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beekeepers.asn.au THE AMATEUR BEEKEEPER dec 2020 | Jan 2021 3 President’s letter. News and campaigns 4 Contaminated beeswax. And what you can do about it 5 Catch boxes for swarms. 5 Know the regulations 6 Producing perfect wax combs. Why heat matters 7 Catching the bug! Adventures of a 13 new beekeeper 8 When poison strikes. How to spot and treat affected hives 9 Home learning resources. Selling, gifting or disposing of bees 9 4 10 Planting guides. Naming 1000 native bees. Scholarships 11 National Honey Levy and what it does to help all beekeeers 12 Research projects into the future: electronic noses and superhoney 13Temper, temper! Cranky bees and how to tell how agro they really are 14How many bees it takes to . Toad at the Hive project 10 Do you have a photo you’d like to The Amateur Beekeeper is the journal of the Amateur Beekeepers be considered for the cover of the Association of NSW Inc. It is distributed to members six times a year, in next issue. Send it in to December, February, April, June, August and October. [email protected] The editor will consider adverts from businesses relevant to beekeepers to run free of charge where they contain a discount or special offer to ABA members. Please email [email protected] 2 THE AMATEUR BEEKEEPER DECEMBER/JANUARY 2021 FEES ABA NEWS Renew in . June 20/20 hindsight REMINDER TO everyone (and it’s good ABA president Sheila Stokes looks back on 12 news): current ABA and club memberships months that thrown up many challenges and some last through to 31 June 2021. This means delightful solutions A renewal notices (usually sent out at this time of the year) will not be sent until next autumn/winter. Here we are at the end of 2020, A while back the ABA moved the membership cycle and it’s time to exercise a little from a calendar year (January to December) to a twenty-twenty hindsight. What financial year (July to June), giving all 2020 members would you have done differently an extra six months on their current term. if you’d known in advance what a shake-up of a year this would be? MEMBERS Judging by our booming membership numbers, I can guess that a lot of people have taken advantage of having more time at home to embark on a new 4000 and growing hobby. And although regular big face-to-face meetings were abandoned for much of the year, it’s E’RE excited to announce we now have been great to see so many clubs coming up with more than 4000 members in our innovative ways to keep in touch and support their Wnetwork, with new signups coming in members. We’ve seen clubs introduce regular online every day. Thankfully, our online membership system meetings, online Beginning in Bees courses, micro keeps track of everyone and handles all payments. Getting Started workshops, virtual quizzes, and (Log in at beekeepers.asn.au to update your details.) various buddy and mentor programmes. It’s been interesting to note that online meetings CLUBS have made club activities more accessible to some people who previously had been unable to attend Gold Coast Regional physical meetings. Throughout Australia and the world, talks, training HE LATEST club to affiliate with the ABA is and discussions on beekeeping have been videoed Gold Coast Regional Beekeepers. Based at and shared with audiences that can now sit at home Tthe Vietnam Veterans Complex at Nerang, and catch up when they want. We share a few links the club donates all its apiary products to raise funds to these videos on page 9 but there are many more for veterans’ initiatives. GCRB is our 31st club and out there to explore and enjoy. (And, of course, the second club on the Gold Coast. Welcome! usual caveats apply: consider the sources of your information carefully, and understand that beekeeping SWARMS equipment, regulations and risks differ across regions.) Do let us know if you or your club has introduced A bouquet of bees new beekeeping activities that take advantage of social distancing rules – and if you plan to continue with them in 2021. And don’t forget: your current UNDREDS of bee colonies are relocated membership lasts through to mid 2021. So no each year by ABA members who are renewals are due over the summer. Hcontacted by members of the public through Happy holidays everyone! the online swarm register. We recently received this little note of thanks from [email protected] one grateful user: “(Your member) kindly came out to remove a swarm and did a great job! He was fast and friendly and left us with a jar of honey. Couldn’t rate him more highly! Thanks, and thanks for your great organisation!” We applaud all collectors who relocate swarms as a community service – and by doing so, bolster the reputation of beekeepers, bees and beekeeping. 