Bees are still dying from a mystery illness.

Hive Trouble

The nightmare began for tomato growers early this season with the sudden emergence of the late tomato blight. The fungus destroyed many backyard tomatoes and potatoes almost overnight. Beekeepers, however, have been dealing with a similar mystery killer for several years now.

The unknown killer was dubbed Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD for short, several years ago. Researchers have studied the yet unknown stalker, (PennState is a leader in the field), but no definitive cause has yet been identified, although there is a growing consensus it is somehow related to pesticide use.

Linesville beekeeper Charlie Vorisek, who keeps a hundred or so hives at his beefarm, is leaning towards the pesticide theory. He told me it could be a combination of different pesticides which leads to the fatal illness in the bees. The CCD mystery has wiped out literally thousands of hives in northwestern Pennsylvania and created hard financial times for many local beekeepers.

Compounding the problem this year was the lack of nectar in the end of the season golden rods in the local area. Goldenrod honey is good and there is little of it this year. Goldenrods also provide a necessary winter food source for the honeybees and Vorisek and others are already supplying the hives with a supplemental sugar-water food source to keep the hives nourished and winter has not even begun it’s entrance.

Vorisek, who is president of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Beekeepers Association, has cut way back on the use of any chemicals, like those used to control mites (yet another problem) in the hives. Chemical use is a last resort, he says.

Everyone can help. Buy locally produced honey, the Meadville Market House always has some for sale. Almost every neighborhood has a beekeeper who has honey for sale; it’s local, fresh, and healthy.

Curb or stop home pesticide use particularly in the flower or vegetable garden; there are many natural alternatives. If a pesticide must be used as a last resort, read and follow the directions carefully always remembering pesticides kill more than just the immediate problem.

Try to plant more native and heirloom flowers next spring; they are a rich source of food for the bees; the plants are also usually hardier because they are adapted to our weather.

More information can be found at the Crawford County Extension Office 814-333-7460 or email at crawfordext@psu.edu

Consumer Note: Ever had a jar of honey in the cupboard get hard? Vorisek recommends placing the jar in a pan of hot, but not boiling water, or in a sunny window. Just because the honey got hard or crystallized doesn’t mean toss it in the garbage; it is still good.

For additional information, Charles Vorisek can be reached at vbeefarm@windstream.com

Park for Kids Planned

Pam Donahue of Wattsburg has raised about $5,000 to be used for a Skate Park which will be located on South Street in Wattsburg along French Creek on land which she purchased several years ago. Pam operates Weaver’s Beauty Salon on Main Street and the park will be dedicated to her husband who died of cancer about 14 years ago. She says that the community has helped her so much during that time that she wanted to give something back in return.

She is concerned about the lack of recreation for kids in the local area and noted the kids sometimes get in trouble for riding bikes and roller blading in area parking lots. One of the few places for kids is several miles away in Canadohta Lake, the Canadohta Roller Rink.

The planned seven to eight acre Skate Park is still needs about $5,000 and several fund raisers are planned for the near future including a soon to be announced quilt raffle. She is going to also be holding some discussions with the Fish and Boat Commission about some fishing opportunities on French Creek for the kids. More updates will follow here. But if you care to donate now, call Pam at the downtown Wattsburg beauty salon.

Ryan Johnson

The blood drive for 3 year old Ryan Johnson on November 5 was a great success according to organizers. 48 people showed at the Wattsburg United Methodist Church to donate blood for the three year old suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He will need chemotherapy and transfusions for the next three year.

Organizers said that the blood bank people from Pittsburgh were impressed with the number of donations and expected no more than 25 donors. Ryan’s grandparents are Owen Johnson of Wattsburg, Janet and Charles Humes of Cambridge Springs. He is the son of Tina and Scott Johnson of Wattsburg.

More benefit events, including a Rigatoni dinner are planned, and will be posted here. For additional information or donations, contact Jane at the Wattsburg United Methodist Church at 739-2158.

Titusville

The Titusville Area United Wat is conducting a “Food for Thought” food drive to help area soup kitchens and food banks until November 19^th. Food staples are in short supply because of the late passage of a state budget. For more information or to donate called the agency at 827-1322.

Mound Grove Benefits:

Benefit for JonPaul Sandusky who was killed in an automobile accident recently on November 21^st and another on November 22 for Dan “Mrytle” Merski, who was diagnosed recently with Crohn’s disaese. Both have many friends and family in southern Erie and Crawford counties. Mound Grove is located in Waterford.

What – Is That Really the Sun

Looks like a good weather week shaping up, some sunny days and mild temps. It’ll be a good week to get some last minute winter work done, like splitting and stacking wood and checking water pipes. While most of the leaves have dropped, the bare trees are still sort of pretty. Doubt if I’ll say that in January.
But I am sure many of the local farms with corn still standing will be happy. The corn has not properly dried out yet and the harvest is late. The sun and warmth this week should help.
The weather should be great for Veterans Day, November 11th. There are many events planned in almost every community. Get involved, support our Vets.

