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THE AMATEUR BEEKEEPER
Bi-monthly Newsletter for the
Amateur Beekeeper’s Association of NSW Inc
Better Apiculture Through Knowledge
Volume 51, Issue 6
www.beekeepers.asn.au
December 2014 / January 2015
Contents
Message from the Secretary – Dave Wilson ...................................................................... 2 ABA Council Meeting – 31 January 2015 ................................................................................................... 2 Message from the President – Doug Purdie ...................................................................... 3 Trip to Sri Lanka ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Wheen Bee Foundation News ................................................................................................................... 3 A gadget from the inveterate inventor ....................................................................................................... 6 Show your support of fellow beekeepers in 2 clicks! .................................................................................. 6 Bee Workshop in Bega (or should that be Bee-Ga?) ................................................................................... 6 Swarm Patrol’s Blog www.swarmpatrol.com ........................................................................................... 7 Illawarra Branch – December 2014 – January 2015 Activities ...................................................................... 7 Wanted – Bee’s Wax ................................................................................................................................ 7 Amazing ‘bee’ photography website …. .................................................................................................... 7 … in the Media ................................................................................................................ 8 App for farmers and beekeepers to protect pollinators ............................................................................... 8 BeeAware ............................................................................................................................................... 8 Dangerous liaison: Asian and Australian honey bees mating ..................................................................... 9 Artist’s honeybee project comes with a dire environmental warning ............................................................ 9 What exactly is honey? .......................................................................................................................... 10 … Coming up ................................................................................................................. 11 Dates for your diary ............................................................................................................................... 11 Upcoming TAB Articles ......................................................................................................................... 11 … Club contact and meeting info ................................................................................... 13 President:
Doug Purdie, Email: [email protected]
Secretary:
Dave Wilson, Email: [email protected]
Treasurer:
Sheryl McIntosh, Email: [email protected]
Newsletter Editor:
Robyn Alderton, Email: [email protected]
Deadline for material to be included in the next Newsletter – Friday, 16 January 2015
Newsletter prepared by Robyn Alderton, Newsletter Editor of the Amateur Beekeeper’s Association of NSW Inc
1 of 13 Message from the Secretary – Dave Wilson
ABA Council Meeting – 31 January 2015
The next ABA Council Meeting will be held in the Joadja Room of the Mittagong RSL Club on
31 January 2015, commencing at 1.00 pm.
Address:
Phone:
Fax:
Email:
Cnr Hume Highway and Bessemer Streets, Mittagong NSW 2575
(02) 4872 6700
(02) 4872 1054
[email protected]
Directions for northerners – turn off the Hume Highway at Mittagong exit – thence to Mittagong thence into
Bowral Road thence right at MacDonald’s into Bessemer Street and the RSL.
Typically after the meeting members gather for a meal. The RSL seems a good place for this.
Topics to be considered include:
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With ABA clubs spread between Bega and Northern Rivers how we ensure that we stay connected?
With many new clubs how do we ensure that all are working towards a common goal?
Field Day in the mid west next year
AFB in Sydney
Clubs and their varying constitutions
With the ABA at over 700 members and growing, is the current structure viable?
Succession planning for ABA Executive – many executive members have served for eight years or
more.
How can the ABA support clubs in training new beekeepers?
Colonel Pulling Competition next year – how will it work?
Web based swarm system has worked hard this season. Have there been issues with swarm
collection?
Hope to see you there.
Newsletter prepared by Robyn Alderton, Newsletter Editor of the Amateur Beekeeper’s Association of NSW Inc
2 of 13 Message from the President – Doug Purdie
Trip to Sri Lanka
Recently I was in Sri Lanka and with some free time, went on a bit of a bee finding mission. There doesn’t
seem to be a lot of commercial or backyard beekeeping there and the one beekeeper I located did not return
emails or phone calls so I just started looking around for bees. There has been an extended drought which
may have accounted for the no noticeable bee activity even in very flower laden areas. It wasn't until I
travelled to Kandy that I saw my first bees, in the form of an Apis Cerana swarm in a tea plantation that arrived
and settled before my eyes. The locals were concerned that I would get stung but the bees seemed very
passive, there was no sign of the source hive.
