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Dear Wisconsin beekeepers and those interested in honey bees and wild pollinators:
This is the first quarterly update of 2023 from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection’s (DATCP) apiary program. Please let us know how you use this newsletter and send any feedback, questions, or ideas for future updates to Frances.Hegarty@wisconsin.gov.
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The 2023 Heroes to Hives (H2H) program includes all new educational content, partnerships, and field training sites. Since 2015, the H2H program has been leading the nation in training U.S. military veterans, National Guard members, Active-Duty personnel, Reservists, and their dependents in the art and science of beekeeping. Registration can be completed at www.HeroesToHives.com, and the 2023 registration period ends February 28, 2023. The online program will begin in late March 2023 and finish in November 2023. For more information, visit www.HeroesToHives.org or email H2H’s National Director Dr. Adam Ingrao at adam@miffs.org.
The H2H program, offered free to Service Members through Michigan Food and Farming Systems, is a comprehensive 9-month online training course that uses a combination of lectures, instructional videos, and handouts to support a robust beginning beekeeping education. Students can also take advantage of in person training opportunities in select states during the beekeeping season. H2H has trained over 8,200 Service Members and their dependents from all over the world.
The 2023 H2H program includes exciting new features and partnerships:
- Completely revamped core online curriculum
- Small business training by the Small Business Administration’s Veterans Business Outreach Center in Missouri
- Educational module and job seeking tool focused on preparing veterans to take advantage of jobs in the commercial beekeeping industry through partnerships with the Project Apis m., the Bee Informed Partnership and Michigan State University Extension
- Online marketing training by Taste the Local Difference
- Full line of therapeutic practices in the bee yard developed by Bee Wise Farms LLC
- All Service Members who have participated in past H2H courses are eligible to participate in the 2023 course
Service Members who successfully complete the 2023 H2H program are eligible to receive a Certificate of Completion, which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). 2023 H2H credits can also be transferred to the Great Plains Master Beekeeping Program at the University of Nebraska, where students can complete their Master Beekeeping Certificate.
 Photo: Navy veteran David Storm inspects a beehive during a Heroes to Hives on-ground training. Photo credit, Adam Ingrao.
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 Founded in 1983, Something Special from Wisconsin (SSfW) is a trademarked marketing program, which provides members with a red and yellow logo that is a quick, reliable way to identify genuine Wisconsin products. The nearly 450 participating companies receive exclusive benefits, including use of the logo, access to member-only events, educational webinars, and additional publicity through a business profile on the SSfW website. SSfW companies must certify that at least 50% of a product's ingredients, production, or processing is from or completed in Wisconsin.
As a testament to the caliber of our members, SSfW members won 27 of a possible 41 awards at the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair’s Eats and Treats competition. Additionally, members swept four of the ten categories and were all three of the Judge’s Favorite entries. SSfW members are truly something special!
There are currently more than 60 members of the SSfW program that provide honey products, and we would love to have you join them! New members to the program receive a welcome packet with various signs, banners, and stickers for products, and are featured as new members on the SSfW social media accounts. Throughout the year, various social media posts on these accounts highlight our members or categories of members, helping spread the word of our top-notch businesses.
To learn more and join the Something Special from Wisconsin program, visit our website and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Wisconsin’s beekeepers and honey producers simply bee-long in the Something Special from Wisconsin program!
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If you are planning to move honey bees or used beekeeping equipment into Wisconsin, you must submit a Wisconsin Honey Bee Import report before you import the honey bees or equipment into Wisconsin. You will also need to submit an inspection certificate(s) issued within 12 months (along with the import report) before arrival to Wisconsin. These requirements apply even if you are providing pollination services, or if your honey bees ride along with those of another beekeeper. These requirements are explained in a new FAQ document.
 Photo: Honey bee colonies being loaded onto a truck for transport.
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The USDA has scheduled the release of the 2023 Cost of Pollination Report for January 11, 2023. This report was last released in 2016. The report is likely to include pollination cost data for various pollinated crops with information like pollination acreage, dollars spent, colonies used, and total value of pollination. Check it out by clicking below.
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 Photo: Honey bee and Varroa mite.
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Honey bees are a crucial, managed species that are crucial for agricultural crop production. Native bees, which include over 20,000 species worldwide and 3,600 species in the United States, are also efficient, specialized pollinators that are crucial to agricultural systems and native ecosystems. Honey bees in natural, city, and suburban areas may impact native bee populations and other managed honey bee colonies. The Xerces Society’s recent webinar, We Need to Talk About Honeybees, discusses how pollinator conservation is much broader than focusing only on honey bees, and explains that reasons for honey bee declines can be very different than reasons than those of native pollinators (resulting in different protection strategies, in some cases). It's an interesting webinar that includes research updates and recommendations for protecting honey bees as well as native pollinators. Check it out if you get the chance.
 Photo: Helianthus sp., a native, wild sunflower is an example of a high-value plant for pollinators.
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