2014-02-Feb-Bee-Journal

VOL.95 - NO.2 FEBRUARY 2014
THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS TO THE
SENATE INQUIRY INTO BEEKEEPING HAS BEEN
EXTENDED TO 31st MARCH
...Page 18
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AUSTRALIAN BEE JOURNAL
Published since 1918 by the VAA
- founded in 1892 -
Registration No. A8347
February 2014 Volume 95 - No 2
BEEKEEPERS — CONSERVATION IS OUR CONCERN
CONTENTS
Executive Council information 2
Membership costs / Journal advertising rates 2
President’s Report 3
Letter to the Editor 4
National Bee Pest Surveillance Program: why we need it 6
DEPI: Clarification Apiary Inspectors / RIRDC news 8
Fire recovery and beekeeping 10
ApiOrganica 2014 - World Symposium of Organic Beekeeping 12
Bee Bits 13
Bees dance the light fantastic 14
Photo Gallery: Water and shade for bees 16
DEPI: Do I need an ACUP or COL / AHBIC: Extracts from newsletter 18
Seasonal Notes 20
J Bee-keeping School: Beekeeping and honey festival 22
Preliminary notice Bendigo Branch Pack Down Day 23
NSWAA Bee Trade Show / UK National Honey show 23
AHBIC: New chemical registrations 24
Eva Cane Trust 26
A Beekeeper Abroad 28
VAA Footy Tipping competition 30
Bees Abroad: Kenya Project 32
Recipe: Berry and honey roulade 33
Classifieds/Members page 34
Calendar / Index of advertisers 35
Contacts 36
Deadline for copy for March journal is the 25th of February.
The Australian Bee Journal seeks to publish contributions dealing with all aspects
of beekeeping. Statements expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect
the views of the VAA Inc or the editor.
Editor: Annette Engstrom
Cover photos courtesy of Peter Kaczynski
Scenes from The Grampians fires of 2006.
January 2006 - a burnt out hive. February 2006 - signs of regeneration.
Editor’s contact details:
for ads, photos, classifieds and
article information
The Editor, Australian Bee Journal,
P.O. Box 42 Newstead, VIC. 3462
Mobile: 0438 415 259
Email: abjeditors@yahoo.com
VAA secretary/treasurer’s contact details:
for subscriptions, address changes,
membership and VAA information
P.O. Box 40, California Gully, VIC. 3556
Phone: 5446 1455 Fax: 03 5446 1543
Email: vaa@vicbeekeepers.com.au
Contact hours: 9am - 3pm, Mon - Fri
(if unavailable leave a message)
Closed Public Holidays and weekends
Bees Helpline: 1902 241 059 calls cost $2.20 per minute
Higher rates apply to mobiles and public phones

VAA Inc. Executive Council
PRESIDENT
Robert McDonald
19 Eleanor Drive
Campbells Creek 3451
P: 03 5472 4973
Mob: 0427 722 162
mcdonald.robert@
y7mail.com
VICE PRESIDENT
Norm Andrews
25 Eastern Rd., Bendigo 3550
P: 03 5442 2252
Mob: 0428 422 252
normsplitterslane
@bigpond.com
Joanne Love
PO Box 30
Bridgewater, 3516
P/F: 03 5437 3307
Mob: 0429 183 257
ausbhive@bigpond.com
Ron Robinson
13 Ovens Ave. Red Cliffs,
VIC 3496
P: 03 5024 1068
Mob: 0427 995 875
honeybee711@bigpond.com
Rod Whitehead
Snow Rd. Milawa, 3678
P: 03 5727 3468
Mob: 0439 373 468
walkabouthoney
@westnet.com.au
VICE PRESIDENT
Kevin MacGibbon
3090 Midland Hwy
Nalinga, 3631
Mob: 0418 577 788
sales@nalingasteel.com.au
Elwyne Papworth
RSD 7440 Northern Hwy
Strathallan 3622
P/F: 03 5484 9231
Mob: 0408 511 885
amberhunidue@bigpond.com
Bernie Heinze
1 Marne Road
Mt Evelyn Vic 3796
03 97361682
bernardheinze@hotmail.com
Ken Gell
48 Dundas Rd.,
Maryborough, VIC 3465
P: 03 5461 4326
Mob: 0428 506 752
gells_honey@hotmail.com
SECRETARY/
TREASURER
Kerrin Williams
PO Box 40
California Gully, VIC 3556
Ph: 03 5446 1455
Fax: 03 5446 1543
vaa@vicbeekeepers.com.au
Annual subscription rate to the journal for non VAA members:
within Australia $78, overseas mail $120 (price includes GST).
Australian Bee Journal advertising rates (incl GST)
NEW advertisers please note page placement charges
may apply. Contact the editor for details.
No. of months
Full page Half page Quarter page
12 $1090 $630 $410
6 $655 $390 $245
3 $415 $255 $160
1 $200 $145 $110
Colour: $1800 full page / $990 half page—12 month contract only
The VAA invites all beekeepers
to become members. Rates incl.
GST. Partner member $20 less in
each category, includes all rights
except receipt of the journal.
No. of hives Rate Votes
1-100 $78 1
101-500 $212 2
501-1000 $338 3
1000 plus $465 4
2 Australian Bee Journal

President’s Report
Let us know if we can help
So, does anyone know where the next honey flow
is coming from No Welcome to the club! We, at
present have bees in three different parts of the state
(quite a way from each other), in the hope that one of
those places will turn it on and allow us to take our
“insurance” honey off. Our “insurance” honey is the
honey we have had to leave on just in case nothing
happens, and they need it to survive on. No luck on
that front yet.
The thing that you do notice at times like this is
that you spend a lot of time doing research, going to
places that may be a chance. And that is either followed
by another trip, to another prospect, or a fast
trip home to prepare trucks and equipment, and make
a move. This happened to us mid-January, when we
had the mad scramble to get the bees to the Acorn
Mallee to take advantage of what seemed to be a copious
nectar supply. Unfortunately due to the extreme
heat we have had since, it has not fulfilled its
promise, and they may well be shifted out in the short
term. The problem is to where
You also notice that a lot of other beekeepers are
doing the same kind of thing that you are, sometimes
with the same lack of results. The key to this seems
to be to keep your ear to the ground, be willing to do
the research, and be quick to respond if you see an
opportunity. It won’t always work, but if you stop
trying, you’ve lost before you've begun.
This was one of the reasons we chose to
branch out into pollination quite a few years ago.
Not only did it give us an alternative source of
income; quite often that income was able to give
us a boost in low production years. On balance,
we obviously lost honey in high production years,
by maintaining these pollination jobs. But if we
didn’t honour those commitments to chase honey,
then how could we expect growers/managers to
keep faith with us.
After mentioning the extreme weather, I’d
like to make a couple of comments on it. Firstly,
I’d like to compliment ABC radio for their sterling
service on some of the hot days we had just
recently. I was travelling to the Mallee to water
bees during one of the hot periods, and was kept
well informed of what was going on over most of
the state for that time by keeping the radio tuned
to the ABC. And when a couple of fires flared up
in that area, I was able to make sensible decisions
based on that information.
Secondly, I’d like to thank Johnathon Williams,
who happened to go in and check our bees
on a site next to his, and discover them out of
water. Not only did he do this, and put some
water in our tanks for us, he phoned to let us
know about it, and get ourselves up there quick!
Much appreciated, Johnathon, and we owe you
one. The bees in question were always going to
get water the next day anyway, but I bet they enjoyed
that drink, after going dry. A right neighbourly thing
to do.
Next, I would like to mention the effect of both
the heat and fires on bees. I don’t know of any bees
that have melted down in this weather, but it should
always be a concern to us all. Placing bees in the
shade and making sure they have adequate water go a
long way to prevent this. I do know of some beekeepers
who have lost hives in the fires, though I
don’t know the full extent of the losses. Others have
also lost access to sites, some of which were in use at
the time of the fires. In one particular instance related
to me, the site had just recovered from the previous
Grampians fires, looked like producing a crop this
season, and is gone now.
To all those who have been touched by this,
please let us know if we can help, and be assured we
are thinking of you.
Finally, I would like to thank all those that attended
the VAA meeting, organised to put together a submission
for the Senate Inquiry I mentioned last
month. Organised at very short notice, given the time
frame; but achieved the aim of giving those making
the submission on the VAA’s behalf a lot of points to
consider. Thank you all for attending.
Yours in Beekeeping
Robert McDonald
February 2014 3

Letters to the Editor
Re: Buzz Committee Recommendations
Bob McDonald,
57 Sawmill Road,
McKenzie Hill,
Via Castlemaine 3451
Reference: Progress of the Buzz Committee Recommendations.
Janette Hodgson has taken over the role played by
Gary Niewand on the Buzz Committee and has sent
an email informing Committee members dated 22 nd
January 2014.
This email shows positive progress and I quote
thus:
“An important mid term implementation step is
the alignment of the new policy and procedure with
current management plans for forests, reserves and
parks. As part of the implementation of the new
policy, the DEPI Secretary has now issued a directive
confirming that the new policy and procedure
overrides any existing provision within these
management documents.
The directive has been communicated to regional
managers within DEPI, and the directive will be
brought to the attention of regional staff involved in
the process of considering new applications for apiary
sites. The DEPI Secretary has also written to
Parks Victoria in similar terms.” End quote.
This seems to have easily overcome the issue of
deletion of the clauses limiting the number of bee
sites in many of our National and State Parks.
It is imperative that all beekeepers be alerted
to this directive so that everyone is equally well
informed.
This comes at a welcome time, when recent major
fires in the Grampians, Big Desert and minor fires
elsewhere have destroyed honey producing flora on
quite a large number of bee sites.
I have talked at some length in my Seasonal Report
about the possible effects of these latest bush
fires, so I won’t repeat myself here.
Suffice to say that after the 2006 fires when a
Government Task Force called the “Ministerial Task
Force to Aid Bush Fire Recovery”, Chaired by the
Hon. John Brumby, then State Treasurer, and Minister
for State & Regional Development, bluntly rejected
many of the advantages now being offered to us.
It was on 7 th February 2006 that I wrote, in my
then capacity as VAAI Resources Committee Chair, a
submission to this Task Force requesting better access
to public lands, including access to Parks that had,
over the years, been gradually denied to us.
Although I have not held that Resources Committee
position for a number of years, I take a great deal
of pride in the fact that we, the Victorian Apiarists’
Association Inc. with the help of the Victorian Farmers’
Federation (VFF) have now arrived at the point
we sought in 2006.
Mark Riley, Parks Victoria is in charge of ensuring
Parks Victoria staff adopt this new policy.
Mark has verbally/and in writing assured me that
if there is an issue with particular Parks Victoria personnel
not collaborating, then he is to be contacted.
This offer does not mean that Mark Riley should
be bombarded with complaints from beekeepers.
It should be recognised that it may take some time
for all Parks Victoria staff to come to terms with these
proposed changes. As we are aware, in the minds of
some of these staff members, the changes are dramatic.
2. These staff members believe in managing our
Parks to preserve well into the future “the pristine
diversity of the native environment”.
Although we, as beekeepers have the same interest
in preserving this ongoing diversity as these Parks
personnel, we will need to increase our dialogue to
ensure both parties understand that we have common
interests.
3. If a beekeeper feels that there is still unfair
discrimination, we need to attempt to resolve this
amongst ourselves.
4. We must accept that we have no right to consider
that we can run riot across the public land estate.
In many cases there will be a need for negotiation and
possibly modification of some of our requests.
Page 14 of the January 2014 ABJ lists the names
of the beekeeper representatives on the Buzz Committee.
If there are any perceived issues, any one of these
people should be contacted for advice.
In any applications for bee sites, don’t expect to
go into an Office, put your big finger somewhere on a
map and expect immediate positive attention.
In the November 2013 issue of the ABJ, I listed a
procedure to go through to limit as much as possible,
misunderstandings in your application.
Modern technology e.g. GPS, the ability to take
photos with mobile phones etc. makes it much easier
to make accurate applications that can be easily identified
in the field.
We are arriving at a stage in our continued need
for long term access to our public land system that, a
few years ago, many of us would have thought unimaginable.
Let us all approach this new system carefully and
with complete respect for the Land Managers we need
to deal with.
Bob McDonald
4 Australian Bee Journal
During the fire season never work the bees without carrying
basic firefighting and safety equipment

