Honey Bees in the Wild
Recently a few of our members, Roy Janice and Mick, stumbled across a wild honey bee colony on the edge of the coast in the Royal National Park. They were lucky enough to grab a few shots of the bees perched on the rocks overlooking the bay. We are lead to believe that it has been there a number years, it had a very good aspect facing about north east with warming sun from west etc on rock. They seemed quite happy! This is evidence that honey bees are enjoying good numbers in our community. Thanks Roy for sharing this and the photos.
What We Did Last Month
Last month at our night meeting, Chairman of Rural Industries & Development Corporation [RIRDC] Michael Hornitzky visited us to discuss the work of the corporation and its’ involvement in agriculture and the beekeeping industry. Our field day featured some interesting tips on wintering your colonies over the cold nights ahead.
1/2 Price Membership
July marks the halfway for 2016 so we have half price memberships Now Available. Members are invited to attend our monthly meetings and make yourselves known to your fellow beekeepers and the committee.
Bee Shop: Winter Trading
During the winter season, the shop will not be open on Thursday mornings however other opening hours will remain as normal on monthly Thursday night meetings and Sunday field days approx. 30 minutes before the meetings commence. If anyone needs supplies outside of these times please contact Ivan on 0419 254 831 to arrange another time.
Renovation in the Honey House
The renovations to our honey house have been completed with major renovation to the floor and drainage system that will improve the honey house facility for members. We expect to use the facility on our June field day.
Honey Extraction Kits
We now have 4 good honey extraction kits available for members. These kits include, a 3 frame honey extractor, heated knife, uncapping fork plus wax cap bag to spin excess honey from your wax. There is a bond plus a nominal fee of $20 to cover repairs and maintenance of the equipment. For more information please see Ivan in the bee keepers shop.
T&C's when Visiting
We are currently shooting footage for our short film on bees in our community. This means on field days and anytime you visit the apiary, we may be capturing more footage. Please be aware visitors and members to our apiary and museum are now subject to our terms and conditions. These terms are now published on our website and can be viewed here. You are advised to read and understand them completely before your next visit to our apiary and museum. If you have any questions relating to this, please contact us.
Detection of Varroa in Queensland
On the 29th June, a colony of Asian honey bees (Apis cerana) was detected in a container stand in Queensland. The hive contained approximately 5000 bees with their queen. On inspection of the hive two Varroa mites – Varroa jacobsoni – were found. You can learn more about the varroa and this detection at the link below.
View Slides Here
Membership & Insurance Half Price
If you are yet to to renew your membership and insurance please make sure you renew ASAP. The current rate is half the normal price so it’s a good time to update your membership now.
Renew Your Membership TodayGet Ready For Swarms
We are currently in the midst of a very cold period in Sydney but the days will soon start to warm up again and that mean swarms will start to emerge in the next month or two so now’s a great time to prepare for the busy season. We will soon feature discussions and workshops covering swarm capture and preparation of your gear. Stay tuned for more info soon.
Beginners Beekeeping Courses: Book Your Place Today!
We have already announced 2 courses for Spring 2016. These dates usually book out very quick so if you want to ensure a spot in a course select the option on the beekeeping course page below!!
We are now on Twitter: Follow Us
Over the summer break, we have set up a new twitter account where you can see all the news and up to date info from our club. We will also feature an exciting live feed soon. More info will be released there when it’s finalised but in the meantime you can find us on twitter @illabees so check us out there and follow us please.
Follow us on Twitter
Emmanuel Farrugia [editor, the Buzz]
(Your local Branch of the Amateur Beekeepers Assoc. of NSW)
the Buzz by SaveOurBees.com.au
