Meetings are held on second Monday each month (except January), at above venue

PRESENT: Richard Hatfield (Pres.), Mary-Ann Lindsay (Treas), John Burnet (Sec.) and 32 members and visitors as listed in the attendance book.

APOLOGIES: Andrew Jung, Chris & Marie Christoffel, Graham Lusty, Les Solomon, Jurgen Jenkner

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING: Minutes of meeting held 8 February were read and confirmed.

GENERAL BUSINESS & MEMBERS QUERIES: Honey Harvest - Wide variances reported - suburban harvests generally good however some single sources such as manuka poor.

Wax Dipping - this option for AFB spore control and preservation of supers was now available through Richard Hatfield.

Wax Salvage - several methods were outlined and discussed.

Cleaning "wets" - discussion centred on the use of a feeder tray and other methods of persuading bees to take honey from "wet" supers down to lower supers. Bees will have no interest in cleaning "wets" during a nectar flow.

Bee stings - remedies suggested - anti-histamine, honey, vinegar, saliva, crushed aspirin. Bumble bees generally bite rather than sting. Wasps unlike bees can sting several times. It was recommended rings be removed before handling hives as a ring may cause restricted blood-flow following a bee sting resulting in loss of the finger.

Ivan Pedersen demonstrated the use and advantages of using plywood dummy boards on the top brood box to create space for easier inspection and to better insulate the brood on the two outer frames.

Tony Buder suggested the club provide the jars used by honey competition entrants. Use of a standard glass jar would make the judge’s job easier and Tony offered to arrange to purchase these from a glass wholesaler and supply to members each Feb at nominal cost (approx. $1). Following general discussion this idea was agreed to by all members.

Wrae Duncan produced a jar of Horny Honey (containing deer velvet) which he had recently purchased ($15) - a lively discussion on its merits followed.

The question of importation of Australian honey was raised and Mary-Ann detailed the bee diseases currently rife in Australia and NZ beekeepers determination to protect their industry.

The proposed requirement that a warning "may cause severe allergic reaction" be placed on all dietary supplements made from bee products was discussed. Mary-Ann suggested the warning requirement appeared to be driven by the Australian industry through NZ’s Health Dept. Concerned beekeepers should lobby their MP or other politicians to prevent the warning becoming law or at least soften the tone.

To enable many non-local members to stay later at meetings it was suggested (and following discussion agreed to by all members present) that a 7.30 p.m. starting time be adopted in the winter. Later start time i.e. 8 p.m. would apply during summer months when NZ had switched to DST.

HONEY COMPETITION :

Liquid Honey : 1st John Robson
2nd Tony Buder
3rd Andrew Beach

Creamed Honey: 1st Deborah Paterson
2nd Fred Thomson

Comb Honey: 1st Ivan Pederson

Meeting closed at 9.30 p.m. with supper.

For a full range of Ecroyds Beekeeping Supplies

Phone 0800-5BEEHIVE (0800-523344) or 06-324 8224

We will trade Honey, Beeswax or Pollen for Gear

Contact Marjorie or Kevin Kibby
for further details or to place an order

SH1, RD 3, Palmerston North (24kms north of Foxton on SH1).

This issue has generated a lot of discussion from beekeepers all over the country with almost unanimous opposition to allowing MAF RA to approve the application from the Western Australian authorities. Refer to recent discussion on the NZ Beekeepers list, or to the excellent page on Nick Wallingford's site (www.beekeeping.co.nz). The submiss-ions to MAF against the proposal have focussed on the risk of EFB disease entering New Zealand from Australia. Nobody believes that the WA beekeeping industry can detect and contain an outbreak in time to prevent its spread out of the region to New Zealand.

Here are some thoughts for your consideration. (from Best of BeeL)

Five gallon buckets have been used as baited hives to catch swarms and I've seen the bees quite fill a bucket with comb in four weeks. The comb was of course built on many different angles, and attached to the bucket in many places just as one might expect. However maybe,

There is a lot of debate going on at the moment in our circles on this issue and I just heard this morning [30 March] that a bkpr in the south island has been asked by a supermarket to state that his honey is free of GM products !