Later we travelled to a Buddhist temple where for the first time, bees were active, lots and lots of bees
surrounding the cut water lily’s at the flower sellers stalls. This time no sign of Apis Cerana but plenty of Apis
Mellifera. A smaller bee that looked like one of the Tetragonula bees we have in NSW and also the giant
honey bee Apis Dorsata, which was truly a giant. The flower sellers were not concerned about the bees and
the bees were not concerned about the flower sellers just a feast of sweet nectar and pollen that they were
gorging on. Later at the Kandy botanic gardens the only bees present were the small Tetragonula like bee.
We travelled to Sigiriya in the central area of the country to see the Apis Dorsata nests on a large ancient rock
that many tourists climb, there is a warning sign that tells of hornet attack but actually it’s the bees that have a
notorious reputation for attacking the climbers even occasionally hospitalising them. The bees, being part of
the ancient lore, will not be removed and instead plastic wet weather gear is handed out to tourists climbing
the rock in 30 C heat and high humidity.
I would rather be stung than wear the smelly gear...however no bee attack occurred.
Click on the following link to view Doug’s photos in Sri Lanka
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0By_Z0hOQDhoAaVoxUEdvZkFrVWs&usp=sharing
Wheen Bee Foundation News
Seasons greetings from the Wheen Bee Foundation!
The Wheen Bee Foundation is a not-for-profit registered charity, which was established with a generous
bequest from Gretchen Wheen.
The mission of the Wheen Bee Foundation is to support research and
innovation that fosters healthy honey bees and a sustainable beekeeping
industry.
We do this through building awareness of the vital role honey bees play in
food production, and through fundraising efforts.
Gretchen Wheen
Gretchen Wheen (pictured left at her beautiful bee-friendly property in
Richmond, Sydney) had a passion for bees and beekeeping, along with
an incredibly sharp mind and a very generous spirit, and she dedicated
more than 50 years of her life to the industry. She was one of Australia’s
best known beekeepers, who was also well respected on the international
stage.
Newsletter prepared by Robyn Alderton, Newsletter Editor of the Amateur Beekeeper’s Association of NSW Inc
3 of 13 Gretchen was one of the first suppliers of quality queen bees
to Australian and international commercial beekeepers (refer
to picture at right). She was a pioneer instrumental in
insemination of queen bees, and passionate about the
importance of stock improvement.
Demonstrating her incredible generosity and enduring
commitment to the industry, Gretchen dedicated much of her
estate to the establishment of the Wheen Bee Foundation,
because she wanted to support activities that would benefit
beekeeping for generations to come.
We need bees!
When most people think of bees, they think of honey. Some
may think about beekeepers (lots of you reading the ABA
Newsletter have become beekeepers or are planning to),
and a few of us think about getting stung.
But not enough of us are thinking about the essential role
bees, and their keepers, play in feeding us all. Although the beekeeping industry is a relatively small one, it is
the heart of the much larger agricultural industry. That is because bees are essential for the pollination
services they provide for so many of our food crops.
It has been estimated that one in every three mouthfuls of food consumed globally is the result of pollination by
bees!
Of the 100 crop species that provide 90 per cent of the world’s food, over 70 are pollinated by honey bees. 1
In Australia, almost two thirds of our agricultural output benefits from honey bee pollination! 2
And although honey is not essential for humanity, it’s much more than just a delicious sweet treat. Honey has
important medicinal properties, including significant antimicrobial (ie, germ-killing) activity. All honeys possess
some level of antimicrobial activity, but some are up to 100 times more effective than others, and this all
depends on the flowers the bees visit to collect the nectar they so cleverly turn into honey. Recent studies are
also indicating that eating honey has a positive impact on your “good bugs”, which has a helpful knock-on
effect on your overall health.
