THE AMATEUR BEEKEEPER Newsletter for members October/November 2018

Includes Remote monitoring hives AFB Awareness Month Wasps: The good side

Visit your club to COLLECT YOUR FREE

• AFB testing kit • Copy of the beekeeper’s code of practice SEE PAGES 3 & 10

Congratulations everyone beekeepers.asn.au WE NOW HAVE TWO THOUSAND MEMBERS ! October/November Issue Contents 3 Biosecurity AFB Awareness Month 4 Seasonal Tallowwood: all show, no joy 3 5 President’s letter What AHBIC does for beekeepers 6 Biosecurity quiz Are you slack or superb? Find out 4 7 Club news Yass’ grand apiary opening Swarm season update 8 Technology Electronic hive monitoring: How it works, what to avoid 10 Beekeeping rules Know your code. Find the error 8 11 Tocal Field Day. ABA contacts Know your code answer 12 Book reviews The Contented Bee Bees of Australia: Photography 13 Council Meeting details Apimondia 2019: Montreal 14 Insects 14 Are we being rough on wasps? 15 Member news 16 Inveterate inventor Branding boxes How to contact clubs

DIARY DATES TOCAL COLLEGE BEEKEEPERS’ FIELD DAY OCTOBER 13

NEXT ABA COUNCIL MEETING: GOSFORD NOVEMBER 10

2 THE AMATEUR BEEKEEPER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018 BIOSECURITY first 400. For details on irradiation to kill AFB spores and the full range of Steritech services, go to AFB: Check now! steritech.com.au/industries/beekeeping/ FOLLOWING ON from last year’s successful AFB Awareness Month, the NSW DPI and major beekeep- • The ABA has created a presentation on AFB for ing organisations are again joining forces to encourage use by clubs who wish to run an educational everyone to Inspect, Test, Notify and Act in October to session for members. Details are being sent to rein in this fatal honeybee disease. club secretaries. Here’s what you need to know: • The ABA has a special AFB section on our website with information for NSW beekeepers, • The ABA is distributing glass sample slides including a guide and links to DPI forms. This and carriers to clubs. This means members can has been updated to include new contacts and a easily send off suspect material for analysis at simpler submission form for sending off sam- the state’s testing laboratory. Testing is free for ples. registered beekeepers. • Clubs can nominate someone to collect these slides and carriers from the ABA stand at the FOR CLEAR INFORMATION ON AFB , GO TO Tocal Beekeepers Field Day on October 13. beekeepers.asn.au/afb Thanks to the DPI for funding the kits. During October, Steritech is providing free bee car- tons to members who wish to irradiate their equip- ment. The cartons are normally $3.85 each. Simply take your equipment along to the Wetherill Park facility, pop it in a box and pay the irradiation fee. One free box per member for use in October please. Quote AFB18 to claim your carton. Quantities limited to the Win a FREE HIVE TOOL Check for AFB and then complete the ABA’s special online brood inspection report at beekeepers.asn.au/AFB You’ll go in a draw to win one of 10 free hive tools courtesy of the DPI and Hornsby Beekeeping Supplies. Entries must be in by November 13.

3 THE AMATEUR BEEKEEPER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018 SEASONAL Tallowwood Not all trees are equal when it comes to bee nutrition A HUGE AMOUNT of tallowwood (Eucalyptus micro- corys) is flowering up and down the east coast of NSW at the moment and it’s often confused with some of the stringybark and ironbark species. Tallowwood occurs naturally over a wide range of the NSW coast and is also used widely in street planting by councils. It will often flower twice a year. Unfortunately the poor old tallowwood was holding the door open for the other eucalyptus species when the nectar and pollen allocations were being handed out. The simple fact is there is very little in it for bees, which is most unfortunate. If you are looking for a specimen tree to plant, or are involved with the council or Landcare, opt for a brush box (Lophostemon confertus). Now there is a bee friendly tree for coastal areas! For a scientific description of tallowwood, check the National Herbarium website at plantnet.rbgsyd. nsw.gov.au and search on tallowwood. For a list of bee friendly trees and shrubs suitable for planting in southeast NSW, the Department of Primary Industries has a downloadable document. Go to dpi.nsw.gov.au and search on honey pollen flora. And every beekeeper should check out the free and TALLOWWOOD IS A FAMILIAR TREE ALONG THE EAST very comprehensive guide Bee Friendly: A planting guide COAST, PARTICULARLY NORTH FROM NEWCASTLE, AND for European Honey Bees and Australian native pollina- IS FLOWERING NOW. IT IS NOT A GOOD NECTAR OR tors, available online at agrifutures.com.au POLLEN SOURCE FOR BEES UPDATE