You might like to re read some very good articles by Sue Muggleston and Louise Malone from Hort and Research, on all this in the NZ Beekeeper:. Feb and March 1998.

More information, according to Sue, is to be found at www.genepool.co.nz. See her article in the March issue for more contacts for further information on GE in NZ.

Nick Wallingford has uploaded a 'virtual field day' - photographs and notes about the speakers and happenings of the 1999 Waikato Field Day. You can see them at www.beekeeping.co.nz/waikato. Let Nick know if any of the pictures don't work - they're not super high quality, but just enough to give you an idea of what things were like there.

SLEEP ENTICER:

The combination of chamomile, a natural sedative, and honey, believed to induce sleep, should result in a peaceful, uninterrupted slumber. The beverage is best sipped when tucked up in bed, propped up with a good book so that you can drift off to sleep.

Make a cup of chamomile tea with hot water and allow to cool until warm only. Stir in the honey and sip intermittently.

HERBAL COLD AND THROAT SYRUP:

To relieve all those irritating symptoms that accompany a cold, try this syrup. Sage is said to alleviate aches, pains and fever.

Tie the sage in a muslin bag and steep in a cup half filled with boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove the sage and allow to cool. Put the honey in a screwtop jar or bottle. Pour in the cider vinegar then pour in the cooled sage water. Shake until well mixed. Take 2 teaspoons every hour until the symptoms ease.

Another French institution to have a link with beehives is the Comedie-Francaise, the prestigious theatre company founded by Louis XIV in 1680. The beehive was felt to be an appropriate symbol for an acting troupe since it represents individual effort by the many for the good of the whole. A chocolate coin showing the beehive has been produced as a modern souvenir of the money thrown as tokens of appreciation at the traditionally unpaid actors early in the history of the company.

One long-standing use of honey (recorded from as early as 2500 BC and still used today) is in the treatment of wounds and burns to the skin. The ancient Egyptians used honey in very many different medicines, but one particular document gives instructions for placing honey directly onto the affected part of the body and wrapping it round with cloth as a dressing. This was used for open wounds, cuts, burns or ulcers and if successful, the wound would dry out and heal satisfactorily with the minimum of scarring. The honey certainly forms a barrier to further infection from outside and in fact sugar has been used for a similar purpose.

On the Battlefield: It is believed that honey has the property of drawing out water from the cells of bacteria, causing them to dehydrate and die. It also contains an antibiotic substance called inhibine. As recently as the First World War German doctors were using honey mixed with cod liver oil to surgically dress wounds on the battlefront and in some Eastern European countries the medical professions are still using it today.

These returns will replace the previous hive inspection statements. They will be sent out in early April, and must be returned by 31^st May each year. There will be more information on these forms and other requirements of the PMS at the meeting next month.

Don't forget that the annual mead competition will take place in July along with our AGM. You should be preparing your mead samples now. If you need a recipe, refer to the February newsletter (or www.beehive.org.nz/tips-and-advice/taa-mead-recipe.htm)

The club requires a willing person who to take over management of the club library. We are seeking to arrange for storage of the contents at the Terrace Centre in Johnsonville (where they will be available each meeting). The librarian would be responsible for keeping the collection tidy, catalogued, and chasing up overdue loans. The club also has some funds available for purchases, so occasional recommendations for new books would also be useful. Contact Richard Hatfield, John Burnet, or James Scott if you can help.

The current constitution of the Wellington Beekeepers Association is in need of some revisions to reflect the way in which members currently wish to operate the society. The objective will be to prepare a draft revision for circulation to members with the May newsletter. This will allow time for discussion of the changes, and any necessary amendments to the draft in time for formal agreement and adoption of a new constitution at the AGM in July.

James Scott has offered to lead this effort, and is seeking assistance form members who wish to be involved. If you are prepared to assist, ring him on 565 0164.

The committee is looking for interesting and relevant speakers for meetings this year. It is hoped that Andrew Matheson will be available to talk to one meeting. If you have any suggestions please contact John Burnet on 232 7863 (or secretary@beehive.org.nz).