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

PRESENT: Frank Lindsay (Pres.), Mary Ann Lindsay (Treas.), John Burnet (Sec.), and 23 members and visitors as listed in the attendance book.

APOLOGIES: Amor Walter, Ken Breden, Andrew Yung, Bernard Cox, John Robson, Pam McDowell.

NEW MEMBERS & VISITORS: Stuart Smith (Whitby).

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING: Minutes of meeting held 14 May 2001 as detailed in June newsletter were confirmed.

MATTERS ARISING: Varroa Update:

Varroa had now reached the Waimarino buffer zone near Raetihi.

Hives in the Wellington area are about to be surveyed with emphasis on hives in locations surrounding ports, airports and main highway truck stops – areas which easily be infected by bees "hitchhiking" on trucks and rail wagons from an infected area.

A recent inspection of hives in the Wanganui area indicated the area was still varroa free.

Diseasathon: NBA have requested an account from the Wgton B/K Assoc. for costs of recent hive inspections. This has now been provided and when cheque is received Andrew Beach has undertaken to investigate purchase of a GPS by the Club.

CORRESPONDENCE: A Taranaki Beekeeping Club newsletter had been received and would be available to members through the Club library.

Secretary outlined a written request received from Rev Barbara Stephens who (after a recent Christian World Service sponsored visit to Uganda) requested our club consider providing technical assistance to beekeepers in the Ishisha area of Uganda. In view of the Club’s lack of knowledge of Uganda’s climatic conditions, vegetation and the types of hives, equipment and resources available to the beekeepers concerned, it was agreed further information was required before any assistance could be offered. Secretary will contact the local agricultural field officer and the International Bee Research Assoc. in UK. It was also suggested enquiries should be made to Volunteer Service Abroad as they may already be providing assistance in the area.

GENERAL BUSINESS: NBA report:

• Annual NBA conference is to be held in Queenstown at the end of July.
• Beekeepers Assoc’s Pest Management Strategy is currently being updated.
• NBA is now receiving compensation claims for varroa infection.
• Varroa surveillance in South Island is almost complete.
• Annual Disease Returns were due 1 June – ADR’s posted this month however would be acceptable.
• Certificates of Inspection (COI) must be signed by a DECA holder.
• AgriQual will send out COI forms for completion in the spring.
• The majority of commercial beekeepers have not yet passed their DECA.
• Prosecution of beekeepers for non-payment of levies is continuing.
• All details of both civil and criminal prosecutions will be published in the NZ Beekeeper.

There was a general discussion on honey pricing and marketing. Chinese honey was adversely impacting the world market with prices of 78 US cents per kilo being quoted for bulk honey. It was generally acknowledged that NZ could only compete with speciality flavours e.g. manuka. Higher prices charged for these unblended types do not appear to reduce consumer demand.

Varroa Treatment Issues: Formic acid will build up over time. Bayveril preferred by Comvita as there is less residue in the propolis. Ascetic acid in syrup "cleans out" bees including other diseases as well as impacting on varroa.

Ivan Pedersen read out an editorial from a Danish Beekeeping magazine (Denmark has had 16 years experience with varroa). In general there has been significant loss of assoc. membership, beekeepers have become dispirited and lethargic and the industry is very depressed with a poor outlook overall.

VIDEOS

Two videos were shown to members:

• The season of the bee – a US Discovery Channel production.
• The World of Bees and Wasps – a German made National Geographic film.

MEAD COMPETITION Richard Hatfield, Vaughan Kearns and Peter Radcliffe judged the annual mead competition and from 20 entries the winners were -

Meeting closed at 9.30 p.m. with the usual supper.

Received: $20 subscription for the 2001/02 year ⁽¹⁾, from:

Name:

Address:

Phone: Enclosed: $20 Cheque / Cash

Tick if you wish to receive newsletters by e-mail ¨ or $15 Cheque / Cash

Date: Receipt No: _________________

On June 25 2001 a site in the Waikato area holding 150 hives was found to have an extremely high incidence of AFB. Thirty of the hives were inspected, all these were found to show visual signs of AFB. The beekeeper who found them reported his concerns and the Management Agency was advised.

Because this was perceived as potentially a major outbreak the Management Agency has chosen to manage the operation.

Actions taken so far:

• The Management Agency has appointed Terry Gavin as Incident Manager.
• The Management Agency is closely monitoring the beekeeping operation concerned.
• A meeting between the Beekeeper and representatives from the Management Agency, AgriQuality and the PMS Committee has taken place.
• The status of the site and all others belonging to the Beekeeper concerned are under investigation.
• A complete inspection of the hives owned by the Beekeeper is to be carried out. AP2's will be used for this operation.