February 2014 5

National Bee Pest Surveillance Program
Why the honey bee industry needs it
From Plant Health Australia and AHBIC
AHBIC are currently reviewing the honey levy,
with a view to reforming and increasing the honey
levy from 2.3c/kg to 4.6c/kg which would apply to a
producer selling over 1500kg of honey per year.
AHBIC is consulting with all sectors of the industry
about these proposed changes, with an industry ballot
on these proposed changes to be held throughout early-mid
2014.
The purpose of this increase in the honey levy is
to raise additional funds to contribute to additional
biosecurity activities for beekeepers. Part of the money
raised as part of this levy increase would go towards
AHBIC’s commitment to the National Bee Pest
Surveillance Program (formerly known as the National
Sentinel Hive Program). The National Bee Pest
Surveillance Program is currently cost shared at a
national level between AHBIC, pollination-reliant
industries through Horticulture Australia Limited
(HAL) and the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture.
The Australian mainland is currently free from
some of the most significant pests of honey bees,
namely the Varroa mites (Varroa destructor and V.
jacobsoni), Tropilaelaps mite (Tropilaelaps clareae
and
T. mercedesae) and Tracheal mite
(Acarapis woodi). The establishment of any of these
pests in Australia would greatly increase the costs for
the honey bee and pollination services industry.
The National Bee Pest Surveillance Program is a
nationally cost shared and risk based surveillance
program that is undertaken across Australia to deal
with the risk posed by these exotic pests (such as Varroa
mite). The Program involves a range of surveillance
methods conducted at locations considered to
be of most likely entry of bee pests and pest bees
VAA Executive
Nominations for VAA Executive Council
In accordance with the VAA Inc. Constitution —
Clause 5 (e): Nominations are sought by eligible
Regional Associations to fill VAA Inc. Executive
Council positions for the term 2014/15.
Clause 5 (f): The names of each Regional Executive
Councilor must be in the hands of the VAA
Inc. Secretary by February 28th, 2014.
Clause 5 (j): Nominations are sought from
VAA Inc. financial members to nominate for the
remaining positions on the VAA Inc. Executive
Council after the election of Regional representative
positions for the term 2014/15.
Clause 5 (k): All VAA Inc, financial members,
6 Australian Bee Journal
NBPSP
throughout Australia.
The NBPSP supports two objectives:
1. Exotic bee pest and pest bee early warning:
to act as an early warning system to detect new incursions
of exotic bee pests and pest bees. This greatly
increases the possibility of eradicating an incursion,
and limits the scale and cost of an eradication program.
2. Trade support: to facilitate the export of queen
bees and packaged bees to countries sensitive to a
range of bee pests and pest bees. This Program provides
technical, evidence based, information to support
Australia's pest free status claims during export
negotiations and greatly assists exporters in meeting
export certification requirements.
AHBIC’s commitment of $75,000 per year is currently
being accessed from industry reserves which
are held in the industry Contingency Fund. However,
this is not sustainable as this money is meant to be
held in reserve for industry to contribute to an emergency
response in the event of an incursion of an exotic
pest (such as Varroa mite). If the proposed levy
reforms and increases are not supported, AHBIC will
not be able to contribute for their component, which
will most likely lead to the discontinuation of the National
Bee Pest Surveillance Program.
If you support the honey bee industry contributing
to a cost shared national surveillance program, which
acts as an early warning system for bee pests and pest
bees and also provides trade support for beekeepers
who export queen bees and packaged bees, please
vote yes for the proposed reforms and increases in
the honey levy.
For more information about the proposed honey levy
reform and increase, go to
http://honeybee.org.au/programs/honey-levy-reformand-increase/
excepting those already elected, are eligible to
stand for election.
Clause 5 (l): All nominations must be in writing
and duly signed by the nominee and the nominator
and be in the hands of the VAA Inc. Secretary
by April 15th each year.
Clause 5 (m): If more nominations for the Executive
Council are received than there are vacancies,
a postal ballot will be conducted among
VAA Inc. financial members.
Clause 5 (n): The result of the election shall be
declared on the first day of the Annual Conference.

February 2014 7

DEPI
Clarification: DEPI Apiary Inspectors
The following email was sent to various key people
in December 2013 to clarify a possible misunderstanding
about the role of DEPI Apiary Inspectors
with reference to the administration of public land
beekeeping.
It has now been sent to the ABJ to help spread the
information widely amongst beekeepers.
Subject: Clarification: DEPI Apiary Inspectors do
not have a role in administration of public land
beekeeping
Dear All
I understand that there is a rumour flying around
among beekeepers that the new public land beekeeping
policy and procedures places responsibility for
administration of public land beekeeping with DEPI
Apiary Officers or Inspectors. This is incorrect, and
to clarify:
DEPI Apiary Officers/Inspectors: These Officers
are responsible for biosecurity (bee diseases) and
have no role in public land bee site licensing/
administration.
DEPI Property (Apiary) Officers: These Officers
are responsible for administration/licensing of
public land bee sites. DEPI has a number of staff
working on the range of Crown land administration
tasks. Nine or ten such officers around the
state provide a focus for the administration of bee
sites on public land. To distinguish these officers
from other property officers and for the purposes
of the new public land beekeeping and procedures,
we have adopted the title, Property (Apiary)
Officer.
The rumour apparently started when a beekeeper saw
part of an internal document without fully understanding
or at least recognising its content.
I hope this has provided some clarity and eases any
confusion.
Regards
Gary Niewand, DEPI
January 2014
On the 19th November the Honeybee Advisory
Committee (HAC) held a meeting in Melbourne at
which 16 preliminary research proposals (PRPs) and
four other proposals, outside the open call process,
were considered for funding. Full research proposals
have been requested for four of the 16 PRPs. Funding
was recommended and RIRDC approved the following
three proposals.
National Honeybee and Pollination Industry Biosecurity
Management Strategy - Code of Practice.
This will involve developing a draft Australian Beekeeping
Code of Practice and draft National Honeybee
Biosecurity Program for government and industry
endorsement by the end of the 2014 financial year.
The development of this code of practice and national
program, which will include the framework for a national
American foulbrood control strategy, will lay
the foundations for a greater degree of industry self
reliance for the management of established, and exotic
pests and diseases in Australia.
Symposium: Growers and beekeepers working
together – protecting crops and their pollinators.
In August 2012 the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary
Medicines Authority (APVMA) announced that
it would conduct a review to look at the use of neonicotinoid
insecticides in Australia to access whether
8 Australian Bee Journal
RIRDC
Honeybee Research & Development News
they present more of a risk to honeybee health than
other pesticides. The aim of this symposium is to
provide a forum at which APVMA can (i) release
their review into neonicotinoid use in Australia and
(ii) outline and discuss the broad issues surrounding
honeybees in pollinator landscapes, implementing
pollination best practice management, research and
stewardship of neonicotinoids and regulation of neonicotinoids.
International Union for the Study of Social Insects
Conference – Cairns 13th to 18th July 2014.
RIRDC is sponsoring this Conference to support
bringing a renowned international speaker (Dr Jay
Evans) to Australia. Dr Evans will also be attending
at least one State Beekeeping Conference in Australia.
The Conference will also include a session on
honeybee related topics for a beekeeper audience.
RIRDC is in the process of streamlining its management
processes and moving to recover costs of its
administration of the Honeybee and Pollination programs.
Gerald Martin, Chair of the Pollination Advisory
Committee and I have submitted a letter to the
RIRDC Board requesting that the program management
fee be capped at 10% of program expenditure.
In our submission we also flagged a number of cost
saving measures to be implemented which include the
amalgamation of the Honeybee and Pollination Advisory
Committees.
Michael Hornitzky
When placing your apiary in summer give serious thought to fire planning and precautions

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P/L
February 2014 9

Bushfires
Fire recovery and Beekeeping
By Meg Riordan
As the temperatures reach the roaring 40 degree days,
the total fire bans loom large, and the bushfires break
out, I am reminded of those years my dad and my
brother fought bushfires in the North East of Victoria.
My brother was a project firefighter for several consecutive
seasons in the Beechworth Summer Crew
some years ago. He has witnessed first-hand the ferociousness
and often unpredictable nature of severe
bushfires.
Today, however, I want to talk about my father,
Joe Riordan, and his experience with fighting fires
with the Chiltern CFA,
and his role with fire
recovery with the Department
of Environment
and Primary Industries
(DEPI) and how bee
keepers can learn from
his experiences.
Some of you may
already know Joe as the
Senior Apiary Inspector
for Victoria, but when
the State experiences
devastating bushfires he
joins other animal health
professionals to form fire
recovery teams which
assist in livestock assessment.
In the 2006 Eastern
Victoria Great Divide
bushfires, and the
2009 Black Saturday
bushfires, Joe met with
those who had lost livestock
to the fires to assess
the damage done.
This role sometimes
involves destruction and
disposal, or organising
salvage slaughter of livestock.
These teams are
quite often the first point
of contact after the fire
crew have passed
through (if they do).
Joe says that landowners
they met after these fires were either in total
despair over their losses or in sheer jubilation that
“they beat the big red steer”. He says there was an
evident lack of post-bushfire plans, people had simply
failed to take into account what needed to be organised
once the fire had passed through. You could
be without electricity for an extended period of time,
and without an alternative energy supply there is no
10 Australian Bee Journal
Above: Stanley State Forest Black Saturday 2009
Below: Yackandandah Dederang Rd Black Saturday
fire 2009. Photos courtesy of Joe Riordan
way to cook or to even store food in fridges and
freezers. With plenty of road closures due to fallen
trees and unsafe roads, you could be trapped in your
house with minimal supplies for some time, and with
little to no ability to communicate as phone lines are
cut and mobiles may not receive a signal. Joe says
that because of a limited water supply many were
unable to shower for quite some time after the bushfires.
He goes on to say, “one of the biggest complaints
we received was that at the end of the day
when these people went to bed, their heads hit the
pillow and they could still smell smoke, there was no
escaping it.”
Joe explains that
“preparation for a bushfire
is as much about
psychological preparation
as it is about physical.”
He is no stranger to
the impact a bush fire
can have on individuals
and communities, he
joined as a volunteer for
the CFA in Chiltern
about 25 years ago. It is
a rural fire brigade for an
area with approximately
1,300 residents, surrounded
by a national
park, placed next to a
major freeway, and a
major train line for
freight and commuter
trains. Due to the location
of the Chiltern fire
brigade the CFA are
called out to bushfires,
grassfires, car accidents
and train accidents. The
fire fighters get a variety
of scenarios, and Joe
says that through all of
these there are common
threads with recovery
and the levels of shock
those involved must
overcome. What Joe has
learnt from this is how to
be braced for not only a
bushfire itself, but the aftermath as well. “Family,
groups, and industry debriefing is important. We all
have to look out for our family, neighbours, and our
community during these times.”
In 2003 Joe was captain of the Chiltern CFA,
working alongside a multitude of other brigades to
fight the Eastern Victorian Alpine bushfires. At one
(Continued on page 12)