So, no bees = no honey, and much, much less healthy food to eat.
Bees need us!
Despite their essential role in agriculture and in feeding us all, honey bee populations are declining in many
places around the world, and they face serious, ongoing threats.
Our beekeepers have to contend with a variety of bee pests and diseases that are established in Australia,
including European foulbrood, American foulbrood, small hive beetle and Nosema. These all have impacts on
bees (and their keepers), from negligible, to mildly annoying to devastating – and can result in whole colonies
dying, or even whole apiaries collapsing in extreme cases.
1 UNEP (2010) United National Environment Program
Emerging Issues: Global Honey Bee Colony Disorder and Other Threats to
Insect Pollinators. www.unep.org
2 Keogh, Robinson, Mullins (2010) Pollination Aware – The Real Value of Pollination in Australia. RIRDC Publication No 10/081. Newsletter prepared by Robyn Alderton, Newsletter Editor of the Amateur Beekeeper’s Association of NSW Inc
4 of 13 Australia is the only major beekeeping country that does not have
the varroa mite – which has wreaked havoc around the rest of the
world. We are also free of some other pests, such as the trachea
mite. But it is unlikely that we will remain free of these pests
indefinitely. When they arrive, we will all feel the impact. For
example, when varroa becomes established it will devastate the
already struggling beekeeping industry, as well as wipe out our
“feral” honey bee populations. These populations currently provide
a huge amount of pollination services that are essential for the
production of many of our food crops, even though in many cases
the farmers are not aware that this is happening.
Although we have treatments for some bee diseases, they are not
without adverse side effects, and there are some pests and
diseases for which beekeepers have no effective treatments at all. So more research is desperately needed.
So – what can we do to help?
Wheen Bee Foundation was established specifically to help Australian bees and beekeepers. We are currently
helping to fund a number of projects that aim to alleviate the
devastating impacts of bee pests and diseases.
For example, we’re helping to support a project looking for a new way
to deal with the small hive beetle (SHB), which is being run by
Dr Diana Leemon (Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry,
Queensland). The project is looking for substances that will attract the
adult SHB. Based on this, Diana and her team hope to develop an
external trap for SHB, which will make the management of apiaries in
SHB areas much simpler and cheaper.
Some other projects The Wheen Bee Foundation is supporting includes one looking for a lure and trap for the
invasive Asian honey bee, and we’re pledged to help with a potential project to develop a rapid detection
method for the trachea mite and another to help beekeepers be as prepared as possible for a varroa incursion.
If you would like to help the Wheen Bee Foundation bolster its resources to fund critical bee research projects
you can make a tax deductible donation to our R&D Fund.
We are committed to supporting research and innovation to safeguard a viable and prosperous Australian
beekeeping industry. What better way is there to guarantee food security?
To help support the Wheen Bee Foundation, visit: www.wheenbeefoundation.org.au/donate/
You can also follow us on Facebook, or sign up to our e-newsletter by emailing a request to
[email protected]
Dr Shona Blair
CEO, Wheen Bee Foundation
E: [email protected]
M: 0422 977 510
Newsletter prepared by Robyn Alderton, Newsletter Editor of the Amateur Beekeeper’s Association of NSW Inc
5 of 13 A gadget from the inveterate inventor
A great charm of small time beekeeping is
that there seems no limit to the number of
small “gadgets” that can be developed to
improve your beekeeping.
The device shown is a ventilated closer that
wedges into the entrance and is secured in
place with elasticized cord that passes around
the brood box.
A good bee close is formed with the advantage of some air circulation that is critically important when moving
bees in warm weather over any great distance.
The construction is self explanatory. The use of metal wire gauze is preferred as bees are likely to chew their
way through the plastic type.
Show your support of fellow beekeepers in 2 clicks!
Recently The House of Honey’s website thehouseofhoney.com.au was nominated for Kochie’s Business
Builders’ $100K Rescue My Site competition.
