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

PRESENT: Andrew Beach (Vice Pres.), John Burnet (Sec.) and 29 members as listed in the attendance book.

APOLOGIES: Frank & Mary Ann Lindsay, Pam McDowell, Les Solomon

NEW MEMBERS & VISITORS : Richard McCullough (Newlands)

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING: Minutes of meeting held 11 Mar as detailed in the April newsletter were read and confirmed.

MATTERS ARISING: Pauatahanui Incident: The 5km exclusion zone around the sawmill continues to be maintained by MAF and it is confirmed that Frank’s hives in Murphy’s Road are the only colonies now within the zone. Secretary confirmed that Paul Bolger from MAF had acknowledged receipt of the Club’s offer to monitor surveillance traps within the zone but no further communication had been received.

Varroa Update : Andrew advised that all registered NZ beekeepers should have now received the March copy of the NZ Beekeeper magazine which included details of the varroa management workshops being held around the country. At this stage the Wgton workshop date options are either Sat 18 May or at next month’s Club meeting on Mon 13 May. Because of the duration of the workshop (3 – 3 ½ hours), members agreed that Sat 18 May was the better option with a 9am start. Andrew emphasised this workshop was an opportunity to invite new members to the Club and to share varroa control product preparation and costs. It also encouraged all local beekeepers to apply controls at the same time.

Ivan Pedersen advised that MAF had now approved formic acid for use in controlling varroa. He had obtained various quotes for an 85% solution and prices for 25kg ranged from $102 (Takapuna) to $47 (Napier). 1000 plastic bags (120 microns) cost 12 cents each and 250 mls of formic acid were added to each bag. Ivan advised members that bags should be removed from hives after 6 days when their weight should be 100 grams or less – it was an extremely hazardous job and masks and gloves should be used, the beekeeper should stand upwind and the bags can’t be used again. The cost was no more than $1 per hive which compared very favourably with $40 per treatment with Apistan.

TREASURER’s REPORT : Details were outlined to members.

GENERAL BUSINESS:

Honey Competition : Deferred to next month’s meeting. Andrew reminded members of the requirement to use standard 200 gram glass coffee jar. Some discussion followed over the inclusion of a class for organic honey and whether heating was permitted in this instance. It was generally agreed that while heating improved honey composition for competition, it could also destroy essential qualities. There was no means of determining if honey had been heated, other than the beekeeper certifying accordingly i.e. it came down to the entrant’s honesty. To determine possibility of an organic class in future honey competition’s the Secretary agreed to research the issue and obtain the appropriate criteria.

Mead Competition : Considerable debate and discussion centred around the acceptance of half size bottles for entry in the competition. A vote amongst members determined that either a 750 ml or a 400ml bottle would be acceptable.

Beekeeping Levies : Andrew drew members attention to the item in the March NZ Beekeeper which detailed the proposed flat rate Biosecurity and Commodity Levy system which ALL registered beekeepers would be required to pay to cover education, management and administration of the AFB Pest Management Strategy. An additional hive levy was also proposed for beekeepers with more than 10 hives or 3 apiaries for NBA research and development.

Andrew advised that Graham Lusty was giving up beekeeping and his books and equipment including a 4-frame stainless steel extractor was for sale.

The second part of John Furski’s video on English beekeeping was shown, and the meeting closed at 9:15 pm.

The NBA is to undertake consultation with beekeepers throughout New Zealand during May as part of the process required for a Commodity Levy, to fund industry good activities, and a levy under the Biosecurity Act.

The proposals for consideration include establishing a Pest Management Levy so that all beekeepers contribute to the control of American Foulbrood Disease. At present only those who have more that ten hives, or three apiary sites are required to contribute to the pest management.

The proposals also consider the setting of a new Commodity Levy for those who have more that ten hives, or three apiary sites, as at present. However it is planned that the process under the new Levy Order will be simplified from the current process. At present all beekeepers are invoiced for the Levy and those not meeting the threshold are required to return a statutory declaration. Under the new process only those beekeepers over the threshold would be invoiced, which will simplify the administration of the process.