February 2014 11

Bushfires
Fire recovery and Beekeeping, cont’d
(Continued from page 10)
point out in the field he was told one of his crew
members was missing. He can’t quite describe the
level of fear he felt. As captain he took responsibility
for all those men and women in his crew who put
themselves on the line to fight those fires. This missing
crew member became the most paramount issue
for him. Fortunately the crew member was safe and
the situation wasn’t as dire as it seemed – he had lost
radio signal to base thus his location couldn’t be determined.
Joe says that missing people are a top priority
when a bushfire hits, and as a community we
have a duty of care to those who put their lives at risk
to fight fires. When we begin to follow up on our
livestock assessment we need to be mindful that our
issues may not be prioritised when emergency services
are trying to locate missing people, and provide
the best support to fire fighters still taming the blaze.
In the December issue of the Australian Bee Journal
Peter Kaczynski explains how beekeepers can
prepare hives for fire season. Joe has some advice for
what beekeepers can do to prepare for the aftermath
of a bushfire:
DO as Peter Kaczynski has recommended and
make a standalone sign at your bee site with your
name, brand number, and contact details. This way
fire recovery teams can contact you if they come
across your site.
DO have a clear address in grid reference to your
bee site.
DO identify your Emergency Incident Control
Centre (ICC), you can find this through your local
CFA.
DON’T attempt to get to your bee site until
you’ve been informed that the area is safe and accessible.
DO contact the ICC and request accessibility details
to your bee site once the fire has passed through.
Remember to keep records of phone calls and contact
names as these workers are on shifts.
DON’T be impatient with the ICC workers as
they try to help you with what information they have
available. Your bees and livestock are important, but
as Joe points out missing people are the number one
priority. The ICC staff are providing support to the
fire fighters whom we have a duty of care to.
DO contact your insurance company with any
information you have. The details may only be
sketchy, but get the ball rolling.
DON’T forget to contact your pollination broker/
coordinator once you have specific numbers on hive
losses. Your hive numbers may be significantly altered
after a bushfire.
Fire recovery should be an important part of your
fire safety plan. Each year as we head into the fire
season and deal with the summer heat we need to be
thinking not only whether we are fire ready, but are
we also fire recovery ready.
ApiOrganica 2014 - World Symposium of Organic Beekeeping
Castel San Pietro Terme, Bologna, ITALY
4-7 March 2014
Organic Beekeeping for a sustainable agriculture
Scientific Program: The 5th and 6th of March will be entirely dedicated to the Symposium working sessions,
addressing the following topics:
Organic Beekeeping: environmental quality and colony distinctive management
Colony Health Management: treatments and biotechnical methods:
Varroa mite and related diseases
Brood and other diseases
Distinctive priorities of organic beekeeping:
problematic issues related to regulation and certification
Marketing of organic bee products
Organic Beekeeping challenges and opportunities for developing countries
All sessions will be offered with simultaneous translation services into English, Spanish and Italian.
Optional activities
4th March—Technical Tour with visits to:
Conapi’s establishment, a cooperative that processes and commercializes 20% of the best Italian honey
A local organic beekeeping farm
7th March—Visit to APIMELL 2014 (Piacenza) the most important Mediterranean beekeeping establishment
Social & Cultural Events:
Music and theatre show “The Loneliness of Bees”
Film festival dedicated to the bee world
Slow Food “Earth Market:”
For more information on registration and costs please visit www.apibio.org
12 Australian Bee Journal

Bee Bits
The Pollination Program, media release
Looking for the buzz on pollination
29 January 2014
Apple, cherry and blueberry growers are being
urged to help protect their industries against the potential
devastation of Varroa mite, by filling in a survey
currently being circulated by their industry bodies.
It’s collecting information on the importance
growers place on pollination and how much they utilise
both free and paid pollination services, so the
industry can prepare effective management plans in
case of a Varroa incursion. TQA Australia is conducting
the survey on behalf of the Pollination Program,
a research effort jointly funded by the Rural
Industries Research and Development Corporation
(RIRDC), Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL) and
the Australian Government Department of Agriculture.
Early survey results show that growers recognise
the role of bees in the success of their fruit growing
with more than 50 per cent saying insect pollination
is either essential or very important and the majority
already using commercial pollination services.
*************
At least (US) EPA is doing a little something
9 th Jan 2014
The U.S. EPA still won’t follow Europe’s lead and
suspend or ban the use of neonicotinoid pesticides
believed to be killing honeybees and other pollinators
— to the horror of beekeepers and environmentalists,
who are suing the federal government over its inaction.
But at least the agency is doing something. On
Wednesday, EPA announced it was awarding
$460,000 in funding for research into integrated pest
management, to help reduce the use of pesticides and
lower risks to bees — “all while controlling pests and
saving money.”
Louisiana State University, one of the grant recipients,
will use its share of the funds to investigate how
bees can be protected from pesticides used to control
mosquitoes. Penn State University researchers will
investigate the benefits of growing crops without
treating seeds with neonic pesticides.
Margaret Reeves, a scientist at the Pesticide Action
Network, one of the groups suing the EPA over neonics,
welcomed the research grants. “EPA’s investment
in integrated pest management puts the U.S. on
the path of sustainable, cutting-edge farming,”
Reeves said in an emailed statement. But she noted
that the EPA needs to do much more to protect pollinators
from agricultural poisons.
By John Upton
http://grist.org/news/at-least-epa-is-doing-a-littlesomething-to-help-bees/
Goldfield Honey Australia Pty Ltd
2319 Mitchell Hwy, Vittoria N.S.W 2799
Office Ph: 02 63687160 or Mobile: Claire Lockwood 0409340502
Email: claire@goldfieldshoney.com
Queen Bees
Available January, February, March & April
1 to 10 - $23.50 11 to 49 - $21.00
50 to 100 - $18.00 100 + $16.50
Includes GST
Postage additional
February 2014 13

Bees dance the light fantastic, media release
January 6, 2014
Honeybees use a pattern of light in the sky invisible
to humans to direct one another to a honey source,
scientists have found.
Researchers at the Vision Centre have demonstrated
that even on days when the sun doesn’t shine, bees
can navigate to and from a honey source by reading
the pattern of polarised light in the sky and then explain
to other bees where to find it with their ‘waggle
dance’.
“It basically means the bees tell each other where
the nectar is by converting their polarised ‘light map’
into dance movements,” explains Professor Mandyam
Srinivasan of the VC and Queensland Brain Institute.
The discovery throws fresh light on the astonishing
navigational and communication skills of an insect
with a brain the size of a pinhead – but also on
some of the most basic machinery of the brain itself.
“The more we find out how honeybees make their
way around the landscape, the more awed we feel at
the elegant way they solve very complicated problems
of navigation that would floor most people – and
then communicate them to other bees,” he says.
“It is well known that bees steer by the sun, adjusting
their compass as it moves across the sky, and
then convert that information into instructions for
other bees by waggling their body to signal the direction
of the honey.
“It is also known that bees can find the honey
source even on cloudy days when the sun isn’t visible.
“Other laboratories have shown from studying
their eyes that bees can see a pattern of polarised light
in the sky even when the sun isn’t shining: the big
question was could they translate the navigational
information it provides into their waggle dance.”
The researchers flew bees down a tunnel to a sugar
source, shining only polarised light from above on
them – the sun was not visible. Sometimes the polarised
light was aligned with the tunnel, sometimes it
was at right angles to the tunnel. They then filmed
what the bees ‘told’ their fellows when they got back
to the hive, by waggling their bodies.
“When the polarised light was across the tunnel,
the bees danced in a mainly vertical direction with
upward and downward waggles. This told their mates
to fly in a direction perpendicular to the direction of
the polarised light in the sky. If the sun were visible
in the sky, this would mean flying either directly toward
the sun, or directly away from it.
“When the polarised light was in line with the
tunnel, the bees danced in a horizontal direction with
The Vision Centre
waggles to the left or right. This informed the other
bees that they should fly along the direction of the
polarised skylight. If the sun were visible, this would
imply flying 90 degrees to the right or left of it.
The problem with using polarised light to steer by
is that there are two opposite directions you can steer.
The bees appear to deal with this problem by communicating
both options to their colleagues. Two
options are a lot more efficient than searching all over
the landscape - and better than arbitrarily signalling
just one of the two options, which may turn out to be
the wrong one, he says.
“When we shone polarised light that was across in
the first part of the tunnel and in-line in the second
part, we simulated for the bees an L-shaped journey
in which they flew initially in a direction perpendicular
to the sun (either to the left or to the right of it)
and later along the direction of the sun (either towards
or away from it). This created the dilemma that the
food source could be in one of four possible locations.
The bees addressed this dilemma by informing
their nest mates to search in all four possible directions.”
The researchers conclude that even when the sun
isn’t shining bees can tell one another where to find
food by reading and dancing to their polarised sky
map.
Besides revealing how bees perform their remarkable
tasks, the researchers say it may throw new light
on how very simple brains work. When the light is
aligned to the tunnel, it activates two ‘place cells’ in
the insect’s brain. When the light is across the tunnel,
it activates two other cells. From these four cells the
bee can work out if the food source lies north-south
or east-west of the hive, they conjecture.
“We conclude that flying bees are capable of obtaining
and signalling compass information that is
derived purely from polarised light. Furthermore,
they deal with the directional ambiguity that is inherent
in polarised light by signalling all of the possible
locations of the food source in their dances, thus maximising
the chances of recruitment to it,” the researchers
conclude.
Their paper ‘Honeybees navigation: critically examining
the role of the polarisation compass’ by C.
Evangelista, P. Kraft, M. Dacke, T. Labhart and M.
V. Srinivasan is published in the Philosophical Transactions
of the Royal Society B.
The Vision Centre is funded by the Australian
Research Council as the ARC Centre of Excellence
in Vision Science.
Fire Safety for beekeepers: When using the smoker it should be closely watched as this is the piece
of the beekeeper’s equipment most likely to start a fire. It should always be well charged with fuel
which will keep it a little cooler and less likely to blow sparks when in use. The smoker should
never be rested on the ground, but instead in a fire proof container designed for the purpose.
14 Australian Bee Journal

