Topics: Making Mead
Presented by: Ross Rickard
We are lucky to welcome Joel Robinson from the Hunter and the Harp to give us a rundown on How to make Mead. We will not only feature recipes and methods but we will also have some mead to sample.
You can find a recipe for creating mead on our website here.
Agenda: Installing the Flow Hive + Pollination Week
This month we will be installing our recently purchased flow hive. The brood box is already strong and our bees are bringing in lots of pollen and nectar so we will install the flow super and frames. We will also feature information on pollinator week and introduce visitors to some of our native bee colonies.
"We have a new [ABA] website and a new system for paying fees which isn't quite what we expected. It's important that our members understand that the money is split into 2 parts. Our club membership of the illawarra branch is needed to cover overheads such as electricity, hot water, toilet rolls, hand towels, tea/coffee and biscuits, insurance for our club building, tables, chairs and equipment as well as funding the website and newsletter from us. If members do not pay this $20 per year amount which comes to our club, we will have to introduce a charge to attend the meetings and none of us want to do that. I hope this clarifies how the fees came about. The $45 to the ABA helps to pay for the ABA newsletter, banners and equipment grants back to the clubs. The email was from our [ABA] webmaster and Sheila has done a lot of work to get this running. We will cover how to pay online and for those of you unable to do so, Janice Conlan and I will show you on Thursday night and help people to join if needed." from Lamorna Osborne. ABA & Illawarra Branch President
More info on 2017 MembershipLast month at our night meeting we were visited by Ross Rickard from The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS). We watched a presentation on the great work done to prevent pests crossing our borders. Our field day was filled with quite an entertaining demonstration from Penny Downy and Ian Phiilips of an artificial swarm. Members witnessed caging a queen, workers clustering to the queen on a branch and collecting the bees returning them to the bee hive. Robert Steege demonstrated sugar shaking used to detect varroa, something we will have to practice as the threat of varroa in Australia grows. Thanks to all who volunteered and participated at these gatherings.
The Illawarra Beekeepers membership for 2017 will be run and managed on a statewide level by the ABA. Currently, members are advised that they may encounter a few changes to the way payments are structured. Please refer to the points above from our President, Lamorna Osborne.
The beekeepers shop is now again open each Thursday morning and at our monthly Thursday night meetings and Sunday field days approx. 30 minutes before the meetings commence. While Ivan is away on his annual pilgrimage to the old country, Penny will be taking charge in the shop so if you need to contact the shop about supplies please contact Penny on 0438 207 292
All our colonies of bees continue to do well. Returning bees are bringing back pollen and nectar in plentiful supply. Our first flow hive super will be added to our apiary at this month’s field day.
We now have 4 good honey extraction kits available for members. These kits include, a 3 frame honey extractor, heated knife, uncapping fork plus wax cap bag to spin excess honey from your wax. There is a bond plus a nominal fee of $20 to cover repairs and maintenance of the equipment. For more information please see our website or see someone the bee keepers shop.
Visit our Store Here
The Illawarra Beekeepers Assoc. Inc. is committed to your safety when visiting our apiary. Therefore you must agree to our terms and conditions when visiting us. These terms are now published on our website and can be viewed here. You are advised to read and understand them completely before your next visit to our apiary and museum. If you have any questions relating to this, please contact us.
As you know, varroa is probably the biggest threat to the bees world wide so it’s important to be aware of threats and learn how to detect them. The Australian Honey Bee Industry Council (AHBIC) issue regular updates on this and many other important news. To find out the latest news on Apis cerana & Varroa Jacobsoni in Townsville [currently update 12] go to the link below.
View News Here
Members are advised to be cautious when purchasing package bees at the moment. There has recently been some reports of package bees having American foulbrood (AFB). For this reason, a safer option is to purchase a nuc hive from a reputable beekeeper that has tested the original colony is AFB free. On this month's field day, we will demonstrate a safe alternative to purchasing package bees and showing the ways to to test for AFB. AFB is the most widespread and commercially significant bee disease that is currently present in Australia. A major factor in successful management of this disease is early detection. However, AFB can be difficult or even impossible to detect visually in the very early stages of inspection.
More Info HereSpring is here and we have recorded a list of members names who are qualified and willing to collect swarms when the calls come in for help. If you’d like your name added to the ABA swarm collections list and you are competent to collect swarms, please record your details using your access code on the ABA website at the link below. Also, and keep the record up to date as regards availability to do so, furthermore let our secretary Geoff know at the next branch meeting that you are seeking swarm(s) so that he can adjust his record including when your requirements are met.
2017 Beginners Beekeeping Courses ANNOUNCED
We have announced new dates for the upcoming 2017 courses. For Sat 28 Jan, 11 Feb,16 Sep and 04 Nov 2017
Over the summer break, we have set up a new twitter account where you can see all the news and up to date info from our club. We will also feature an exciting live feed soon. More info will be released there when it’s finalised but in the meantime you can find us on twitter @illabees so check us out there and follow us please.
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