Interested in a truck for your beekeeping? Now is Where is Doug? your chance to secure a truck steeped in beekeeping DOUG SOMERVILLE has long been a familiar face knowledge. at ABA events but of late not so many sightings. Now Doug has been a wonderful supporter of the ABA we learn he is on extended leave from the Depart- and amateur beekeepers over many years. A consid- ment of Primary Industries until August 2019. erable number of ABA members have benefitted from Doug is busy using the time to compile an exten- his knowledge and understanding of beekeeping. sive guide to the honey and pollen flora of southeast We wish him well for the future and look forward Australia. Covering up to 500 plants, this should be to those new books. DAVE WILSON ABA SECRETARY available early to mid-next year. Another Ag Guide is also in the pipeline. Can’t find Doug? DPI contacts Meanwhile Doug is selling his bee truck: 1986 Isuzu 7 tonne GVM, carry • EDUCATION AND SHORT COURSES 4 tonne, split boom loader (sepa- [email protected] rated batteries), carries 52 eight- • BIOSECURITY [email protected] frame hives on the tray. 12 months [email protected] rego. Asking $10,000 ONO. • INDUSTRY [email protected] Contact Doug on 0427 311 410 4 THE AMATEUR BEEKEEPER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018 PRESIDENT’S LETTER Representing all The bee industry is getting behind some big new plans FOR THOSE of us that are relative newcomers to the world of beekeeping and are still a little obsessed with all things bees and honey, it’s easy to see the acronym AHBIC and think, I wonder what that’s about. AHBIC is the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council Think Varroa Jacobsoni incursion in Townsville in and it is the peak industry body for beekeepers Aus- 2016 which was successfully thwarted through AHBIC tralia wide. To quote from its website, AHBIC’s role is: coordinating the search and destroy mission. •To foster, promote, enhance and protect the Think the 2018 Australian Bee Congress held on the interests of the Australian Honey Bee Industry and the Gold Coast with 60 plus speakers, delegates from 17 viability of its members overseas countries and over 70 exhibitors at the trade •To represent industry policy at all levels of show. government, private enterprise and the public And then, recently providing a level head in re- •To promote, support, seek amendments to, or sponse to the adulterated honey scandal that is con- oppose any legislation or measure that may affect the suming so much media time of late. industry Now you may also be surprised to know that as •To assist and/or cooperate with any organisa- of 2018 the ABA (along with the Gold Coast Amateur tion, body, association, person or persons in the best inter- Beekeepers Society) has a seat at the AHBIC table to ests of AHBIC represent non-commercial keepers. This has come about through the growth of beekeeping as a recre- •To enhance the industry by encouraging the ational pastime and the likely event that many future adoption of best practice in production, quality assurance, commercial beekeepers will emanate from the ranks presentation and promotion of its products of the recreational side of the industry. (This is a •To conduct educational, promotional and public demonstrated fact, with a number of ABA members relations campaigns in the best interest of the industry steadily increasing hive numbers each season.) and AHBIC where appropriate The ABA also recognises the importance of having •To gather and distribute to members, industry a peak body such as AHBIC and providing support on intelligence from local and international sources, and to behalf of our members. function as a channel for information exchange within As with our own organisation, AHBIC is moving with Australia and between Australia and other countries, the times. It recognises the beekeeping industry as leading to better understanding a whole is experiencing rapid change and has devel- •To enhance the development of all industry oped a new strategic plan headlined by the mission sectors through education and extension to statement “A small industry with a BIG impact”. When interdependent industries within the public and you’re thinking about the big picture and where we agricultural communities would be without our bees, these are very pertinent •To act in any way not defined in these objects words. considered advisable in the best interest of the industry So take a look at the AHBIC website at honeybee. •To be accountable to the members of AHBIC. org.au when you have a chance and specifically the You may ask what that means to recreational strategic plan for the future. beekeepers with a few hives or maybe even just that As beekeepers we have a unique view of how things single colony that continues to amaze. should work on this planet. We know how a colony of AHBIC does a lot and it’s not just the behind-the- bees works to create something that no one individual scenes lobbying of governments for access to public can hope to achieve. lands for bee sites, educational resources for regis- Organisations such as AHBIC and the ABA are very tered training organisations (RTOs), quality assurance similar to a colony of bees: group effort and a strong accreditation for beekeepers through their B-Qual structure help us achieve something special. Without program and so on, that most of us would not see it we risk squandering tomorrow’s opportunities. from day to day. LEN VERRENKAMP, ABA PRESIDENT