DENMAR APIARIES
P.O. Box 99, Wondai, Queensland, 4606
Phone: (07) 4169 0064
Fax: (07) 4169 0966
International Ph: +61 7 4169 0064
International Fax: 61 7 4169 0966
Email: ausbee4@hotmail.com
ISOLATED MATED BREEDERS $240.00 EACH
QUEEN BEES
Italian
UNTESTED
1 — 10 $24.55 each
11 — 49 $17.50 each
50 + $15.00 each
CREDIT CARDS WELCOME
Terms 7 days - Late Payments - add $2 Per Queen
BANK ACCOUNT DETAILS
AVAILABLE UPON
REQUEST
February 2014 15

Photo Gallery
Water and shade for bees
Top left: Steve Demchinsky uses his car windscreen heat
shield to protect the northern side of his hive.
Photo: Steve Demchinsky
Top right: Steve also uses an entrance feeder
to directly provide water for his bees. “On a hot day
they use up to 500 mls.” Photo: Steve Demchinsky
Left: Jason Burke’s above ground pond.
“The bees go crazy for it.” Photo: Jason Burke
Bottom left: On forecast days of high temperature Maree
Belcher puts a foam box containing water, bricks and
foam floaters on top of her hive. She also uses a sheet
of Masonite (sourced from in a neighbour's hard waste)
to shade the side. Photo: Maree Belcher
Bottom right: Maree uses a chicken feeder to water
her bees. Photo: Maree Belcher
Go to Maree’s “Pragmatic Sustainability” blog at
http://tinyurl.com/mnwctsq to find out more.
Photos and captions: courtesy
VAA Melbourne News Jan 2014.
16 Australian Bee Journal

WHIRRAKEE
HONEY PTY LTD
Manufacturing quality Australian
Beeco Smokers
White colorbond metal lid covers
Metal escape corners
Ph: 03 5470 6818
BEE ENGINEERING
MANUFACTURERS OF
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Honey and Cappings Stainless Steel
Vane Pumps 50mm and 65mm
Variable Speed
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Plus Uncapping Machines
7 Different Models To Choose From
Phone (08) 9259 0676
Email bee@bee-engineering.com
P.O Box 126 Riverton,
Western Australia, 6148
BEEKEEPING SUPPLIES P/LTD
ABN 27 009 652 155
ALLIANCE - Excellent quality Boxes, frames and all woodware
Division board feeders, patties, hive fasteners, Excluders
Veils, gloves, overalls, hive tools, brushes etc.
We have a very extensive selection of books on all aspects of beekeeping
FOUNDATION - 14 sheets to the kg
Our ‘Weed Process’ foundation has been in use for many, many decades
and is competitively priced. We always buy or trade Bees Wax.
WEATHERTEX - Covers and bottom boards
STRAPPING - 16mm C/bond 0.4mm thick
10-15kg Rolls 16mm S/S 0.55mm thick
28 Munibung Road, Cardiff. NSW 2285
Phone: (02) 4956 6166 Fax: (02) 4956 6399
February 2014 17

DEPI
Do I need an ACUP or COL
If you use agricultural chemicals, you may require
a Department of Environment and Primary Industries
(DEPI) chemical use licence or permit.
For the ground-based application of pesticides,
herbicides and fungicides, there are two main types of
authorisation, each with a number of endorsements
available. It is important to ensure that you have the
correct licence or permit type applicable to you and
the appropriate endorsements for the chemicals you
apply.
Agricultural Chemical User Permit (ACUP)
Image: DEPI Standard
Agricultural Chemical
User Permit (courtesy
of DEPI)
In Victoria, an ACUP is required to use agricultural
chemical products that:
are ‘restricted use’ chemicals (agricultural chemical
products that are Schedule 7 Poisons
(DANGEROUS POISONS) or contain atrazine,
metham sodium or ester formulations of MCPA,
2,4-D, 2,4-DB or triclopyr)
contain 1080 (sodium fluoroacetate)
contain gaseous methyl bromide, chloropicrin or
phosphine for fumigation
contain pindone concentrate (greater than 2.5%)
for the preparation of poison baits
contain copper, chromium and arsenic (CCA).
This authorisation is required for the private use
of the above chemicals or the application of these
AHBIC
Extracts from newsletter
chemicals on commodities, land, structures or water
supplies that you own. An ACUP does not cover
chemical applications undertaken for a fee or reward,
including the operation of a contract spraying, fumigation
or vermin control business.
There are five different ACUP endorsements, each
with specific training requirements; standard, 1080
(sodium fluoroacetate), pindone concentrate, fumigants
and CCA. Different endorsements can be combined
(excluding CCA) providing the appropriate
training has been successfully completed.
Commercial Operator Licence (COL)
If you operate a business that provides groundbased
agricultural chemical application services (or
seed/fertiliser treatment, fumigation or vermin control)
for a fee or reward using any agricultural chemical
then you must hold a COL.
There are four COL types; agricultural chemicals
(other than vermin destroyers/avicides and fumigants),
vermin destroyers/avicides, fumigant and
CCA. Training requirements differ for each endorsement.
As with ACUPs, a COL can combine endorsements
(excluding CCA) provided the appropriate
training has been completed.
If your business is primarily domestic or commercial
pest control, then you require a Licence to Use
Pesticides issued by the Department of Health.
For information, visit
www.health.vic.gov.au/pestcontrol
or phone 1300 887 090.
DEPI licence and permit application forms are
available from the DEPI Chemical Use website,
www.depi.vic.gov.au/chemicaluse
DEPI Chemical Industry News
NEW VIRUS FOUND IN HONEY BEES
There is a paper recently published about a new
virus, tobacco ringspot virus, which it seems would
be spread by the varroa mite. As we do not have Varroa
destructor here in Australia we may be spared
this virus for a long time.
Details can be found at
http://mbio.asm.org/content/5/1/e00898-13
************
CONTROLLING VARROA MITES
The use of RNAi to control varroa mites is again
making the news in the USA. There is a patent out
on which says “An isolated nucleic acid agent is disclosed
comprising a nucleic acid sequence which
down regulates expression of a gene product of a
Varro destructor mite.” It will be interesting to see
how this work progresses. The main problems with
varroa mites are the viruses they vector. So, control
the mite and control the virus.
************
STOP PRESS
The deadline for submissions to the Senate
Inquiry into beekeeping has been extended to
31 March, 2014. 2104.
For details on the Inquiry see
http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/
Committees/Senate/
Rural_and_Regional_Affairs_and_Transport/
Beekeeping
18 Australian Bee Journal

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• High grade certified steel ensures high quality and long life
• Fire tube design raises steam quickly and efficiently
• No need for technical help. Easy steam boilers are the
simplest most cost effective way to run your honey
extracting plant
For more information
Phone: O429 963 180
Email: info@easysteam.com.au
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February 2014 19

Seasonal Notes
Fires and future prospects
By Bob McDonald
January weather has been hot with an extreme
heat wave over several days during mid-month. A
rain band passing through the state towards the end of
the month brought some heavy rain in places through
the Northern Plains and the Lower North East.
During the heat wave Victoria had several dry
lightning storms which created many fires.
The worst of the fires, as far as beekeeping is concerned,
was in the Northern Grampians which extended
out into private property and in Wyperfeld National
Park, extending well out into the Big Desert.
Besides burning a large area of the Northern
Grampians, there were at least three loads of bees
burnt and many old hollow Red Gum and Yellow
Box trees through the private property.
The flora through the Park that was destroyed will
grow back in time and be useful as bee sites. The
Red Gum and Yellow Box in the private property
have been destroyed forever.
It is interesting to note that including the large
2006 fire, the December 2013 fire, and this January
2014 fire, out of a total of 167,200 hectares in the
Grampians National Park that has been burnt, there
are only two small areas which have not been burnt.
Some of the burns have happened twice in the last
seven to eight years.
MALLEE FIRES
Whilst writing this report I was fortunate enough
to have delivered to me maps of the major Mallee
bush fires. This was by the hand of a friend who is
also a DEPI Officer.
Telopea Downs – Red Bluff fire burned through
from the South Australian border for approximately
16km eastwards of all of the Red Bluff Reserve, and
approximately10-12km northward into the Big Desert
Wilderness. In all, just under 30,000 hectares. 13
bee sites along the southern boundary have been
burnt out.
Bronzewing Fire, south of Ouyen burnt some
freehold land east of the Sunraysia Highway, and the
bulk of the public land travelling westwards for approximately
12-13km towards Patchewollock-
Underbool Road; being controlled approximately
5km east of the Road. This fire burnt 14,000 hectares.
I don’t know how many bee sites are involved, but
there could be quite a few, and possibly more than at
Telopea Downs.
Danyo Fire, east of Murrayville burnt 4,668
hectares approximately 8km east to west and northerly
for approximately 8km, burning all of the Danyo
Reference Area.
Rocket Lake Fire, approximately 4km east of
Rocket Lake burnt 1,153 hectares.
The southern boundary of the fire being along the
old Nowingi-Rocket Lake Railway line.
Again, I don’t know how many bee sites might be
involved.
Wyperfeld Fire started near Lake Albercutya,
burned around the Lake, and burning small areas of
freehold, joining up with a couple of smaller lightning
strikes and then heading out into the Big Desert,
heading northerly on a narrow front. Finally spreading
out easterly across Pine Plains and finally being
controlled along the northern edge of the Big Desert,
being approximately 15km wide east and west. This
fire burnt over 55,000 hectares.
The number of bee sites involved in this fire is
unclear at this stage. There are five bee sites on the
northern, some bee sites in eastern Pine Plains, and an
unknown (to me) number in the Yapeet/Rainbow
area.
As a point of interest, the Wyperfeld fire travelled
from south to north over 50km.
To focus more on the seasonal prospects
The Acorn Mallee (Euc. oleosa) was yielding
honey before the heat wave, slowed down during the
heat wave, and has picked up a little since the weather
cooled down.
However, the feeling is that the next heat wave
forecast for early February will finish it.
Black Box (Euc. largiflorens) flowering adjacent
to some of the Red Gum country in North West Victoria
has been yielding a little honey and some beekeepers
have stayed closer to the river instead of
moving into the Mallee.
Irrigated Seed Lucerne in South West Victoria
was doing very little during the cooler weather before
the onset of the heat wave, but has picked up since
and appears to be yielding some surplus.
The southern pockets of Red Gum and Yellow
Box have yielded a little surplus honey as the summer
weather became warmer, but it is well finished.
As a point of interest, December weather was generally
too cold for good honey production, and January
weather has been a little too hot.
Narrow Leaf Peppermint (Euc. radiata) is flowering
in North Eastern Victoria and there is a general
movement of bees into the mountains. At the time of
writing, it is yielding honey.
The recent rain that moved through the area was
cause for a little worry, but mostly where the bloom
is, it was not as heavy as was forecast.
There is also reasonable bloom on the Blue Gum
(Euc. stjohnii) in some of the higher elevations, but
this is not widespread.
Honey Market – Honey production in the four
Eastern Mainland States is well down and all of the
major Buyers have firmed up their prices.
20 Australian Bee Journal