We are asking all our friends and business associates to support us with a vote. It only takes two clicks and it
is done and we would LOVE the opportunity to upgrade to an amazing website.
Please give us your vote to help us win a brand new website.
http://www.rescuemysite.com.au/nomination/thehouseofhoney-com-au/
Thanks for your support, Kim and Rupert
The House of Honey & The Sticky Spoon Café "FROM THE BEES TO YOU, NATURALLY"
867 Great Northern Highway (Cnr River Rd), Herne Hill 6056, West Australia, Phone 08 9296 3635,
Web: www.thehouseofhoney.com.au
Bee Workshop in Bega (or should that be Bee-Ga?)
On Saturday, 15 November At the grounds of the Old Bega
Hospital, Bega Valley Amateur Beekeepers Inc. held a
“Beginning in Bees” Workshop.
The Workshop was attended by 19 enthusiastic locals wishing to
start out in bees.
Doug Sommerville Technical Specialist (Apiculture), NSW
Department of Primary Industries led the day, and as you can
imagine held everyone's interest with his vast knowledge of all
things honey bees.
The event was a great success for Bega Valley’s first workshop
and we are grateful to Doug for his time. The Workshop was
such a success that we’re planning another workshop in the Autumn.
Sue Coleman Vice President, Bega Vallue Amateur Beekeepers Inc
Newsletter prepared by Robyn Alderton, Newsletter Editor of the Amateur Beekeeper’s Association of NSW Inc
6 of 13 Swarm Patrol’s Blog
www.swarmpatrol.com
Did you know that there is more to Swarm Patrol than just registering swarms? Click on the link below to go to Swarm Patrol’s blog where
you will find further links to interesting video footage.
Support your industry! http://swarmpatrol.com/blogs/view/19
Illawarra Branch – December 2014 – January 2015 Activities
December 2014
Apart from our Christmas Party to be held on 7 December there will be no other branch activities during
December.
NOTE: It is timely to again remind members that membership fees are now due and payable before 31
December. This deadline also applies to optional Public Liability Insurance which will also lapse on 31
December unless paid beforehand.
For Illawarra Branch Members only, payment can be made through our branch website or by direct mail to
Janice Conlan by cheque / money order (NOT CASH) to Janice at 37 Eight Avenue, JANNALI NSW 2226. For
additional payment methods please contact Janice on (02) 9528 3908.
January 2015
There will be no activities at the branch during January, however our activities will recommence in February
and our night meeting will be held on THURSDAY, 12 FEBRUARY at 7.00 PM Further details will be advised
in the February / March 2015 ABA Bulletin.
Wanted – Bee’s Wax
WANTED
Bee’s Wax
Do you have surplus, clean Beeswax or drained cappings that you would like to sell
for a fair price? If you’re answer is YES! Contact Parramatta Member
Richard Foote, direct, on (02) 9638 5601.
Amazing ‘bee’ photography website ….
If you’re interested in all things bees and interested in photography then you will love “Honey bees and
Beekeeping” photography by Alex Wild. In his photographs, Alex captures frames showing eggs, lavae at
various stages and emerging bees. Even the nasties of beekeeping (SHB, varroa and wax moth) are
represented.
Follow the link, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.
http://www.alexanderwild.com/Insects/Stories/Honey-Bees/i-wgCjKLT#!/Insects/Stories/Honey-Bees/ accessed
20 October 2014
Newsletter prepared by Robyn Alderton, Newsletter Editor of the Amateur Beekeeper’s Association of NSW Inc
7 of 13 … in the Media
App for farmers and beekeepers to protect pollinators
Australian farmers and beekeepers now have access to a world-first smart-phone application to help ensure
the safety of bees during normal farming practices. CropLife Australia, the peak national organisation for the
plant science sector, today launched BeeConnected, a first of its kind geomap based, user-driven
communication and coordination tool to help protect Australia’s honey bee population.