5 THE AMATEUR BEEKEEPER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018 BIOSECURITY QUIZ SLACK OR SUPERB? What sort of beekeeper are you? It’s October and AFB awareness Month. But it is also time to do a sugar shake to check for parasites such as varroa. Take this quiz to show off your skills (or uncover your failings) 10 correct – A superb skilled beekeeper and a credit to your hobby, though make sure you do the field work Sugar Shake True or False not just know the theory. 1. Varroa are small brown mites about 1.5 mm 0 correct – Slack, slack and slack. Sell your hives im- wide. mediately to someone who can score more than you. 2. You must, according to the beekeeping “code”, perform a sugar shake on bees from every hive you manage. AFB True or False 1. If a colony is strong it won’t have AFB. T/F? 3. To carry out a sugar shake you must collect only drone bees. 2. When checking the brood box you need only check every second frame. T/F? 4. After rolling the bees in powdered icing sugar mix, the sugar must be shaken out onto a white sur- 3. A hive may have AFB but not smell foul. T/F? face or dissolved in water. 4. A hive may be infected with AFB but have no 5. If you suspect you have identified a varroa cells that “rope out”. T/F? mite you must contact the emergency biosecurity hot 5. If a hive show signs of AFB you should wait for line immediately. a week and then check it again. T/F? QUIZ BY DAVE WILSON TECHNICAL REVIEW BY BRUCE WHITE

AFB ANSWERS VARROA ANSWERS 1. False – Strong hives are at risk since their bees 1. True – Varroa are about the size and colour of may well rob out a diseased, deserted hive. a brown sesame seed. 2. False – Check every brood frame. 2. False – One sugar shake from one hive at each 3. True – The foul smell comes from moist, site is required. decaying larvae. When the larvae dry to a scale 3. False – Best to collect a cup full of bees from the smell is not present. the brood box. 4. True – The “ropiness” comes from decaying 4. True – You should be able to see any varroa larvae. When the larvae has dried there will be this way. Of course, you can tip the bees and no viscous decaying matter to “rope”. sugar directly onto white paper. 5. False – If a colony has AFB you have 24 hours 5. True – No delay, no second opinions, no lab to act. Waiting a week just helps the disease to test – make the call now! spread. 6 THE AMATEUR BEEKEEPER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018 CLUB NEWS Yass Apiary Opens Governor David Hurley does the SWARM Season! honours at Cooma Cottage Swarming activity has been increasing since early IN SEPTEMBER, Yass and District Beekeepers Club September in some areas along the coastal strip. welcomed fellow beekeeper and NSW Governor David Conditions have been good, with reliable resources of Hurley to Cooma House to cut the ribbon and declare pollen, light-to-medium nectar flows and good early their new apiary officially open. spring temperatures. The club’s apiary, hosted by the National Trust in the picturesque grounds of historic Cooma House, is Bees in urban areas are also in swarming condi- the result of over two year’s hard work by club pres- tion as having access to backyard plantings is benefi- ident Joe Morrissey (pictured above right with the cial for building bee colonies after the winter. Governor) and the club’s founding committee. Until now club meeting’s have been hosted at members’ In most colonies I have looked at the queen has homes. Six to eight months ago the committee began laid almost wall to wall, with full frames of brood, talking with the National Trust about placing beehives drones and drone brood in strong colonies with on land near the historic home of the first Austra- lian-born explorer, Hamilton Hume. several varieties of pollen and quantities of honey The apiary will be “the new focal point for the club’s stored. This sees an explosion in bee numbers and activities” says Joe. “We’ll eventually have a variety they can quickly run out of space and decide to of hives, not just for newcomers but to keep everyone swarm. informed.” The National Trust head office and local volunteers were very much involved in getting the Most swarms occur on warm sunny days from project set up. “Without the Trust there is no apiary!” around 9 am through early afternoon. Most swarm- says Joe. Once hives are established, the gift shop at ing activity occurs from September to December the property will sell the club’s honey. but this all hinges on the spring conditions were the HIS EXCELLENCY DAVID HURLEY ADDRESSES MORE THAN 45 ATTENDEES AT THE OPENING OF THE APIARY colony is located. (Poor resource conditions limit swarming behaviour.) Experienced beekeepers will have equipment pre- pared for collecting of swarms.