15 Sawmill Road, Castlemaine (off Hwy B180 Maldon/Maryborough Rd.)
BEE EQUIPMENT SALES
Credit Card facilities now available
We stock a variety of equipment for both Commercial and Smaller Beekeepers
Beequip Uncappers – All models always in stock
Stainless Steel Strapping Rolls from 12kg – 20kg
Micro-Crystalline and Paraffin Waxes
Magnum Honey Buckets
* Alliance Frames *Foundation Wax or Plastic *Wire Excluders
* Beekeeping Books * Beesuits and Veils *SHB Traps
* Bee Smokers *Small Honey Extractors
And much more....
Phone: 03 5472 2161 - Fax: 03 5472 3472
After Hours and Weekend Sales - by Appointment ONLY
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that I ignored an opportunity like that
18% crop yield increase
based on independent testing
Especially after a year like we've
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* Results may vary, etc, etc. But you know that already.
Work out your own yield boost at hivemind.co.nz/yield or ask us for a printed copy.
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Remotely monitor your yards and spotter hives for
up-to-date knowledge about your bees.
What is Hivemind
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February 2014 21

The “J” Bee-Keeping School
BEE KEEPING
and
HONEY FESTIVAL
SUNDAY March 16th 2014
10am - 4pm
LOCATION: JADRAN SOCIAL CLUB
35 DUNCANS LANE, DIGGERS REST 3427
Melways ref. 352 G 11
Demonstrations of bee-keeping operations
Glass bee hive - watch them at work
safely, behind glass
Bee-beard (subject to conditions on the day)
Honey - varieties for tasting and sale
Mead and Honey Liqueur - tasting and sales
Bee-Keeping goods - sales
Propolis - sales
Various other attractions including a live band
Come along, bring the family and enjoy
a taste of country life close to Melbourne
Lunch, cakes, tea, coffee and drinks available
Admission $3.00 per adult, children free
Enquires: John Lawton: 9743 3788,
Robin Bray: 5426 2264
or Marilyn Fiedler: 0400 068 886
22 Australian Bee Journal

NSWAA BEE TRADE SHOW\
8-9 May 2014
Crossing Theatre, 117 Tibbereena Street, NARRABRI NSW
BOOK YOUR STAND NOW: Exhibitors Bookings close 22nd April 2014
Get your EARLY BEE DISCOUNT - book by 14th April 2014
Wine & Cheese Night - 8th May
Bee Trade Show Entry Included with NSWAA conference registration
Contact Therese Kershaw - Email: tradeshow@nswaa.com.au Internet: www.nswwaa.com.au
PLEASE KEEP THIS DATE FREE
93 days count down from 1st February.
Bendigo Branch Pack Down day
Sunday 4th May
at McDonalds' premises in Castlemaine.
More information to follow.
The UK National Honey Show will be held Thursday 30th October to Saturday 1st November 2014 at St
Georges College Weybridge, UK.
Speakers confirmed for 2014 are: Dr Jamie Ellis University of Florida; Ann Harman, Virginia USA; Dr Giles
Budge, National Bee Unit (NBU) UK; Prof Nikolaus and Gudrun Koeniger, University of Guelf, Canada; and
Michael Badger MBE.
If any ABJ readers do visit the show, they are invited to come and find me, I’d be delighted to welcome them
personally.
Valerie Rhenius
National Honey Show Publicity Secretary
B/FIELDS QUEENS
HYBRID ITALIANS
1 - 10 $20 each
11 and over $14 each
All Prices include GST
PHONE JOHN BANFIELD
Home (02) 4944 8071
Mobile 0402 337 968
Email: bfieldshoney@hotmail.com
www.aussiequeenbees.com.au
26 Elsdon St
REDHEAD NSW 2290
February 2014 23

AHBIC
New chemical registrations
Product Name: Titan Fipronil 200SC Insecticide
Active Constituent/s: 200 g/L fipronil Applicant
Name: Titan Ag Pty Ltd Applicant ACN: 122 081
574 Summary of Use: For the control of various insect
pests in asparagus, bananas, brassicas, cotton,
forestry, ginger, wine grapevines, mushrooms, pasture,
potatoes, sorghum, sugarcane and swede Date of
Registration: 13 December 2013 Label Approval
No: 68315/59110
Product Name: Fokus 800 Insecticide Active
Constituent/s: 800 g/L omethoate (an anticholinesterase
compound) Applicant Name: Hextar Chemicals
Pty Ltd Applicant ACN: 114 525 709 Summary
of Use: For control of certain pests on cotton,
apples, bananas, citrus, lupins, onions, pears, potatoes
and ornamentals Date of Registration: 18 December
2013 Label Approval No: 69636/61297
Label can be viewed at http://
www.infopest.com.au/extra/asp/infopest/nra/
labels.aspprodcode=69636
Product Name: Conquest Ovid 290 Insecticide
Active Constituent/s: 290 g/L omethoate (an anticholinesterase
compound) Applicant Name: Conquest
Crop Protection Pty Ltd Applicant ACN: 098
814 932 Summary of Use: For the control of redlegged
earth mite, blue oat mite and lucerne flea on
pastures, cereals, oilseed and legume crops, and bluegreen
aphid and cowpea aphid on pasture legumes,
lucerne, faba beans and vetch Date of Registration:
19 December 2013 Label Approval No:
69703/61468
Product Name: Agrocn Imidacloprid 350 SC
Insecticide Active Constituent/s: 350 g/L imidacloprid
Applicant Name: Shanghai AgroChina Chemical
Co Ltd Applicant ACN: N/A Summary of Use:
For use as a soil insecticide to control greyback and
Childers canegrubs in sugarcane and silverleaf whitefly
in a range of vegetable crops Date of Registration:
18 December 2013 Label Approval No:
69670/61399
Product Name: Conquest Imidah 350 SC Insecticide
Active Constituent/s: 350 g/L imidacloprid Applicant
Name: Conquest Crop Protection Pty Ltd
Applicant ACN: 098 814 932 Summary of Use: For
the control of greyback and childers canegrub in sugarcane
and silverleaf whitefly in various vegetable
crops Date of Registration: 3 January 2014 Label
Approval No: 69702/61467
Product Name: Genfarm Fipronil 200 Insecticide
Active Constituent/s: 200 g/L fipronil Applicant
Name: Landmark Operations Limited Applicant
ACN: 008 743 217 Summary of Use: For the control
of various insect pests in asparagus, bananas, brassicas,
cotton, forest ry, ginger, wine grapevines, mushrooms,
pasture, potatoes, sorghum, sugarcane and
swede Date of Registration: 20 December 2013 Label
Approval No: 67546/59326
Product Name: Conquest Lambda 250 CS Insecticide
Active Constituent/s: 250 g/L lambdacyhalothrin
Applicant Name: Conquest Crop Protection
Pty Ltd Applicant ACN: 098 814 932 Summary
of Use: For the control of certain insect pests in
cotton, barley, wheat and various field crops Date of
Registration: 3 January 2014 Label Approval No:
69701/61466
Information on lambda-cyhalothrin can be found
at http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/l_cyhalotech.pdf
Product Name: Agrocn Abamectin 18 EC Insecticide/Miticide
Active Constituent/s: 18 g/L
abamectin Applicant Name: Shanghai AgroChina
Chemical Co Ltd Applicant ACN: NA Summary of
Use: For the control of certain mites on apples, capsicums,
citrus, cotton, hops, ornamentals, pears, tomatoes
and strawberries and native budworm on cotton
Date of Registration: 3 January 2014 Label Approval
No: 69669/61397
Information on abamectin ca be found at http://
pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/24d-captan/
abamectin-ext.html
Product Name: Imtrade Dimethoate 400 EC
Insecticide Active Constituent/s: 400 g/L dimethoate
(an anticholinesterase compound) Applicant
Name: Imtrade Australia Pty Ltd Applicant ACN:
090 151 134 Summary of Use: For the control of a
wide range of insect pests on fruit trees, vegetables,
citrus, pastures, cotton, lucerne, peanuts and ornamentals
Date of Registration: 13 January 2014 Label
Approval No: 69555/61124
Product Name: Couraze Classic Insecticide Applicant
Name: Ospray Pty Ltd Applicant ACN: 110
199 169 Summary of Variation: To extend use to
include banana varieties and additional pests in citrus
and sugar cane Date of Variation: 7 January 2014
Label Approval No: 61591/61393
This is imidacloprid
Product Name: Nufarm Nuprid 700WG Insecticide
Applicant Name: Nufarm Australia Limited
Applicant ACN: 004 377 780 Summary of Variation:
To extend use to include control of various pests
in a range of crops Date of Variation: 16 January
2014 Label Approval No: 65887/59650
This is imidacloprid.
24 Australian Bee Journal

McCahon’s
Bee
Material
Call and see Barry and his gang
at work making foundation.
Bring your wax to be
processed into foundation.
Supers
Frames
Lids
Bottoms
and most lines on hand
Jubilee Lake Road
Daylesford, Victoria
Ph: 03 5348 2533
Specialising in
Caucasian
Queen Bees
1 – 9 - - - - - - - $24 ea plus P & H
10 – 49 - - - - - - - $20 ea plus P & H
50 – 199 - - - - - - - $17 ea free P & H
200 and over per season discounts apply
Queen Cells -­­ - - - - -- $5.00 - collect only
Post & Handling $11 per dispatch
Prices include GST
Valid Sept 2013 to March 2014
Caucasian Breeder Queens - $550
Naturally mated on a remote island
Terms: Payment 10 days prior to dispatch.
For orders contact:
John or Stephen Covey
Ph: 0427 046 966
Email: sales@coveybees.com.au
PO Box 72 Jimboomba QLD 4280
February 2014 25

New website established
The Trust
was formed by
Dr Eva Crane
herself. It was
enhanced by the
residue of her
estate bequeathed
to the
Trust on her
death in 2007.
Dr Crane’s
research was
meticulous and
she felt that the recording of information - so that
original material could be traced and used by succeeding
generations - was a vital part of her work. In
her lifetime she had over 300 papers and articles published,
and she contributed many learned tomes to the
shelves of bee lovers worldwide.
The aim of the Trust is to continue Dr Crane’s
work in the way she would have liked it to evolve.
This includes advancing the understanding of bees
and beekeeping by the collection, collation and dissemination
of science and research worldwide, as
well as recording and propagating a further understanding
of beekeeping practices through historical
and contemporary discoveries.
The Trust, as well as being Dr Crane’s way of
26 Australian Bee Journal
Eva Cane Trust
Above left: Dr Eva Crane with her bees. Above right: Dr Crane
signing her great book ‘The World Histoy of
Beekeeping and Honey Hunting’
ensuring her work continues,
is a memorial
whereby it may be possible
to help fund others
who can build on the
foundations of sound
academic research laid
down in her many publications.
Grants may
be made to individuals
and organizations that
might otherwise find
funding difficult in this
specialized field. Applications will be considered
from anywhere in the world but must be made in
writing in the English language, preferably using the
form on the website.
The website, which will be developed and expanded
in the coming months, can be found at:
http://www.EvaCraneTrust.org
Similar information can be obtained by writing to:
The Eva Crane Trust,
c/o Withy King Solicitors,
5-6 Northumberland Buildings,
Bath, BA1 2JE, UK
Richard Jones
Trust Chairman
2014 Victorian Apiarist’s Associations Annual Conference
To be held at the Mantra Tullamarine
Phone: 03 9093 6500 Fax: 03 9093 6594
Web:www.mantratullamarinehotel.com.au
Sunday 6th July 2014 - Hospitality Evening, hosted by VAA Melbourne Section.
(from 7.30pm with a Light Supper provided.)
Monday 7 th July and Tuesday 8 th July 2014 - Annual Conference Sessions.
Tuesday 8 th July - Annual Dinner.
Wednesday 9 th July - AHBIC Conference.
Accommodation available at the conference venue:
Australian Bee Journal electronic trial
At the Victorian Apiarists’ Association Executive Council meeting held on the
11 th December 2013 a proposal from the committee looking into the possibility
of having the journal made available electronically was considered.
It was agreed that the Victorian Apiarists’ Association trial the delivery
of an electronic version of Australian Bee Journal via the VAA website
for a three month period commencing late February 2014.
The Executive Council would like to reassure members that this does not
mean that the paper copy of the journal will cease to be mailed out, (the print copy
of the journal will be mailed out before the electronic journal becomes available)
but rather that the association is responding to requests from some members
that would prefer to have the journal available electronically.
To view the journal electronically go to www.vicbeekeepers.com.au