Source: http://www.croplife.org.au/industry-stewardship/ppi/beeconnected/ , accessed 22 October 2014
BeeAware
Background to BeeAware
Honey bee health is vital to ensure the future sustainability and
viability of the honey bee industry as well as the plant industries that
rely on pollination services. Keeping honey bees healthy relies on
good biosecurity – minimising the risks posed by established pests,
and keeping a look out and quickly responding to any exotic pests that enter Australia.
The BeeAware website is one of the outcomes of a series of honey bee biosecurity initiatives undertaken to
protect the health of Australia’s honey bee population. It began with the release in May 2011 of the Varroa
Continuity Strategy report by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, A honey bee industry and
pollination continuity strategy should Varroa become established in Australia. It was developed in conjunction
with an expert steering group consisting of industry and government representatives in response to the House
of Representatives 2008 inquiry report, More than Honey: the future of the Australian honey bee and
pollination industries.
To oversee the implementation of the Varroa Continuity Strategy outlined in the report, Plant Health Australia
(PHA), the coordinators of the plant biosecurity partnership in Australia, was commissioned to promote,
co-ordinate, implement and report on the progression of the strategy.
In October 2011, PHA formed the Varroa Continuity Strategy Management Committee (VCSMC) which
comprised honey bee scientists, government representatives, R&D agencies and industry representatives
from the honey bee industry and pollination-reliant industries.
Many countries around the world have found online Varroa awareness projects to be successful, so the
VCSMC decided to develop the BeeAware website to boost preparedness for an incursion of Varroa mite or
another exotic pest of bees. Subsequently the scope of the site was extended to include information on
established pests already affecting honey bees in Australia, as well as pollination information for a range of
plant industries.
Launched in July 2014, BeeAware was developed and is maintained by PHA. Funding for the site was
provided by the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council, the Australian Government Department of
Agriculture, Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation and Horticulture Australia Limited.
Refer below for a BeeAware project.
Newsletter prepared by Robyn Alderton, Newsletter Editor of the Amateur Beekeeper’s Association of NSW Inc
8 of 13 Dangerous liaison: Asian and Australian honey bees mating
Recent research has shown that honey production and
pollination services could potentially be at risk due to the
presence of Asian honey bees in the Cairns region of
Queensland. The research found that queens and drones of
Asian honey bees and European honey bees often cross paths
and mate because they fly at similar times and in similar places.
BeeAware
BeeAware is a hub of information for beekeepers and growers
about honey bee biosecurity and pollination of agricultural and
horticultural crops.
The site contains an extensive range of information about exotic and established pests and diseases of honey
bees, and helps beekeepers to identify and respond to these pest threats. It also contains information about
the pollination of crops and how beekeepers and growers can work together to provide and receive best
practice pollination services.
BeeAware is funded by the Australian honey bee industry, pollinator-reliant plant industries, Plant Health
Australia, governments and R&D agencies.
Source: BeeAware website: http://beeaware.org.au/, accessed 22 October 2014
Artist’s honeybee project comes with a dire environmental warning
The Huffington Post |By Kate Abbey-Lambertz
After Ladislav Hanka finishes his contemplative etchings of
flora and fauna, they then take on a life of their own -- with
the help of thousands and thousands of bees.
Hanka, an artist based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, has long
worked in printmaking, etching, drawing and book arts. Four
years ago, he also became a beekeeper. He began
incorporating the creatures into his practice, putting his
etchings into hives so the bees could go to work adding
honeycomb.
This fall, Hanka displayed not just the end product, but the
whole process. For his piece "Great Wall of Bees:
Intelligence of the Bee Hive," he enclosed a couple of dozen
etchings in a custom made wood and glass case, along with
approximately 5,000 bees, and displayed it at the Urban
Institute for Contemporary Arts in Grand Rapids, Michigan,
where visitors could see the works being transformed over
time. An example of Ladislav’s work is shown below. Follow the link for the complete story and images of the
works submitted.