Please take care if swarms are located in trees or high areas. Assess if it is worth the risk to yourself or others.

Mark Page, NSW Department Primary Industries Bee Biosecurity Officer

7 THE AMATEUR BEEKEEPER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018 TECHNOLOGY Electronic hive monitors on test Doug Purdie searches for a way to save time and travel I FIRST GOT interested in monitoring the weight and temperature of my hives when I was trying to com- pare timber and polystyrene hive bodies to see if the materials made a measureable difference to honey yield. The experiment wasn’t a success because one of the hives failed, making my measurements meaning- less. But I was hooked on the idea. I have a number of hives located a fair distance from my business. Being able to gauge if a hive needs attention without having to drive there would be a real time saver. While hive monitoring systems can’t and is very accurate. measure the full health of a hive, they can indicate if FINDING A SOLUTION. Doing some googling, I came there’s been swarming (by showing a sudden weight across hivetool.org which is an open-source hive- loss) or if the hive is full and needs harvesting. (It’s scale system using proper load cells and a Raspberry very heavy!) Pi computer. I duly ordered a kit and upon its arrival, I A WEIGHTY ISSUE. The simplest way I’ve found assembled my first set of scales. The data was awe- to weigh a hive is with a luggage or fish scale. You some and I could see the nectar come in during the just hook it under the handle at the back and lift the day and then weight dropping overnight as the girls hive so it’s tilting forwards (with the front still on the ripened the honey . . . perfect. ground), then double the reading. That gives you an These worked really well for my remote application approximate weight, and it works well during winter except they were really power hungry and needed when you can’t open the hive to see what’s going on. WiFi, so they wouldn’t work with a lot of our apiary The disadvantage is that unless you’re close to the sites. I looked at solar cells and all sorts of options for hive site, it’s not very practical for ongoing measure- the WiFi but every solution was clumsy and ultimately ment - which is where electronics can help. wouldn’t work well for a remote apiary. For my first attempt at using an electronic scale, I I started looking at the commercial systems that put a hive on a set of cheap digital bathroom scales. were available, many of them aimed at large-scale What I discovered is that bathroom scales aren’t beekeepers with associated large-scale prices. In fact designed to be loaded 24/7, and the weight drifted the prices were so high that most, if not all, of them over time. So that idea was thrown out and harmony don’t actually publish their prices or ongoing fees restored to my household – the scales went back in – you have to apply for pricing. Whenever pricing is their rightful place, gathering dust under the vanity hidden, you know it’s going to be expensive! cupboard. It turns out you really need to use a device Around the same time a Kickstarter crowdfunding called a load cell (pictured below) to measure a hive’s campaign was launched for a product called weight electronically. A load cell measures the deflec- Broodminder. The campaign was successful and the tion of a piece of metal then turns it into a voltage, product was launched. I hadn’t heard about the prod- uct, but luckily a fellow beekeeper (thanks Michael) filled me in. I got very excited and ordered a kit direct from the US as there was no local distributor. Broodminder to the rescue. The kit arrived, includ- ing four scales and the automatic data upload device. I had a plan to put the scales on some hives we have in the Blue Mountains to save on travel time. One of the big attractions of Broodminder is that the device is self sufficient with full solar power; and the annual fee to use the data-upload feature is $60 a year, unlike some competitors’ systems that cost over $600 a year 8 THE AMATEUR BEEKEEPER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018 TOP LEFT: THE BROODMINDER KIT. TOP: MONITORING API- ARY WEIGHTS AND HIVE TEMPERATURES. ABOVE: SYSTEM IN in upload fees alone. USE ON ROOFTOP HIVES IN SYDNEY So I pulled the device out of the box and fired up the scales, then downloaded the app and bingo! There with the American support team from Broodminder, was the data right there on my phone… brilliant. Now they discovered a software bug to do with our time for the cellular upload. I’d purchased a sim card from zone. It turned out I was the first Australian user of Aldi Mobile with $15 credit for 365 days, checked that the cell unit (mobile phone interface) and there was a it was working and installed it. Within an hour the date calculation issue: the Americans had forgotten data started appearing in mybroodminder.com. we were so many hours ahead of them. So the bug Yay! I was so excited and then overnight it was fixed and the system has been rock solid ever stopped… not so yay. since. And the data usage has hardly put a dent in my After a few days of trouble shooting and dealing $15 credit with Aldi Mobile. I’m over the moon.