Tarbell

I forgot to mention this earlier, but Friday November 5th was Ida Tarbell’s birthday. She was a pretty important person from Crawford County on the national scene. She wrote the History of the Standard Oil Company which was number 5 out of a list of 100 of the tops works of 20th century journalism by the New York Times. Big Oil companies were in trouble with public even back in the day.
She was born in a log cabin in 1857 in Hatch Hollow, still a small cluster of homes located between Wattsburg and Union City. The family moved to Pithole during the heyday of the oil boom. When the bottom fell out of the oil market, the family moved to Titusville. Her father, Franklin,  dismantled the Bonata Hotel in dying Pithole and rebuilt it in Titusville, where it has recently been refurbished and re-opened to the public.
Tarbell graduated from Titusville High School, then attended Allegheny College in Meadville and graduated in 1880. She was the only woman in her graduating class. Tarbell, among her many accomplishments, was also a writer at the Chautaugua Magazine which was headquartered in Meadville.
She also wrote one of the most respected biographies of Abraham Lincoln, the president who established the national holiday of Thanksgiving to be held every fourth Thursday of every November.
More information about Tarbell can be found at the Crawford County Historical Society at 724-6080, Allegheny College at 332-3100, and the Oil Region Alliance at 667-3152.

Veterans Day November 11 and Christmas Schedule for the Troops

Support your local veterans. Listed are the end dates for getting mail to our military personnel overseas.

Nov. 13 -Parcel Post to military APO/FPO addresses.
Dec. 4 -First-Class cards and letters or Priority Mail to military APO AE ZIP 093 addresses.
Dec. 11 -First-Class cards and letters or Priority Mail to all other military APO/FPO addresses.
Dec. 18-Express Mail Military Service to all military APO/FPO addresses except APO ZIP 093.
Dec. 4 -Priority Mail and First-Class Mail to Africa and Central or South America International Mail locations.
Dec. 11 -Priority Mail and First-Class Mail to all other International Mail locations.
Dec. 12-Express Mail International to Africa and Central and South America.
Dec. 17 -Express Mail International to all other countries (except Canada, Dec. 18).
Dec. 19-Global Express Guaranteed to all countries (except Canada, Dec. 20

Food Needed

Titusville area food pantries and soup kitchens are in need of food staples such as cereals, peanut butter, canned fruits and vegetables. A “Food for Thought Drive” has been organized by the Titusville Area United Way to help collect the items needed. For more information, call 827-1322.

Crawford County Historical Society
General Alexander Hayes – A Local Civil War Legend

At the Crawford County Historical Society in Meadville, Bill Peters will profile Gen. Alexander Hayes, who attended Allegheny College. The discussion, to be held on November 11th at 7pm, is open to the public and free of charge.
The General even has his own Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/General-Alexander-Hays/31734020156

The area where the log cabin once stood, Ida Tarbell's birthplace, is largely overgrown today.

Food for Thought – Donations are Needed

The Titusville Area United Way launched a food drive, called “Food for Thought”, to help local food banks and soup kitchens which have been struggling because of a lack of state funding. Although a state budget was adopted, the money will not start flowing to these agencies until later this month.

What is needed now are staples such as pasta, cereal, peanut butter, juice, soups, canned fruits and vegetables. Monetary donations are also a big help. The money is used to purchase food from the Second Harvest food Bank in Erie. It’s a good deal – one dollar buys seven dollars worth of food.

The Food for Thought campaign ends November 19. At that time the food will be distributed to the Food Pantry, St. James Community Soup Kitchen, Titusville Community Cafe and St. James House.

For more information call the Titusville Area United Way at 827-1322.

Appreciation Day in Titusville

Looking for bargains? Several downtown stores in the city will sponsor a customer appreciation day this Saturday November,7^th. Many items will be marked down by 20 percent, just in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Ryan Johnson Blood Drive

A blood drive will be held for three year old Ryan Johnson at the Wattsburg United Methodist Church on Nov. 5^th from 2pm to 7pm. The church is located at 9904 Jamestown St. in Wattsburg. He is the grandson of Janet and Charles Humes of Cambridge Springs and Chris and Owen Johnson of Wattsburg.

Ryan, the son of Tina and Scott Johnson, was taken on September 25, 2008 to UPMC in Pittsburgh. He was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Ryan will need treatments in Pittsburgh every week for the next three years. For more information, please log in at www.centralbloodbank.com and use the code ZRTN0572. Or call Jane at the church office at 814-739-2158, or leave a message for Chris at 814-725-2066

November Clean – Up

Over 100 Linesville volunteer students will pick up litter at Pymatuming on November 5^th from 9:30 am to 1 :30 pm. This is the third year in a row for the pre-winter clean-up. The trash pick up is being organized by Pymatuming State Park and the Crawford County Conservation District and other local organizations. For more information call Brian Pilarcik or Laura Dengler at 814-5269.

The weather forecast isn’t helping much. It will be a cold and raw day with snow and rain.

