gardener.      Back to Top