The Management Agency is fully aware of all the implications for Beekeepers in the area and will continue to act in their best interests within the terms of the Pest Management Strategy.

A beekeeper carrying out surveillance sampling organised by AgriQuality New Zealand has reported finding suspect varroa in an apiary just south of the MC line. This report has come from immediately south of the Raetihi 'bubble'. The details I have suggest that the suspect apiary is within several kilometres of the MC line, and has a light infection. The apiary belongs to a beekeeper based in the southern North Island.

The site will remain 'suspect' until the sticky boards have been confirmed by the lab, which should take place later this week. Testing is continuing in the area, and in other parts of the Buffer Zone. Should the site be confirmed varroa-positive, MAF will discuss appropriate actions with the NBA.

The Agriculture Minister has agreed to allow trials of organic methods to control the Varroa bee mite. The mite, which was discovered in New Zealand hives for the first time last year, has spread through Auckland, North Waikato and the northern Bay of Plenty region. It is now in some hives as far south as National Park and Turangi.

Paul Bolger, MAF's varroa programme coordinator says although only a few hives have collapsed from mite infestation, bee keepers are wary of the mite's potential if it isn't controlled. He says trials using organic compounds known as formic acid and oxalic acid, will begin immediately in the North Island.

Paul Bolger says most of New Zealand's honey producers shy away from chemical use, while some are certified organic, and can't use the synthetic chemicals, Apistan and Bayvarol, which are the most effective miticides available.

Posted to the NBA List

13 June 2001

by CAM WITHINGTON

Central Otago's wild growing thyme could help to protect the area's honey industry from the varroa mite.

Research on the thyme's capabilities against the mite are in the preliminary stage, but a report from HortResearch to MAF has outlined some positive results from treating hives with the herb oil.

The report says Apiguard, which had thymol as the active ingredient, had a varroa mortality rate of 98 percent when used in treating hives during trials in Italy.

Its lower kill rate of 68 to 82 percent during tests in Canada had been blamed on the product not being applied in autumn as recommended.

National Beekeepers Association executive member Lin McKenzie, of Ranfurly, said he would be pleased if thyme was confirmed as a control agent against the varroa mite.

"It would give reason for optimism that there was something around Alexandra which helps Alexandra beekeepers to resist it."

However, more research and testing would need to be done as animal health products reacted differently when used in various climates, he said.

"I don't think anybody will be too enthusiastic to introduce here to find out."

MAF varroa programme co-ordinator Paul Bolger, of Wellington, said a company had lodged an application for registering a thymol gel product with the Agriculture Compounds and Vertinary Medicines unit of MAF.

The company had not wanted to be identified for commercial reasons, he said.

"Thymol has had some degree of success in the United Kingdom against varroa."

According to anecdotal reports from overseas beekeepers, the varroa mite had been reduced in areas with a high incidence of certain herbs, Mr Bolger said.

"But no one has published a scientific paper to support it."

The Government was about to spend $500,000 on researching varroa treatments and could possibly include a look at thymol, he said.

Varroa was contained in the top half of the North Island but had been steadily making its way south.

"Overseas experiences show us that we will find varroa in the South Island sooner or later."

It was moving at the rate of between three kilometres and 130km every year and was now below Lake Taupo.

A movement control line, forbidding the transportation of hives, had been established from the west to east coast of the North Island but the varroa mite was now only 10km away from it, Mr Bolger said.

Commercial beekeepers have a lot of equipment to assist the putting together and preserving of supers. They can be stapled together, paraffin wax dipped at 130 degrees centigrade for five minutes, lifted out of the wax dipper and immediately painted with a spray gun using cheap (tint rejects) water based paint. As the super cools the wax and paint are drawn into the wood providing a protective coating. These finished supers can be put on the hives the next day.

Hobbyists, unless they are close to a commercial beekeeper, have to use different techniques to protect their woodware. There are many fungicides on the market and some are easy to apply. The easy to apply ones need more treatments to keep up the protection. I want at least twenty years services from my supers so prefer to use a mixture of mineral turpentine and metalex (copper naphthenate 5 to 1 mix).

Some beekeepers paint this mixture on to the supers but I prefer to dip the unassembled parts in a bath. This requires quite a lot of solution and is expensive so try to get a number of beekeepers together and share the costs.

The actual amount of preservative you require will depend upon the size of the container. Liqueur wholesalers have used 30 litre square plastic containers that they either give away or sell for a few dollars.

With this type of container you will need: 6 litres of copper naphthenate (metalex), 24 litres of turps, a large heavy plastic bag, lots of thin fillet timber, rubber gloves and old cloths. Metalex stains everything, concrete, clothing, hands so be prepared.