3 THE AMATEUR BEEKEEPER DECEMBER/JANUARY 2021 CAMPAIGN Protect Australian beeswax. Act now! We must prevent our beeswax supplies from contamination USTRALIAN beeswax is highly prized for stopped buying rendered beeswax from recreational its purity. It demands a premium price – beekeepers after finding that many of the blocks were here and overseas – for making cosmetics, A contaminated in some way. To try to protect the Aus- wraps and candles. Local beekeepers have been tralian pool of beeswax, Hornsby’s manager Atif Jamal able to confidently say that local foundation used in will now buy wax only from commercial beekeepers hives is 100% natural. that have purchased their hive equipment from him. But the purity of the Australian supply pool is now The Australian Honey Bee Industry Council (AHBIC), under serious threat from cheap imports and products of which the ABA is a member, has recently rung alarm containing chemical residues and parrafin wax. Once bells about imported foundation and block wax that those products are used, cycled out of hives and sold contains chemical residues thought to be from varroa back into the pool of beeswax used to make local foun- treatments. As beeswax is not classified as a food dation, it may be difficult to reverse.. (despite it being in cut-comb honey), the federal De- Contaminated and counterfeit beeswax foundation partment of Agriculture has been powerless to control is being advertised and sold locally, often through imported beeswax or even check it is real beeswax. online market places, to take advantage of beekeepers AHBIC is now asking beekeepers to boycott import- and the public attracted by ‘bargain’ prices. Compound- ed foundation, and to report suspect products so that ing the problem: the influx of enthusiastic new bee- it can make a case for change: “This is the only way we keepers attracted to the hobby, and the fact that it can can make sure that our beeswax stays pure and the be difficult for the untrained eye to spot a fake product price premium for that clean wax can be maintained on –other than it is cheaper than the beeswax available the world market.” through reputable suppliers. AHBIC is also keen that the public understands the It’s one thing to buy bad bad wax for your own bees; potential exposure to chemicals in purchasing overseas it’s another to then harvest wax from those hives beeswax: “Buy only Australian beeswax to protect our and try to use it or sell it as pure. Recently beekeep- industry and use only Australian beeswax for your own ing equipment store Hornsby Beekeeping Supplies wellbeing.” How ABA members can help WHEN YOU BUY wax foundation, ask the supplier about the origin of the product. Can they guarantee that it has been made in Australia only from local beeswax? Ask about the production process. Not 1satisfied with the answers? Shop elsewhere. Be wary of bargain prices offered on social media. IF YOU HAVE BOUGHT suspect beeswax, send us a sample. The ABA will work with AHBIC to get sam- ples tested. If any samples are found to have unwanted chemicals or other waxes, AHBIC can lodge a 2complaint with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and ask for a prosecution. Mail 100 g (or two full-depth sheets of foundation) along with details of where and when it was purchased, if you believe it has been imported, and why you suspect it is not 100% pure beeswax. Send to ABA Biosecurity Officer Bruce White, 14 Rondelay Drive, Castle Hill, NSW 2154 IF YOU SEE any products on sale that claim to be made with beeswax but plainly aren’t, complain to the retailer. If you don’t 3 get an adequate response, take it up with NSW Department of Fair Trading (or your state equivalent). EDUCATE OTHERS about the look, feel, smell and qualities of pure beeswax. Australian beeswax is a premium product with 4 outstanding qualities. It deserves its world class reputation and needs everyone’s help to keep it that way. 4 THE AMATEUR BEEKEEPER DECEMBER/JANUARY 2021 BEST PRACTICE Swarm catch boxes If you’re looking to catch a colony of bees, keep to the rules AKE AN EMPTY BOX. Add a beekeeper (or opposed to YOU MUST BE A wannabe beekeeper) seeking free bees. Put waiting until REGISTERED BEEKEEPER Tthe box in a spot atttractive to swarms look- you actu- ing for a new home. And wait with fingers crossed. ally get the to catch a swarm or to While advice on where to place the box – ideal bees). If you place swarm catch boxes height, direction to face the entrance, distance from put out a working hives etc – is easy to find and often conflict- swarm catch anywhere (even in your ing, some actions are non negotiable.