Here’s what you’ll pay for the various solutions I investigated:

DIY SOLUTION HIVETOOL.ORG Cost of rails and enclosure for electronics, enough gear to measure temp, humidity and weight for one hive. Price: around $300 COMMERCIAL SOLUTION #1: ARNIA Basic hive scale $712 + $115 per year for monitoring Hive scale and hive health (temp, humidity, acoustic monitoring) $890 + $115 per year for monitoring COMMERCIAL SOLUTION #2: BROODMINDER Hive scales $287 each Hive temp/humidity monitors $103 each (All these units work with a phone app for local data viewing - no other costs involved) Remote monitor: $634 plus around $15 per year for a mobile sim card; after the first year, $60 for unlimited devices COMMERCIAL SOLUTION #3: HIVEMIND Hive scales $399 each Hive temp/humidity (and bee counter) $280 each Remote monitor (essential) $849 plus $48 per month for 4 collections of data per day 9 THE AMATEUR BEEKEEPER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018 BIOSECURITY The Australian Honey Bee Industry Biosecurity Code of Practice sets out Know your code the rules for beekeeping. Read this story and figure out what To download your copy, go to the Bill is doing wrong Resources for Beekeepers section of our website at beekeepers.asn.au. It BILL THE BEEKEEPER offers to help a is clear and easy to follow. The rules newcomer with his bees. The newcomer has apply to both recreational and inherited the bees from an aging relative. commercial beekeepers (though At the apiary site Bill discovers four bee keepers with more than 50 hives hives looking a little aged. The original have additional responsibilities). brand marks have been scratched out and a new code spray-painted onto the top super of each hive. Bill is impressed that the new beekeeper has a sign indicating bees are on site and listing his name and phone number. They check the hives for laying queens and honey stores. They can’t spot the queens but young brood is visible in each hive. Enough bees to occupy the frames in the hive? Yes. Bill advises there’s no need to add or reduce the number of boxes. They check the brood for brood disease and perform a sugar shake test on a sample of bees from one hive. The newcomer notices one hive has a crack in the brood box allowing bees to enter and leave the colony. Bill suggests they leave the leaky hive since its colony is strong with no disease present and to change the box when the beekeeper does the first honey extraction. Bill declares it to be a good start to the year, with four healthy hives and the necessary brood inspection complete. Bill is careful to help his friend record all these details in a diary. There is no doubt Bill is a helpful beekeeper but he has made one mistake. CHECK THE NEXT PAGE TO FIND BILL’S ERROR.

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10 THE AMATEUR BEEKEEPER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018 39th ANNUAL 2018 Tocal Beekeepers’ Field Day ABA Contacts 2018 An event for beekeepers 9.00 Welcome and Introduction and beekeepers-to-bee Need to contact the ABA about a concern or query? 9.15 Bee Biosecurity The best place to start for general questions is to Dr Chris Anderson, Manager Tocal College, Plant Biosecurity Prevention & 815 Tocal Road email the secretary Preparedness, NSW DPI Paterson NSW Dave Wilson [email protected] 9. 30 AFB Awareness Mark Page, Bee Biosecurity Officer Saturday 13th of (Surveillance), NSW DPI October 2018 Office bearers and committee members can always 10.00 Barrier Systems be reached for specific information or comments via Rod Bourke, Bee Biosecurity Officer, NSW DPI their association email accounts 10.30 Morning Tea - Demonstrations of pests and diseases inspection of a beehive and AFB smear preparation President 11.30 Apiary Sites on Public Lands Len Verrenkamp [email protected] Nick Geoghegan, Program Coordinator—Apiary Sites, NSW DPI 12.00 NSW DPI Queen Bee Breeding Program Vice President and IT Elizabeth Frost, Honey Bee Industry Development Officer, NSW DPI Sheila Stokes [email protected] 12.30 The Art of Beeswax Bill Winner Treasurer 1.00 Lunch - Demonstrations of opening, splitting and rehousing a native stingless beehive; pests Lyall Zweck [email protected] and diseases inspection of a beehive; box and frame construction; mead making; creamed Biosecurity honey; wax wraps; candle making. Bruce White [email protected] 3.00 Flow Research and Development Update Dr Emily Grace Public Officer 3.20 Honey Bee STDs Arthur Garske [email protected] Tom Gillard (BVSc) PhD Candidate 3.40 Native Bees in Applied Pollination Editor and resources Dr Tobias Smith Sue Carney [email protected] 4.00 Raffle draw and close Membership Trade show, hive construction demonstrations, honey Vince Schnyder [email protected] tastings and sales, food and coffee available all day. Education Enquiries: email [email protected] Miskell Hampton [email protected] Club development Sven Stephan [email protected]