Cut the top off one container put in the woodware and carefully pour in the mixed preservative until almost full. Leave for a few hours or until all the bubbles stop coming out of the wood, then (using gloves) turn the timber end for end so the other end of the timber is submerged. Pop in the fillets and top up the preservative. When all bubbles cease, remove the woodware and allow to drain. Then take the large plastic bag and stack the wet woodware flat, inside the bag between the fillets (put a fillet at each end and in the middle of the sides). Seal the plastic bag and leave for another two to three weeks.

If the timbers is stacked outside in the air, the turps tends to evaporate quickly but if stored in a plastic bag, the preservative continues to be drawn into the timber thus providing better protection.

Take the woodware out of the plastic bag after the prescribed period and allow another couple of weeks to completely dry. The supers and woodware can now be assembled or stacked ready to be assembly later.

When assembling don't skimp on nails, 5 or 6 - 75 mm flat head galvanized nails should be driven into each corner.

Assemble on a square object or against a wall. Select two sides and two ends. Place an end on the flat surface against a 90-degree support. Run a bead of waterproof glue along the flat corner joints if you wish. Select two sides and look down at the end grain. Wide pieces of flat timer tend to warp away from the centre core of the tree so that the grain lines straighten up. Place the sides on the end board with the centre grain of the tree facing out. (bow inwards). Then put a bead of glue along the top edge of the sides (optional) and place the other end of the super on top to form a square.

Take care to make sure the top bar groves are facing the same direction. Seems fundamental but try putting together 100 supers and you will find one or two will have the top bar grove reversed. When this happens you need to router out a new grove as taking the super apart is not possible unless you have a nail puller.

Hold the super square (you can use a clamp if you wish), drive a nail into each corner so the end and sides are held on place. Caution - On the top bar edge of the super, place the nail a little further away from the corner to stop splitting.

Flip over the super and nail the corners of the other end. Check that the super is square then drive the rest of the nails working around the super. It you wish. The other nails can be angled a little so that the nails are skewed in to give greater strength.

Paint the outside and edges of the super to give weather protection. Supers can be put on a hive when the turps smell has dissipated.

Please be careful when making your own woodware. Many beekeepers get injured through careless use of power tools. A saw blade doesn't feel any pain so you have to take precautions. Use guards and aids. A moment's inattention can take months to heal. Keep saw blades sharp. Wood shouldn't need to be forced through a saw blade; it just needs a slight pressure with a push stick. When you are tired, accidents happen so don't work too long on a saw bench.

Frank Lindsay

There are smart ways, using ammonia, I think to make furniture cream, but good honest beeswax polish can be made, basically, by mixing beeswax with turpentine (genuine, not substitute). I use a honey jar, either crumble up or put through a cheese-grater the wax, pour in turpentine (in about equal volumes), shake a bit, then wait overnight. Some advocate heating (e.g. in a water bath), but the mixture is extremely flammable and this is too dangerous for me. With patience, it will all dissolve anyway. Keep the lid on most of the time or it will dry out.

For application (e.g. to oak furniture), I use a bit of coarse hessian sacking kept for the purpose, leave to dry and finish off with a linen cloth.

Another furniture polish which works well is 1 pt boiled linseed oil, 1/4 pint turpentine (min spirits), and 2-3 oz beeswax. Melt together carefully! It is extremely flammable so no open flame. Best way is boil some water in a large pot and put the ingredients in a smaller pot and then into the hot water well away from the source of heat.

Reminder that these are due before the AGM in July. Standard subscription is $20 per year, with a discount to $15 if you elect to receive newsletters via e-mail instead of regular post. Refer to form inside the newsletter.

Members are reminded that any claims for compensation for hives destroyed as a result of an AFB infection during the period July 2000 to June 2001 will need to be lodged with the Secretary or Treasurer prior to the AGM on the 9^th July. The amount of compensation paid is determined by resolution at the AGM, but has in the past been set at a level of 50% of the cost of a standard "A4" hive (ie $60). There are limits on the number of hives that can be claimed by any individual member in any year.

August 24^th - 26^th, 2001. A full weekend of training for all budding beekeepers or those who need to feel comfortable with bees. DECA Course run for those who wish to do it. (extra charge $25 covers test). Venue; Pohangina Valley Camp. Cost: $80 includes all meals, accommodation and course. Contact Mary Anne Lindsay for more information.

You should have sent your annual disease return (ADR) into the National Beekeepers Association by now. It was due on the 1^st June, so do it immediately if you have not yet done this. Failure to file a return will result in the suspension of your DECA, with its eventual cancellation should the situation persist. There is no charge to file the return, but the numbers of hives and apiaries are used to calculate the levy payable next year.