Source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/28/bee-art-ladislav-hanka_n_5926728.html,
29 October 2014
Newsletter prepared by Robyn Alderton, Newsletter Editor of the Amateur Beekeeper’s Association of NSW Inc
accessed
9 of 13 What exactly is honey?
Apis Mellifera the “Honeybee” is responsible for pollinating 80% of all food we consume. They even pollinate
legumes and grains that feed meat and milk producing animals. So the busy little honeybee, has her work cut
out for her. In her short summer lifetime, she will only produce 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey. It takes millions
of trips to produce the beautiful golden fluid we enjoy as honey.
The honeybee flies out each morning to take on the infinite task of gathering nectar. She’ll try each flower
three times, if unable to recover the tiny droplet of nectar, she flies to the next flower. She stores the droplet in
her crop and will visit about one hundred flowers before returning to the hive to unload. The bees will gather
enough honey to fill each comb cell and beat their wings to evaporate the moisture to the right degree before
capping the cell with wax. Once capped the honeybee has securely preserved the delectable nectar
everlastingly to be fed back to the colony, or to we humans. Properly preserved and harvested, honey never
spoils and will last forever; its antibacterial state has no bacterial foundation for organisms to grow.
Most of us can’t resist something sweet now and then. So many of the foods we consume are sweetened with
white sugar, which is now one of the top three ingredients in most packaged foods. Most of us don’t realize
how much sugar we’re actually consuming as the bulk of sugar is hidden in other foods and its presence is
buried in long ingredient lists. A typical soft drink contains about nine teaspoons of refined sugar. White sugar
is over-processed and composed of sucrose; a white granular crystal refined from cane or beet juice by
stripping away all its vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, and water. It contains very little nutritional value and
promotes the growth of bacteria that cause disease and depletes your body of necessary nutrients. Organic
and brown sugars have no more nutritional value than white sugar. Unfortunately, most folks assume that
honey is just another type of white sugar, and think all honey tastes the same. I am certain they think this way
because the only honey they’ve ever tasted is from the grocery store or in honey packets from restaurants.
The United States Honey Board defines honey as a pure product that does not allow for the addition of any
other substance such as water or other sweeteners. Pure honey is not the same as cane or beet sugar. It is
not refined. Honey is a natural sweetener made from the nectar of flowers. It consists of carbohydrates and
water and contains amino acids, vitamins, and minerals like calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese,
niacin, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, potassium, riboflavin and zinc. Honey is composed of glucose and
fructose (simple sugars) and converted from nectar by the bees. Honey will not make your blood sugar rise or
fall as rapidly as processed sugar.
Pure wild raw honey is considered a living food, which means it’s uncooked, unheated and unpasteurized.
Honey that is heat-treated to delay crystallization cannot be considered to be truly raw. Heating honey to a
temperature higher than the temperature that naturally occurs inside the beehive, 90 to 93°, compromises the
quality of the honey, destroying valuable enzymes.
Honey sometimes takes on a semi-solid state known as crystallized or granulation; but it hasn’t gone bad.
Although most honey will crystallize in time, the crystallization process can be avoided or delayed by proper
storage. Room temperature can cause honey to crystallize within weeks or months. Warm temperatures of
+70° discourage crystallization. Temperatures above 81° reverse crystallation and degrade the honey by
eradicating the important enzymes. Crystallization is a natural phenomenon occurring when the sugars lose
water and crystallize. To restore honey to its stunning state, simply put the jar into a bowl of warm water and
let it sit until it’s smooth and fluid again.
Beekeepers can control crystallization to create a mouthwatering smooth product called creamed or whipped
honey. This type of honey has a pleasant texture and spreads like peanut butter.
Organic has become a household word and many people seek out and prefer organic foods. Presently the
U.S. Department of Agriculture regulates the labeling of honey as organic. Bees generally forage 2 ½ to 3
miles away from the hive, therefore a beekeeper cannot honestly determine where the bees get the nectar.
Mainstream chemical treatments for managing bees are also prohibited to qualify for organic certification. Also,
hives must be painted with non-toxic paint.