STOP PRESS The ABA has a printed copy of the Biosecurity Code of Practice for each ABA member, supplied by Plant Health Australia. Remember to ask your club for your copy of this essential document

KNOW YOUR CODE ANSWER Site has sign indicating bees present – fine Hives branded appropriately – fine Brood inspection – fine Brood disease check – fine Varroa/Tropilaelaps sugar shake on one hive in the apiary – fine Leaky brood box – problem! According to “the code” “6. Hives must be appropriately constructed and branded 6.1 A beekeeper must ensure that each hive (including swarm catch boxes) is manufactured and maintained so as to have intact external surfaces with bee access only permitted via specifically designed and manufactured access points.” Put simply, leaky bee boxes are not permitted. That box should have been replaced then, not at some time down the track.

11 THE AMATEUR BEEKEEPER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018 BOOK REVIEW The Contented Bee ABC BOOKS. PAPERBACK $35 READERS WITH a keen memory will recall last year ABC books were asking to hear from amateur beekeepers so their stories could be told in a book to inspire new bee enthusiasts. Well, many took up the challenge and we are thrilled to spot ABA members and clubs featuring throughout the pages of The Contented Bee. While the first half of the book breezes through the beekeeping basics – everything from getting started, bee problems, garden plantings, harvesting and even a few pages on cooking and using honey and wax – the strength of this title is the over 90 individual stories of beekeepers. Bitten by the bee bug is everyone (as we know!) from schoolkids to community gardeners, retirees to young families, and apartment dwellers to off-grid smallholders. They are all here. ‘Obsessed’ is a word that comes up a lot! Congratulations to all ABA faces featuring on the pages of The Contented Bee. Flick through this title and you’re sure to find someone you know. INNER WEST BEEKEEPERS’ MELISSA BARRS DESCRIBES HER URBAN BEES AS JUST A PART OF EVERYDAY LIFE NOW

BOOK REVIEW ANSWERING THE question, “How do you find so many bees?” photographer James Dorey offers this Bees of Australia simple advice: first you need to loosen your precon- CSIRO PUBLISHING. PAPERBACK $50 ception of what a bee looks like. And if you needed any more convincing that bees come in a wonderous range of shapes and sizes, James’ collection of macropho- tographs published in Bees of Australia: A Photographic Exploration removes any doubt. James is currently undertaking a PhD on the evolution, taxonomy and ecology of our native bees and admits his fascination with these creatures began when he undertook an assignment to photograph the bees on one single sub- urban tree in Brisbane. He found 34 species. This addition to your bee book shelf is filled with dramatic shots, many of them of preserved specimens and bees from museum collections. It also includes short essays from a range of bee experts – familiar names such as Tim Heard, Tobias Smith, Megan Hal- croft and Michael Batley. One for the Xmas list!

THE VIVID MARKINGS OF THYREUS CAERULEOPUNCTATUS DOREY JAMES PHOTOS: ON THE COVER: FACE OF A MALE MEGACHILE APICATA. RIGHT: XYLOCOPA (LESTIS) AERATUS FROM SOUTH AUSTRALIA

12 THE AMATEUR BEEKEEPER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018

Next Council Meeting: Gosford November 10 Gosford High School Agriculture Classroom Forum begins at 10am Racecourse Rd Building Council Meeting commences at 11 am Racecourse Rd, Gosford. This is an important meeting and will include discussion and (Look for the beekeeping decisions about: banner near the 1. Beekeeper’s record book. Should the ABA produce one for members? pedestrian crossing) Should it be in written form? Electronic? How much will it cost? 2. Fees for 2019. What will be the core fee? How much “early bird discount” will apply? What will personal beekeeping insurance cost 2019 3. Conference in 2019. Where will it be held? What date? What will it include? 4. Education support for clubs. Has material been produced? Can clubs access this? 5. DPI Beekeeper Registration fees. Can free registration for beekeepers with a small number of hives be achieved? There has been concern about the lack of involvement by clubs in the running of the ABA. However the last Council Meeting at Coffs Harbour was well attended with strong representation from Manning Valley, Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers. That meeting introduced a travel and accommodation subsidy scheme to encourage all clubs to send representatives to Council Meetings. That scheme is in place and the ABA is hopeful of having at least one representative from each club at this meeting. That meeting also set a trial period of two Council Meetings for the ABA to achieve improved attendance and participation at Council meetings. This meeting is the first meeting in that trial period. The detailed agenda, past minutes and financial report will be sent to each club Secretary so the club executive can consider the Council agenda and attempt to ensure that their club has at least one represen- tative at the meeting. The club executive must decide who their delegate(s) will be. If you have any questions about this meeting, feel free to contact me by email. Dave Wilson ([email protected]) ABA Secretary