Bluebees
J-Pierre Mercader
Proprietor
Producers Ph: 613 5474 8292
Mobile: 0412 451 060
Email: jpm@bluebees.com.au
www.bluebees.com.au
The Revolutionary
BLUEBEES Brood Box Bottom Boards
for 8 or 10 Frame Hives
✓ Made in Australia to Professional Beekeeper Standards
✓ Winner 2012 Bendigo Invertor Award for Agriculture and
Environment sustainability.
Supresses humidity and deprives the Small Hive Beetle (SHB)
breeding conditions in the hive.
The hive environment’s sustainability is preserved because it:
• Facilitates dry and clean hives with strong and healthy bees
• Empowers bees to hunt and eject interloping pests such as: SHB, Wax
Moth and Varroa (not yet in Australia), and debris from the hive
• Curtails chemical use — honey remains pure and natural
“Prevention is Better Than Cure”
Protected worldwide by The Australian Federal Government IP Design 14221/2010 & 14222/2010.
February 2014 27

Article
A Beekeeper Abroad
By Chris Strudwick
For my sins, I now find myself transported from
the Victorian sunshine to a grey and soggy Winter in
the small Cotswolds town of Malmesbury, situated in
Wiltshire in South central England. For those with a
bent for history, Malmesbury is the oldest borough in
England, having been given its charter by King Alfred
the Great around 880 AD. The first king of all
England, Alfred’s grandson Athelstan, is also buried
here, while the surrounding countryside is popular
with the less deceased royals.
Kings we may have in plenty but bees are not
much in evidence for the moment being sensibly clustered
in their hives during these chill days, though the
Winter so far has been a mild one. Beekeepers are a
different matter and I have met quite a few, enough to
learn that things are done rather differently here, a
subject I shall tackle on another occasion. Meanwhile
the beekeeping landscape offers an Australian
beekeeper some interesting insights.
Of greatest interest to those looking at the problems
experienced by beekeepers overseas are the important
topics of high colony losses and of Varroa
management, which may or may not be connected.
Colony losses are quite variable across the country
and range from a few percent to over 50%. The average
for last Winter was 33%, the highest British losses
ever recorded. These figures are in line with Winter
losses in the USA during recent poor years. Locally,
beekeepers in Gloucestershire (my nearest club
is in Gloucestershire rather than Wiltshire) lost 87 out
of 201 colonies according to survey respondents. The
first point of note is that these are not mysterious
'disappearing colonies' but colonies that are found
dead in the Spring from one cause or another.
Figures can be misleading. Most beekeepers here
only keep a few hives. If you have two hives and
experience Winter losses, the least number of colonies
you can lose is one hive or 50%. Small numbers
of hives therefore distort the statistics upwards. Hobbyist
members of my new local bee club all seem to
have lost between one and three colonies, amounting
to a severe depletion or a complete wipe-out as most
only have three hives or fewer. There is no consistent
explanation for the losses although starvation was in
most cases the actual cause of colony death. A very
poor previous Spring and Summer with extremely
bad weather and a lack of forage undoubtedly contributed.
There were many reports of mating failures,
unusual late queen losses and colonies swarming
even before queen cells were capped. Colonies entered
the Winter weak in numbers and low on stores,
possibly also with poorly mated queens or poor quality
emergency queens. There have been interesting
accounts of colonies found to have starved even
though adequate stores were present. It has been suggested
that cold snaps caught the bees on areas of
comb they had cleared of honey with temperatures
too low for the cluster to move and reform on a better
supplied position. I don’t doubt the observation, and
bees are of course more likely to move upwards than
across a comb to find stores, but healthy bees can
deal with harsher climates than occur here. Anyway,
it's a theory and I don’t have a better one myself.
My introduction to Varroa will have to wait until
Spring. Beekeepers, in this region at least, do not see
it as a terrible problem. Beekeepers more generally
rank Varroa after poor weather, queen health and
starvation as the major problems they must face.
Varroa is widespread and hives must be monitored
but Varroa counts are low or absent in many areas
and our local colonies often do not need treatment at
present. It can be a different picture elsewhere. Although
Varroa are nasty little critters, it is the viruses
they carry that do the real damage. If faced with a
comb full of discoloured and decomposing larvae our
first thoughts would probably turn towards a European
Foul Brood (EFB) infection. EFB is a significant
problem here too but a more likely cause of mass
brood death in the land of Varroa is Parasitic Mite
Syndrome (PMS), where the collapse of larvae is due
to a cocktail of viruses which are in themselves untreatable.
Brood that survive can give rise to bees
with deformed wings, stunted growth, suffering from
paralysis or with shortened lives, and which are in
turn able to infect new brood. The several viruses
involved are often present in normal colonies. The
action of Varroa appears to encourage the introduction
and spread of more virulent forms, or perhaps
facilitates more severe infections. Most of these debilitating
viruses are already present in Australia but
usually do not cause such severe problems. Once
PMS has taken hold, the colony will go down-hill and
will die-out over the course of a few seasons. Varroa
management aims to stop colony health from degrading
to that point by keeping Varroa numbers low and
so limiting their ability to spread viruses. Eliminating
Varroa entirely is generally neither feasible nor particularly
desirable. Bees need some exposure to Varroa
to encourage the eventual development of resistance,
although at present generally are not able to
thrive without some help to keep Varroa in check. A
simple message here to the optimists: your bees will
most likely not survive Varroa if you just leave them
to 'get on with it'. Resistance may evolve across the
bee population as a whole, helped perhaps by active
selection of survivor stock by bee breeders, but it will
not suddenly emerge in your hive. Evolution just
does not work that way.
Beekeepers over here find themselves in a tangle
over approval for chemical treatments, which include
commercial pyrethroid miticides, organic acids and
essential oils. Commercial miticides initially did a
(Continued on page 29)
28 Australian Bee Journal

(Continued from page 28)
good job as they are about a thousand times more
toxic to mites than they are to bees but have two main
drawbacks, the first being the development of resistance
in Varroa to the miticide and the second being
contamination of comb and risks to honey. Miticides
are highly soluble in wax and easily accumulate
in comb over time. Beekeepers seek alternative treatments
to break resistance and which do not contaminate
wax. Some of the organic acids, notably oxalic
and formic acids, have proven effective against Varroa
although are much harsher on the bees than the
commercial miticides. These are corrosive substances
which can damage bees, kill brood and stop a
queen laying. Formic acid in particular can also be
harmful to beekeepers and is very unpleasant to use.
Prevailing air temperatures can cause the same product
either to fail, if cold, or cause significant bee loss
(particularly to queens) if too warm. Almost all cause
a check in colony development. Some approved
commercial formic acid products are newly available
to beekeepers and products using thymol are also well
established and of good but variable efficacy. Contrary
to popular belief, these natural organic products
are all rather more toxic and stressful to bees than are
commercial miticides. One new product awaiting
Article
A Beekeeper Abroad, cont’d
approval is derived from hops and is reputed to be of
very low toxicity to bees.
These treatments add considerably to the cost and
difficulty of keeping bees. They often require skill to
use properly and may be hazardous to beekeepers
themselves. Many prefer to use the simpler, safer –
for humans – and cheaper alternative of oxalic acid
treatment, applied when hives are broodless and have
no supers present. Unfortunately they cannot do so
legally as oxalic acid does not have regulatory approval,
despite being well researched and having a
good track-record both of safety and against Varroa.
Authorities are presently 'turning a blind eye' to its
use, recognising that it is one of the better options
available and with a low risk of contaminating honey.
However, an environment where authorities ignore
non-approved use of chemicals in hives, and where
commercial products are costly and sometimes difficult
to use, encourages the emergence of unofficial
treatments and products that are unsupported by scientific
evidence and of doubtful worth. These span
everything from patent 'hive disinfectants' to dusting
with flour or sugar or spraying bees with mineral oil.
Incidentally, although sugar and flour dusting can
improve mite fall by encouraging grooming, experi­
(Continued on page 30)
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February 2014 29

(Continued from page 29)
ence shows it has little longer-term impact on mite
population dynamics.
I have just scratched the surface of these topics
but there are things to learn for beekeepers fortunate
enough to live in a country where Varroa is still absent.
Firstly, we need to be adequately prepared with
a full arsenal of proven treatments that span the field,
not just a couple of approved pyrethroid miticides.
Research shows that miticide resistance can be prevented
if treatments are alternated with organic acids
or other non-pyrethroids. Beekeepers also need to
learn to use these products before Varroa has a
chance to become established, so now is the time to
prepare training. In Australia we have some particular
difficulties to face. Our colonies may not have
broodless periods, which are critical for exposing
mites to control measures. Our honey supers may be
Article
A Beekeeper Abroad, cont’d
Footy Tipping
present on hives over more of the year and most treatments
are restricted to times when supers are absent.
We need to look closely at management techniques
used in similar climates, such as the Southern States
of the USA, because these are likely to be more applicable
to us than those used in climates with a cold
Winter. Secondly, good beekeeping is at the heart of
colony survival, not least in ensuring that bees are
adequately fed and properly prepared for lean periods.
Despite all the concern over pesticides and diseases,
simple starvation is still the usual direct cause
of colony losses. That is not to say that other more
complex factors are not contributing to this outcome,
they probably are. I am shocked by the shortage of
non-crop forage for bees here, for example. Even so,
starving bees are something that any self-respecting
beekeeper should aim to avoid.
Beekeepers AFL Footy competition
The Beekeepers’ AFL on-line Footy Tipping
Competition has been created to encourage camaraderie
amongst beekeepers and to assist them to forget
about poor yields and all the maintenance tasks that
they should be undertaking over Winter.
In 2013, its inaugural year, VAA Vice-president,
Kevin Mac Gibbon, was the clear winner of the competition.
He led from the first round and obtained a
final score of 157 which placed him in the top 1% of
the of the combined AFL footytips competitions. His
achievement has set the benchmark and a challenge
for this year’s competitors.
This year there will be an entry fee and prizes.
The entry fee is $10. The competition winner will
receive 60% of the entry fee pool, second 20%, third
10% and last 10%.
As the AFL season starts on Friday 22 March, you
will have to join (and enter your tips for round 1)
before then. Payment would be preferred by that date
also but it would be accepted up to round 3, Friday
April 4.
How to enter the competition
Step 1. Go to http://www.footytips.com.au
Step 2. If you have never done so, you will need
to join Footy Tips. (Last year’s tipsters do not have
to do this.) Just click the join button.
When you do join, could you please not choose an
alias for display on ladders. If you do this, other
members of the competition will not know who you
are which rather defeats the social interactive purpose
of our competition. If you wish you can upload a
photo of yourself, preferably in beekeeping attire.
Step 3. Join the Beekeepers’ Footy Tipping Competition.
To do this you can search for the competition
in the Comps menu or go to
www.footytips.com.au/comps/beekeepers/
The password for the competition is apismellifera
(all one word)
How to pay the entry fee
The $10 entry fee can only be paid by electronic
funds transfer. If you are unsure how to do this, your
bank or financial institution will be able to assist you.
Here are the details of the account for the fee
transfer
Account name: Victorian Apiarists’ Association,
BSB 633-000
Account Number: 120404595
Make sure that your surname and the word
“tipping” are included in the transfer details otherwise
you will not be credited with the payment
If you need any further information or help for the
competition email Barry Cooper at barrycooper7@bigpond.com
30 Australian Bee Journal