Newsletter prepared by Robyn Alderton, Newsletter Editor of the Amateur Beekeeper’s Association of NSW Inc
10 of 13 Single Origin Honey is made from a single species of flower. For the honey to be labeled as a distinctive flavor
the honey must consist of 51 percent of that specific type nectar.
Blended Honey or Wildflower honey is what we find most commonly. It is the honey from different floral
sources.
Comb Honey is the jewel of the beehive. It has a uniquely delicate and light taste because it is still inside the
wax. Spread on toast it is the first time the honey is exposed to air. This uncompromised freshness is the
purest, rawest form of honey. And, yes, you can eat the wax.
Chunk Honey is a chunk piece of honeycomb floating inside a jar of liquid honey.
Dried or Dry Honey is honey that has been dehydrated with drying aids and then processed. It is sold as
powder, flakes, granules or crystals. There could be anti-caking agents, sugars, processing aids, bulking
agents and other acrid ingredients making the total content of honey around 50 to 70 percent.
Creamed Honey is a spreadable honey with a lovely texture that dissolves on the tongue. It is intentionally
crystallized to give it the unique quality of being smooth and rough at the same time.
Infused Honey is honey that has flavors steeped into it to enhance the flavor. Be sure to read the label
carefully to see if you are purchasing authentic naturally raw honey or an enhanced product with additives.
Buying honey from your local beekeeper insures you of getting the best the bees have to offer in nutrition and
natural nourishment.
By Linda Harper for the Morrow County Sentinel
Source:
http://morrowcountysentinel.com/news/news_agricultural/150073747/What-Exactly-is-Honey,
accessed 13 October 2013
… Coming up
Dates for your diary
•
The next ABA Committee meeting will be held on 31 January 2015 in the Southern Highlands, venue
to be advised. Details at the front of the Newsletter.
•
The 2015 ABA Field Day will be held at All Saints College Bathurst on 7 March 2015. Time: 9.30 am
for tea / coffee and a 10.00 am start
Knowledgable and experienced guest speakers will share their knowledge, taking the mystery out of
Beekeeping
Topics and discussions on the day will include steam knives, queen excluders and the importance of
identifying pests and diseases in the apiary. There will also be a practical session on opening a
beehive which is always a favourite of those new to beekeeping.
There will be experienced beekeepers on hand to answer your questions.
Even if you are an experienced hand there is always something to learn.
The full program and directions to the site will be published in the February/March 2015 edition of the
Amateur Beekeeper’s Newsletter.
There is no charge for the event and it is a must attend for those new beekeepers and the
experienced.
Note the date in your diary now!
•
Next ABA AGM / Colonel Pulling Competition, scheduled for 3 May 2015 at Parramatta Branch,
Carlingford.
Upcoming TAB Articles
Newsletter prepared by Robyn Alderton, Newsletter Editor of the Amateur Beekeeper’s Association of NSW Inc
11 of 13 •
•
•
Beekeeping in the Kingdom of Tonga on the Island of Vava’u
Honeybee Larval toxicity test
Mass envenomation of a mare and foal by bees
Thank you to all who contributed to this Newsletter.
Robyn Alderton, Editor
From the Amateur Beekeeper’s Association
of NSW Inc, to you and your families, we
wish you a very merry Christmas and a
fabulously sweet 2015!
Newsletter prepared by Robyn Alderton, Newsletter Editor of the Amateur Beekeeper’s Association of NSW Inc
12 of 13 … Club contact and meeting info
Central Coast Branch
Gosford High School Agriculture House in Racecourse Road,
Gosford
When:
7.30 pm, 3rd Wednesday of the month
Field Day:
Sunday following the Meeting in the Club’s
apiary
Hunter Valley Branch
Hunter Region Botanic Gardens, Heatherbrae
10.00 am, 4th Sunday of the month (excluding July and
December)
Meet:
Meet:
When:
Illawarra Beekeepers’ Association Inc
Refer to “Club News” Section of this Newsletter
Meet:
When:
Field day:
Macarthur Beekeepers Assoc Inc
Macarthur Centre for Sustainable Living, Mount Annan Drive,
Mount Annan
7.30 pm, 3rd Wednesday of the month
Sunday following the Meeting in the Club’s apiary at 9:00 am.