CONFERENCES Canada welcomes Apimondia Montréal will host the 46th Apimondia Internation- Science and Bees. The Congress will also have for- al Apicultural Congress from September 8 to 12, 2019. mally-organized round tables. Examples include: the APIMONDIA is the International Federation of Bee- Social Impact of Bees, Beekeeping with Stingless Bees keepers’ Associations. Its congresses and symposia and Honey Adulteration. Workshops include: Honey allow beekeepers, scientists, honey-traders, agents Tasting, Urban Beekeeping and New Apitherapy Prod- for development, technicians and legislators to meet, ucts and Practices. discuss and learn from one another. Apimondia meet- Tickets to all days of the main congress are around ings offer great opportunities to learn about all the $400 (earlybird), with reductions for groups, students, aspects of the beekeeping world. and accompanying visitors. Highlights at the Montréal Congress in Canada Details at apimondia2019.com include: Advances in Honey Bee Genomics, the Impact of Pesticides on Bees, Breeding for Mite and Disease Resistance, the Detection and Prevention of Honey Fraud, Technical Innovations in Beekeeping, Honey Bee Nutrition, the Status and Conservation of Pollina- tors, Treatment-Free Beekeeping, as well as Citizen

13 THE AMATEUR BEEKEEPER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018 INSECTS The Good Wasp Beekeepers have reason to dislike these black and yellow predators. But a group of re- searchers is calling for wasps to get credit for their vital role in the ecosystem

What do you think of when you hear the word ‘wasp’? Most likely its the creature’s painful sting, bright black-and-yellow stripes and an aggressive demeanor. “It is a truth universally acknowledged that people like bees and dislike wasps,” write researchers Seirian Sumner, Georgia Law and Allessandro Cini in an article published in Ecological Entomology. The group from University College London and Italy’s Università degli Studi di Firenze is calling for a cultural shift -- a PR campaign if you like – to overhaul wasps’ image, given that the insects perform a vital role in the environment by regulating insect populations, including insects that spread human diseases and crop pests. The team surveyed 750 people around the world, including Australia, about their perceptions of bees, wasps, flies and but- terflies. Words used to describe wasps were emotive and negative, whilst those describing bees were functional and positive. “Whilst the ecosystem services of bees are well understood by the public, those provided by wasps are poorly understood,” they write. This was not simply a problem in the wider community; they found relatively little research into the importance of wasps ‘ecosystem service value’ WORDS USED BY THE BY THE PUBLIC TO DESCRIBE WASPS (CLOCKWISE FROM (ESV). Much of the problem, they TOP LEFT) BEES, BUTTERFLIES AND FLIES. found, is that crop pollination is the ‘headline’ ecosystem service and draws research investment and interest. Other ecological functions performed by insects, such as regulating arthropod pests, decomposing organic material and tilling the soil, are poorly studied and appreciated, and yet these are vital ecological functions on which we – and the planet – depends. “All insects are under threat from climate change, habitat loss, fragmentation and deterioration of habitat quality, “ they write. “Maintaining insect abundance and diversity should be a prime conservation priority.” Top ten words the community associates with bees (in order): honey, flowers, buzz, sting, pollination, pollen, yellow, bumblebee, hive, stripes ECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, DOI: 10,1111/EEN.12676. WHY WE LOVE BEES AND HATE WASPS