General Alexander Hayes – A Local Civil War Legend

At the Crawford County Historical Society in Meadville, Bill Peters will profile Gen. Alexander Hayes, who attended Allegheny College. The discussion, to be held on November 11^th at 7pm, is open to the public and free of charge.

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The Civil War will be increasingly discussed and in the news as Pennsylvania and the nation prepare to Commemorate the war for 2011-2015.

The General even has his own Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/General-Alexander-Hays/31734020156

Late Corn Harvest

The pumpkins were on time but the corn is late, real late.

“The fields are too wet for a lot of people, we have had too much rain,” Ginny Shreve, a business manager at the Erie Crawford Co-op in Union City, said. “It’s slow getting off the fields. A lot of guys are saying the corn is wet this year and they don’t want the extra drying costs, so they are leaving it stand. It is a a late harvest and nothing to really brag about.”

Ginny and her husband, Bert, operate a dairy farm in southern Union Township. Dean Curtis, who is a board member at the Co-op, which also has a facility in Saegertown, works with his wife Sue on their dairy farm.

“The harvest is real late this year, we need some sunshine,” Sue Curtis said. “It’s not a real good harvest for us this year, the corn is small and still wet. WE just didn’t have enough sunshine.The yields are down this year.

Earlier this week, corn was selling around $3.50 a bushel, however, the price has been dropping.

“The corn has been dropping the last several days and I think that is because the harvest in some sections of the country is coming in,” Shreve said. “The government is saying it will be a record harvest. But we’ll have to see when we can get into the fields.”

Corn is an essential ingredient in many consumer products. According to Shreve, consumers, at least at this moment, will not see any price changes.

“It’s about the same as last year,” she said.

While corn remains “iffy”, milk prices are still low but there is a weak upturn. November’s milk checks, which will arrive in December should be a little higher.

“I hear different figures on how much the extra government funding will be included, but I’m hoping for the higher amounts,” Shreve, as she went back to work at the feed mill, said.

Curtis is hopeful but doesn’t think the increase will do much.

“The increase only last for two months and it will help a lot of us get caught up in some bills,” Sue Curtis, as she went about barn cleaning, said. “We have been running in the red all year so to get caught up for two months will help some.”

Support your local farm, it has been a tough year. Many farms still have open roadside stands, and the Meadville Market place has dozens of people from local farms selling produce year round: dairy products, baked goods, pet needs and crafts.

Deer and Squirrels Like Corn

Everybody knows a squirrel can’t pass up on an ear of corn. According to Blaine Blakeslee of Artistic Taxidermy on Holden Road, there seems to be plenty of black squirrels.

“I have four of them in here already,” Blaine said. “That is a lot for this early in the season, someone just brought one in here moments ago. Squirrel season is off to a good start.”

The Spartansburg area seems to be a little hot spot for the black squirrels.

Archers are harvesting plenty of nice deer.

“The archery season is good and I have had people bring in some nice bucks so far,” Blakeslee said. “I think the rut will really get going in the next week or so. It is forecast to be colder next week.”

Turkey season opens Halloween, October 31^st.

Grange News: The deadline for the Grange Scholarship is November 1. The $500 award is open to any person with a relative in the Grange, who is over 25, and has completed one semester. For more information contact any Grange.

Agricultural Hall of Fame and Ag Industry awards will be presented at the Crawford County Extension Office annual banquet on November 12^th. Reservations need to be made by November 2nd by calling the Cooperative Extension office at 814-333-7460. The Hall of Fame award will be presented to Clark and Elaine Duncan of Meadville, Linda Shields, Posthumously, and to Green Hill Farms Equipment.

Crawford County Conservation District : 110 students from Linesville High School will clean up liter at Pymatuming on November 5th from 9:30 am. to 1:30 pm. The clean-up is organized under the Conservation District. The area from the Ohio line to the Red Cross Station near Jamestown. More information, contact Brian Pilarcik at 814-763-5269

Woodcock Nature Center : On November 5th make your own tote bag or T-shirt with Kathy Uglow, the environmental coordinator. Cost is $3 for materials. There are two sessions one at 3 pm and the other at 4:30 pm. Registration is required, call the center at 814-763-5269 or email Kathy at Kathy@Crawford Conservation.com

Canadohta Lake : The Canadohta Lake Area Business Association (CLABA) met Saturday October 24th at the Frog Bog Restaurant at the lake. The organization re-elected Anita Lemmon to a second term as president. CLABA members also approved next years budget and schedule of events.

One event from last year will continue.

“We collected a thousand dollars from collecting aluminum cans for the fireworks display last year,” Lemmon said. “We are going to continue to collect cans, it helps with the trash and helps improve the July 4^th fireworks.”

According to Lemmon, the cans, mostly beer cans, filled her barn and several dumpster before they were hauled to a recycling center.

One new event could be in the works following the meeting for the August Canna- Doo-Wop Days.

“We’d like to have a street dance during Canna-Doo-Wop Days,” Lemmon said. “We are working on that.”

Rain was a problem this year for the organization.

“Every time we had an event it rained this past year,” Lemmon said. “Hopefully, next year the weather will be better.”