Mid-North Coast Branch
Meeting and Field Day
When:
10.00 am, 2nd Sunday of the month
President:
Secretary:
Treasurer:
President:
Colin Fitzsimons (T) 02 4938 0082
(E) [email protected]
Secretary:
Robert Bull (T) 02 49 873 679
(E) [email protected]
www.beekeeperssutherland.org.au
President:
Lamorna Osborne
Secretary:
Geoff Henning (T) 9528 4292
www.macbeekeepers.asn.au
President:
Alistair Kilfeather
(T) 4658 1444 (M) 0421 465 608
(E) [email protected]
Vice President: Ralph Skerra (T) 0450 501 330
Treasurer:
Jean Haavasalu (T) 46818540
Secretary:
Claudio Bernardinatti (T) 0429 357 611
(E) [email protected]
President:
Secretary:
Nepean Branch Inc
Meet:
Nepean High
When:
(from) 9.30 am on the 2nd Sunday of the month
Bring your own lunch and please close all gates behind you
at all times!
Northern Rivers Branch
Meeting and
Last Sunday
Field Day:
of the month
Note:
When:
Meet:
When:
Field Day:
Note:
Postal:
10.00 am
Parramatta District Branch
Agriculture class room of James Ruse High School,
Carlingford (entrance via Baker Street)
7.30 pm, 2nd Wednesday of the month
Sunday following the Meeting in the Club’s apiary at the
school
Meeting program is outlined in the Club Newsletter which can
be downloaded from the Parramatta page at
www.beekeepers.asn.au
Southern Highlands Branch
53 Mackeys Lane, Robertson 2577
(W) www.southernhighlandsbees.org/
Sydney Central Branch
The Sydney Bee Club Inc. supports urban beekeeping in all
its forms and species
Meet:
Wayside Chapel, Level 3,
29 Hughes Street, Potts Point 2011
When:
7.00 pm, last Tuesday of the month
Field Day:
2nd Sunday of the month
Note:
See website for event and venue details
Note:
Martin Roberts (T) 02 4372 1381
Ray Issacs (T) 02 4369 3907
Ray Issacs (T) 02 4369 3907
President:
Secretary:
President:
Secretary:
Treasurer:
President :
Secretary:
Treasurer:
Mal Banks (T) 02 6649 0990
(E) [email protected]
Peter Dickson Smith (T) 6649 2009
(E) [email protected]
Eddie Sijnstra (T) 02 4751 3941
(E) [email protected]
Sheila Stokes (M) 0412 157 148
(E) [email protected]
Tony Lamont (T) 6663 1238
Shirley Ashman (T) 6628 3687
(E) [email protected]
Peter Dickson-Smith (T) 6649 2009
(E) [email protected]
Dave Wilson (M) 0421 945 593
(E) [email protected]
Robyn Alderton (M) 0401 897 730
(E) [email protected]
John Douglas (M) 0423 186 803
(E) [email protected]
President:
Sylvia Cornwell
(E) [email protected]
Secretary:
Jodie Healy Boyle
(E) [email protected]
Treasurer:
Joanna O’Brien
(W) www.sydneybeeclub.org.au
President:
Secretary:
Doug Purdie
(E) [email protected]
Elke Haege (M) 0410 456 404
(E) [email protected]
Meetings and Field days may be subject to change, due to weather or unforeseen circumstances. To avoid disappointment, Visitors
are requested to make contact with the appropriate Club prior to attending an event, to confirm date and start time.
Newsletter prepared by Robyn Alderton, Newsletter Editor of the Amateur Beekeeper’s Association of NSW Inc
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