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14 THE AMATEUR BEEKEEPER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018 MEMBER NEWS Hidden in the city IT WAS ONE of the most sought after prizes in our recent beekeeper’s raffle: an exclusive tour of some of the ‘secret’ hives of Sydney. Doug Purdie of The Urban Beehive manages hives around the city and arranged for raffle prize winner Joe Morrissey and Joe’s partner Susan to join an inspection of some of the more exclusive and scenic apiary sites– places that are usually off limits to the public. Doug’s city hives produce honey for hotels, cafes, restaurants and heritage gardens and are located in all manner JOE MORRISSEY AND PARTNER SUSAN JOINED IN AN of spots from high-rise buildings to quiet locations INSPECTION OF THE HIVES AT THE SYDNEY ROYAL BOTANIC close to busy tourist destinations. GARDENS WITH THE URBAN BEEHIVE Joe and Susan clambered around after Doug as he to many as the president of the Yass and District went about his late winter/early spring inspections at Beekeepers Club, it was an eye-opener to a way of several multistorey hotels, a cafe, the Royal Botanic keeping bees that is very different to his own experi- Gardens and Vaucluse House. For Joe, who is known ences. The verdict: unforgettable!

MNC Club Life Member PETER DICKSON-SMITH The Mid North Coast club recently conferred life membership on Peter Dickson-Smith in recognition for his past and continuing contribution to the club. Peter has been a beekeeper for 35 years , mostly with Barbara. He was a founding member of the Northern Rivers Club and treasurer there for a decade. In 2011, because of a large number of enqui- ries from the mid north coast, a new club was formed. And with his wealth of experience, Peter was called on to help and guide the new club in its formative years. Mid North Coast now boasts over 100 members.

ILLAWARRA WON FUNDING FROM FLOW SINCE OUR last issue the Illawarra club has been awarded a $5000 grant from Flow hives to help create a school holiday programme. The first Bees and Pollinatores interactive workshops happen this October, with participants – “future eco warriors” – even getting to dress up in bee suits and inspect a hive, play bee-related games and make a native bee hotel to take home. Congratulations to all at Illawarra for launching this great initiative for eight- to 12-year-olds. For details and to find out if any tickets are still available: illawarrabeekeepers.org.au

15 THE AMATEUR BEEKEEPER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018 DIY GADGETS THE INVETERATE INVENTOR is still . . . branding hive boxes Bee boxes must be marked with your rego number. Here’s how one DIY does it MY ARTICLE LAST issue mentioned using a comput- before the router is used. The shaft of the router blade er and printer to produce a paper sheet with my DPI follows the aluminium template with the blade cutting registration number at the size I wanted to mark my a 2 or 3 mm trench in the bee box timber. This will pro- bee boxes. Calibri with font size of 155 worked well. duce a clean, neat, marked-in brand. It’s easy to convert the paper to a stencil by care- fully cutting out the shape of the letters and numbers. Which is best? This works best if you can print onto light card. The If you have the stencil pasted onto a window in a larger heavy card- time and the tech- board sheet to protect the bee box from overspray. nology, the router Position the cardboard screen onto the front of the and guide produce bee box and spray away. Be aware that aerosol sprays clear permanent work best with the can held vertical. The nozzle can be brand (bottom two cleaned by inverting the can and spraying for couple of images show metal seconds to remove the residual paint. guide and finished result) but for Of course, those with respectable hand writing can speed and ease of write directly on the box. The idea of using a queen operation it is hard marking pen or cattle ear-tag pens hasbeen suggested to go past the tem- by some experienced beekeepers. plate and spraycan However all these techniques involve writing in one method (right) form or other. These marks can be easily overpainted by any person trying to disguise the box as their own. Marking the number into the box has its advantages. The desire for the ultimate bee brand led the Invet- erate Inventor to a sheet aluminium template to guide a router and blade with a shaft the same diameter as the cutting blade. The aluminium template was made by gluing the paper code page to the aluminium sheet then drilling out as much aluminium as possible and finishing the template with a file. This is definitely a winter bee- keeping project. It is not difficult but certainly is time TIP: mark your boxes consuming. Beekeepers must clearly identify one box of The template needs to be clamped to the bee box each hive with their rego number. It’s the law

WANT TO ADVERTISE IN THE AMATEUR BEEKEEPER? Looking to join a club? We accept advertisements for beekeeping related products or services Go to beekeepers.asn.au and click APPLY TO JOIN. that may interest our members. Applications and payments can be made online but the mem- bership process is not complete until the relevant local club has Ads offering a significant benefit or discount to approved the application. ABA members are run free of charge. Club executive change from time to time so we recommend All material subject to acceptance by the editor. contacting the club by the ABA email rather than personal December issue DEADLINE: November 11. accounts. This is [club name] [dot] [role] @beekeepers.asn.au [email protected] For example, to reach the Bathurst Club Secretary, email [email protected]

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