Laurie and Paula Dewar
T/as DEWAR APIARIES
2157 Lake Moogerah Rd Kalbar Q 4309
Phone 07 5463 5633
Email: beebuild@optusnet.com.au
dewarqueens@optusnet.com.au
Queen Bees: Up to 10 $ 24.00*
Up to 50 $ 18.00*
Over 50 $ 16.00*
Queen Cells : $ 5.00*each
Bee Build BOOST:
(when bees require a boost e.g. nosema)
$ 44.00* AUSTRALIAN (500gms) BEE JOURNAL
(B & W Edition)
2010 - 2011
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chemical composition. Including 10 Amino Acids essential for bees.
10 Kg Bags 20 kg Bags 25kg Bags
$80.00 * Bag (for post only) (Road Freight or Collection)
$ 154.00 * ea 1-9 Bags $ 192.50 * ea ($7.70kg)
( $7.70kg) 10+ Bags $180.00 * ea ($7.20kg)
Bulk/Pallet (25kg bags) 32 bags $ 165.00 * ea ($6.60kg)
*please note: freight / postage additional. GST included
AUSTRAL INSULATION have been leading Insulated Panel Projects
across Australia since 1963. Austral offers an installation system
to suit every project - the right panel for the right application.
The scope of installation for beekeepers can range from small coolrooms
or freezers, to extraction rooms, hotrooms and dust-proofed storerooms.
Austral panel systems are widely specified for cleanroom facilities
because they meet AQIS food industry standards.
George Weston Foods in Castlemaine, Victoria specified Austral XFlam
panel for their $150 million expansion. Not only because the panel system
conformed to high fire resistance standards, but it could withstand harsh
chemical washdowns on a 24 hour cycle.
To find out more, how we can make your next project more efficient,
visit our web site at
www.australinsulation.com.au
or
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February 2014 31

32 Australian Bee Journal
Bees Abroad
Kenya project wins UK government funding
Three-year Bees Abroad project in Kenya wins
UK Government funding
Bees Abroad has secured major funding from the
UK Department for International Aid (DFID) for a
three-year project to alleviate poverty through advancing
beekeeping skills and supporting bioconservation
and bio-enterprise in the arid and semiarid
land (ASAL) in the Kenyan district of Laikipia.
The Bee Products Enterprise Development
(BPED) aims to raise incomes of 900 pastoral households
through beekeeping providing for improved
production, value addition, trade and profit sharing. It
will also increase opportunities for women and marginalized
members of society to engage in sustainable
economic activity and increase
control of their income.
International Development
Minister Lynne Featherstone
said: “This project
will change the lives of
over 5,000 people in Kenya,
half of whom live below the
poverty line and are dependent
on food aid. DFID
funding will help Bees
Abroad give people the
skills and support they need
to learn a trade which can
increase their independence.
“Beekeeping is a potentially
vital source of income
for these rural communities. As well as teaching beekeeping
skills, the project will provide vital training
in business and marketing, to help rural communities
run successful enterprises. This is going to help generations
of families increase their income and become
self-sufficient. I hope Bees Abroad can create a real
buzz around this worthwhile project.”
The project will be implemented for Bees Abroad
by John and Mary Home, assisted by David Evans.
John and Mary already act as volunteer project managers
for several of the charity's projects in Kenya.
As well as helping community groups improve their
beekeeping skills, they have been responsible for
teaching beekeepers how to make value-added products
such as hand creams and wax polish.
Another of their innovations is the 'A-maizing' bee
suit which can be made for less than £1 by utilizing
waste maize sacks and the sound parts of damaged
mosquito nets. This application was made possible
with help and encouragement from those in Bees
Abroad and much support from family and friends.
Support for the project also comes from Bees
Abroad patron and television personality Jimmy
Doherty. He commented: “This is a major achievement
for Bees Abroad, who are a small and growing
solid charity, with a core of very experienced beekeepers
who really care about helping communities in
the developing world. It’s wonderful to think that
900 households will be given beekeeping skills that
can be used straight away and then handed on to future
generations. It’s sustainability at its best.”
Commercial and community-owned bee product
enterprises with a sound ethical, environmental and
business base create new economic opportunities for
pastoralist men and women. This project will increase
economic returns from beekeeping and provide
economic incentives for the sustainable use of indigenous
natural resources. Product branding and market
links will help communities
to access rewarding
local, national and
East African regional
markets.
Creating livelihood diversification
will take
pressure off water and
grazing available in the
wider Laikipia ecosystem,
contributing to
protection of natural
resources, particularly
in the water catchment
areas. An improved
ecosystem will lead to
wider livelihood improvements
such as
reduced tension and
conflict between communities, greater resilience to
drought and greater gender equity within households.
Bee products are culturally and socially acceptable.
Honey and wax are already sold in the targeted
areas, but at a low and disorganised level. The project
proposes to expand existing knowledge and practices,
implementing business-based systems to ensure
economic viability.
Introducing low-cost beekeeping equipment, often
made from locally sourced materials, enables producers
to expand to commercial levels. Community cohesion
will be supported by the democratic decisionmaking
and participation in the enterprise, especially
under fair trade standards.
Better bee colony management also increases the
stability of local food supplies through the bees' pollination
activities. Understanding the need to preserve
natural resources for honey production promotes care
for sustainable natural resources.
The development of the national organic market
will increase awareness among consumers and the
farming community of environmental issues, helping
to make the value of Kenyan natural resources better
understood and appreciated.
The hives are on the Lolldaiga Ranch. The photo
shows catcher boxes waiting for the migrating
bees during the flowering season.

Recipe
Berry and honey roulade
A roulade is basically a roll of something, in this case
meringue, which is baked then sliced into rounds and
served.
Rolling a roulade can be tricky but a generous dusting
of icing sugar and decorations will cover up any imperfections.
For this recipe you will need a 23x33cm/9x13in
Swiss roll tin.
Ingredients
5 egg whites
275g caster sugar plus extra for dusting
50g flaked almonds
For the filling
600ml cream
100g raspberries
2 tbsp honey
For the garnish
50g strawberries cut in half
50g blackberries
50g raspberries
1 tbsp honey
Icing sugar for dusting
Preparation method
Preheat the oven to 180C and line the Swiss roll
tin with baking paper
In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites using an
electric hand whisk until stiff peaks form when the
whisk is removed. Gradually add the sugar, a spoonful
at a time. Whisk until very stiff and glossy and all
the sugar has been added.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and
smooth the surface. Sprinkle with almonds. Place
the tin in the preheated oven and bake for eight
minutes, or until golden-brown. Lower the temperature
to 160C and bake for a further 15 minutes, or
until crisp.
Remove from the oven and turn out, almond-side
down, onto a sheet of non-stick baking paper dusted
with caster sugar. Remove the baking paper from the
base of the cooked meringue and allow to cool.
For the filling, put the cream and raspberries in a
bowl and lightly whip. Spread evenly over the meringue
and spoon over the honey and most of the other
berries. Starting at the long end, roll up the meringue
using the paper to help you.
Decorate the top of the roulade with the reserved
berries, honey and a dusting of icing sugar.
February 2014 33

HONEY BUYERS
Classifieds
FOR SALE
CONDOLENCES
Archibald’s Honey Co.
Spring Rd. Dingley, VIC, 3172
Ph: 03 9551 1860
Contact: Gary Archibald
************
Beechworth Honey Ltd.
38-40 Hammersley Rd.
Corowa, NSW 2646
Ph: 02 6033 2322
Contact: Steve or
Jodie Goldsworthy
***********
Capilano Honey Ltd
Capilano St.
Maryborough, VIC 3465
Ph: 1800 350 977
Contact: Bill Winner
***********
Goode’s Honey
Lot 1, 75 Bosworth Rd.,
Bairnsdale, VIC 3875
Ph: 03 5152 2180
Contact: Terry Goode
*********
Kirksbees Honey Pty Ltd
23-43 Neville Rd
Stockleigh 4280
Ph: (07) 5546 9988
Email:
kirksbees@yahoo.com.au
Contact: Ashley &
Christine Kirk
************
Redpath’s Beekeeping
Supplies
193 Como Parade East,
Parkdale, VIC 3195
Ph: 03 9587 5950
Contact: Alan Redpath
Email:
redpaths@redpaths.com.au
www.redpaths.com.au
********
Spring Gully Farms Pty Ltd
(Incl Leabrook Farms Honey)
184 Cavan Rd,
Dry Creek, SA 5094
Ph: 08 8262 7555
Contact: Trevor Lehmann
or Ross Webb
Jeeralang Apiary Supplies
Koala Drive, Jeeralang Junction
Ph: 03 5122 2641
Servicing Gippsland and
Eastern Victoria
8 & 10 frame tin lids
New & recycled tin
KAS MANUFACTURING
Ph: 03 5449 6680
Mob: 0409 017 311
Honey popcorn boxes
of 14 x 200gm packets
$40 per box
Contact VAA Secretary
Kerrin Williams
03 5446 1455
Sincere sympathy is extended to
the family of the late
Mr Norm Hobbs of Horsham
who recently passed away.
Deepest sympathy is extended
to Frank and Joanne Love and
family from Bridgewater on the
passing of Frank’s mother
Eileen Love
NEW MEMBERS
Kate Potter – Ferntree Gully
David Barnes – Carlton
Michael O’Neill
– East Melbourne
Shona Holloway – The Patch
Michael Adeney – Glen Iris
VAA 2014 Annual Conference
To be held at the Mantra Tullamarine
Cnr Melrose Drive & Trade Park Drive, Tullamarine, VIC, 3043
Sunday 6th July 2014 - Hospitality Evening
Hosted by VAA Melbourne Section from 7.30pm - Light Supper
Monday 7 th July and Tuesday 8 th July 2014
Conference Sessions.
Tuesday 8 th July - Annual Dinner.
Wednesday 9 th July - AHBIC Conference
Be early and book your accommodation at the venue.
For bookings call 03 9093 6500
www.mantratullamarinehotel.com.au
When booking don’t forget to mention the Victorian Apiarists
Association as we have discounted conference accommodation rates.
Further information on the Conference, Key Note Speakers and
Got something to sell.
Need to buy something
Why not use your free classified ad
VAA members are reminded that they are entitled to
one FREE 3-line classified ad each year.
Send them to the Editor by the 25th of any month
for printing in the following month’s journal.
You can email them to
abjeditors@yahoo.com
or post them to
PO Box 42, Newstead, VIC 3462.
34 Australian Bee Journal

VAA Inc. Bendigo Branch
meets first Wednesday even
months 7.30 pm at
W.G. McBain Reserve Hall,
Neale St. (near Keck St).
*************
VAA Inc. Melbourne Section
meets from 7:30 pm on the last
Thursday of each month (except
December) in the Church of
Christ Hall, corner of Cherry Rd
and Whitehorse Rd, Balwyn
(Melways map 46 grid D8).
Dr Max Hunter O3 9317 7142
*************
Geelong Beekeepers’ Club
meets third Friday in month,
Belmont Park Pavilion, under
James Harrison Bridge.
Melways 228 A7.
John Edmonds 03 5264 1245
*********
“J” Diggers Rest
Beekeeping School
35 Duncan's Lane, Diggers Rest.
Melways ref 352 G11.
Lessons about bees &
the art of keeping them
2nd Thursday of each month
7.30 pm.
Contacts
Lynne Bowler 03 5428 9115
Stan Starc 03 9331 1619
Robin Bray 03 5426 2264
VICTORIAN APIARISTS’ ASSOCIATION INC.
For the advancement of apiculture
Benefits of membership include:
Receipt of the Australian Bee Journal.
One free classified advertisement per year.
Membership badge and membership car sticker.
Access to the VAA Inc. Library (run by the Library Trust).
Opportunity to meet & share ideas with other beekeepers at local group meetings, field days, shows &
conferences.
Opportunity to express views to government departments, which regulate and control beekeeping.
VAA Inc Resources Committee working for public lands access for our industry.
Deals on tyres from CHARLTON TYRE SERVICE. Ian Donaldson, phone: 03 5491 1369.
Deals on Finance from REGIONAL & RURAL FINANCE, 155a Lime Avenue, Mildura 3500
Ph: (03) 5021 0044, Fax: (03) 5021 1859
Special beekeeper oriented insurance policies available to VAA members from:
LANDMARK Insurance, Paul Cullum,
295 Benalla Road, Shepparton Vic 3632
Ph: 03 5833 0222 Fax: 03 5831 2004 Mobile: 0459 815 677
Email: paul.cullum@landmark.com.au
Members please quote the
V.A.A Customer Number – 199148.
Membership runs from July 1st to June 30th
Calendar
The Beekeepers’ Club Inc.
meets third Thursday in each
month at 7.30pm. Doncaster
Elderly Citizens,
985 Doncaster Road
Doncaster.
Ian Brown 03 9850 3697 or
Geoff Neville 0412 613 135
***********
Southside Beekeepers Club
The club meets at 7.30pm
on the 4th Wednesday
of each month,
in the Elderly Citizens
Clubrooms, (Leawarra House)
200 Beach St., Frankston Vic.
Secretary: Daniela Rosenfeld
PO Box 616, Mt Eliza Vic 3930
Ph: 0413 104 191
*********
2014 conference dates
Qld Beekeepers Ass: 12-13 June
NSWAA: 8-9 May
Tas Beekeepers Assoc:
30-31 May
WA Farmers Fed. Beekeeping:
6 June
SAAA: 19-20 June
VAA: 7-8 July
HPMA: TBA
NCCPA: TBA
AQBBA: TBA
FCAAA: 9 July
AHBIC: 9 July
Index of Advertisers
AIR CTI 27
Aussie Hives 19
Austral Insulation 31
Avant Equipment 5
B/Fields Queens 23
Bee Engineering 17
Beechworth Honey
Inside back
Beeplas Australia 19
Bluebees Producers 27
Bob’s Beekeeping Supplies 3
Capilano Honey
Inside front
Covey Queens 25
Denmar Apiaries 15
Dewars Bee Build 31
Easysteam Boilers 19
Goldfield Honey Aust. Pty Ltd 13
Hivemind 21
(Stafford Engineering) EzyLoader Back
McCahons Bee Material 25
McDonalds (R. & E.) 21
MecoPlastics 11
MEGT 25
Penders Beekeeping Supplies 17
Prestige Stainless 9
Redpaths Beekeeping Supplies 15
Sherriff 7
Simons Boilers 9
Smiths Apiaries 9
Steritech 11
Wedderburn 23
Whirrakee Honey 17
Whirrakee Woodware 33
February 2014 35

Who, what, where
VAA Resources Management
Committee —
Chairman: Ken Gell,
Ph: 5461 4326, Fax: 5460 4410
Email: gells_honey@hotmail.com
Regional Managers
North-Central region:
Ms Joanne Love, PO Box 30,
Bridgewater Vic 3516.
Ph/ Fax 03 5437 3307
Western region:
Mr Bill Falkenberg,
Box 36, Balmoral Vic. 3407.
Ph: 5570 1223, Fax: 5570 1110
North-east region:
Mrs Elwyne Papworth,
RSD 7440, Northern Hwy,
Strathallan, Vic 3622.
Ph/Fax: 03 5484 9231
North-west region:
Ron Robinson,
13 Ovens Ave., Red Cliffs,
Vic 3496. Ph: 03 5024 1068
Email: honeybee711@bigpond.com
Department of Environment and
Primary Industries: For assistance
and advice on beekeeping, apiary
disease diagnosis & research, pollination
and pesticide information.
Beekeepers seeking information
about AFB honey tests; icing sugar
roll test for detection of varroa; port
surveillance hives and honey bee
swarm catch box projects should
contact Joe Riordan, Senior Apiary
Officer, on 02 6030 4516.
Russell Goodman (Tues & Wed
only), Senior Apicultural Officer,
Animal Standards Branch, Biosecurity
Victoria, DEPI Knoxfield, Private
Bag 15, Ferntree Gully Delivery
Centre, Vic 3156.
Ph: 03 9210 9222,
Fax: 03 9800 3521, Email:
russell.goodman@depi.vic.gov.au
Daniel Martin, Apiary Inspector,
Bendigo Agricultural Centre,
PO Box 2500, Bendigo Mail
Centre, Vic 3554.
Ph: 5430 4621. Fax: 5430 4541,
Mob: 0428 752 449.
E: daniel.martin@depi.vic.gov.au
Joe Riordan, Senior Apiary
Officer, DEPI Centre
RMB 1145 Chiltern Valley Rd
Rutherglen 3685
Ph: 02 6030 4516
Fax 02 6030 4561
Mob: 0417 348 457.
Contacts
E: joe.riordan @depi.vic.gov.au
DEPI contact list
BAIRNSDALE:
Tracey West 03 5152 0422
BALLARAT:
Ashvin Bhikharidas 03 5336 6691
BENDIGO:
Sarah Templeton 03 5430 4705
GEELONG:
Tim O'Neil 03 5226 4809
HAMILTON:
Simon Kellond 03 5573 0724
Caitlin Maplestone 03 5573 0739
HORSHAM:
Mark Griffin 03 5362 0710
MILDURA:
Aaron Walder 03 5051 4351
SEYMOUR:
Dian Williams 03 5735 4363
WODONGA:
Ian Grundy 02 6043 7936
VAA Inc Regional Groups
Bendigo Branch:
Eileen McDonald,
57 Sawmill Road, McKenzie Hill,
via Castlemaine 3451
Ph: 03 5472 2161
Email: eileenmc@gcom.net.au
Melbourne Section: Secretary,
Dr Max Hunter, Ph: 03 9317 7142
Sunraysia Branch:
Trevor Monson,
PO Box 251 Mildura Vic 3500.
Ph: 03 5024 8674.
VAA Inc. Library Trust
Secretary: Russell Goodman,
105 The Gateway, Lilydale,
Vic 3140. Ph 03 9735 3836
Affiliated Organisations
Central Victorian Apiarists’
Association Inc (CVAA Inc.):
Judy Leggett, PO Box 15, Ararat
VIC 3377. Ph/fax: 5352 3990
Mobile: 0423 464 800
Gippsland Apiarists’ Association
Inc. (GAA Inc.): Bill Ringin,
PO Box 201, Moe, Vic 3875.
Ph: 03 5633 1326.
North Eastern Apiarists’
Association Inc. (NEAA Inc.):
Mrs Elwyne Papworth, RSD 7440,
Northern Hwy, Strathallan, Vic
3622. Ph/Fax: 03 5484 9231.
“J” Beekeeping School (Diggers
Rest): Lynn Bowler, 59 Bourke
Crt., Bullengarook VIC 3437
ph. 5428 9115
Southside Beekeepers Club:
President: Carol Schuman
Vice President: Lindsay Wilson
Secretary: Daniela Rosenfeld
PO Box 616, Mt Eliza Vic 3930
Ph: 0413 104 191
southsidebeekeepers@live.com.au
The Beekeepers Club (Doncaster)
President: Geoff Neville
Ph: 03 9850 4790
Secretary: Dietmar Klimkeit
Mob: 0414 558 400
Federal Council of Australian
Apiarists Associations Inc.
(FCAAA):
President: Robert McDonald
19 Eleanor Drive, Campbells Creek
3451. Ph: 03 5472 4973
Mob: 0427 722 162
E: mcdonald.robert@ y7mail.com
Australian Honey Bee Industry
Council (AHBIC):
Exec. Dir: Trevor Weatherhead
PO. Box 4253, Raceview
Queensland 4305
Phone 07 5467 2265
Email: ahbic@honeybee.org.au
Website: www.honeybee.org.au
Chairman: Lindsay Bourke
Mobile: 0418 131 256
Phone: 03 6331 0888
Email: lb@ozhoney.com.au
Crop Pollination Association
Stephen Targett, PO Box 325
Narranderra NSW 2700
Ph 0428 649 321
Honey Bee Research &
Development committee (HBRDC)
Margaret Heath: Ph: 02 6271 4145
Rural Industries R&D Corporation
(RIRDC) PO Box 4776, Kingston
ACT, 2604
Web: www.rirdc.gov.au
Collingwood Childrens' Farm
Apiary
Open second and fourth Sunday of
each month.
Latitude 37°48'13.81"S,
Longitude 145° 0'14.97"E
(Melways map 2D, grid D10)
E: collingwoodbees@gmail.com
Web: www.photoblog.com/
collingwoodbees and
www.youtube.com/
collingwoodbees
VFF State Beekeeping Branch:
Secretary: Gail Rochelmeyer
Mob: 0408 592 091
36 Australian Bee Journal

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