The Commodity Levy will be used for industry good activity including industry research and development, quality, industry leadership, representation, environment and lead by the NBA.

The Pest Management Levy does not require a vote, but the NBA must consult with members and present the results of the consultation to the Minister, along with details of the proposal.

Consultation with beekeepers in the Wellington region will take place on Monday the 13th May (in conjunction with the regular meeting of the Wellington Beekeepers Association). An information pack containing details of the proposed levies is to be mailed to all beekeepers.

Federated Farmers facilitators and NBA Representatives will arrive at a little before 7.30 and their talk will be approximately 1 hour on the Biosecurity Levy. At the beginning of the meeting, we will quickly cover the club administration as per the normal meeting format then hand over to them for their presentation.

We will then present the honey competition awards and after a cup of tea anybody interested can then talk about the commodity levy - 10 plus hives.

Our branch is suggesting a rule change to reduce work loads but a management advisor has suggested that this will not solve the problems with the association. I think the comm levy is dead and we will have to construct a voluntary association with commercial and associates members.

April was a mild month with many warm, still days. The odd hint that winter was coming was evident with the heavy dews on the lawn in the mornings and the ever-decreasing hours of daylight.

The mild autumn has allowed the bees to fly freely most days. Around the city the bees have gathered much needed pollen reserves and a little late nectar from waste areas where plants like gorse (Ulex europarus), wild turnip (Brassica campestris), and inkweed (Phytolacca octandra) grow. In urban gardens and parks there are numerous ornamentals which bees visit. I was watching the bees visit the pink flowering eucalyptus laucoxylon rosea which has just started flowering around the city and will continue for the next couple of months. In the bush, lacebark (hoheria populnea) is just finishing; the climbing rata vine (metrosideros fulgens ) is also in flower. It provides a spectacular contrast with its orange/red flowers against the green of the bush. Along roadsides Spanish heath (Erica lusitanica) is just starting to flower, another very valuable winter pollen and nectar source.

Bee activity is now greatly reduced to the hours between 10 am and 3.30 pm. Hives along the coastal margins continue brood rearing in about half a frame while those inland totally shut down as its getting too cold to fly and there is very little there for them to forage on.

Actually it's quite interesting to see the difference between old and new queens. New queens have about three times as much brood as old queens. Although drone production has ceased, in hives working late flows they are still present but are being forced down into the bottom super, which means there time is short.

At this time of the year frames are sorted for melting down. Dark (those you cannot see light through when held up to the sun), broken or frames with patches of drone comb should be selected for culling. Recently published research from the UK* using computer model simulation indicated that with 5% drone brood, as many mites are emerging from 50 - 60 drone cells as 1000 worker cells. Their research also indicated drone sampling was effective in the spring and that infestation of 15% of drone pupa would indicate that a conservative threshold of 2000 mites had been reached and that treatment was immediately required. It is therefore important to restrict drone production to only one or two frames, which can be removed or used to capture mites when they arrive in your district.

I have found it more economical to just cut the wires and use dark combs as a source of heat rather than go to the expense of melting them down. Ten dark frame burned in our enclosed fire will heat your hot water cylinder 10 degrees C during the evening. Three paraffin dipped old super will give the same results. A word of warning. Make sure you have had the chimney swept as the heat given off when burning old frames will cause chimney fires. Our aluminium cowling melted one year when we had a chimney fire and those flames sure upset our neighbours.

Before putting aside the frames for rewiring, I test them for strength by giving the end bars a whack with the hive tool. If they crack, they are kindling. Those that are solid are cleaned up and put aside for rewiring and waxing in the spring. It's often easier to clean the frames up when they are warm. They can be put in the solar wax melter during the day or stacked and sealed in supers over a 60-watt bulb over night.

Winter is time for reading and planning. I like the older books that tell of beekeepers experiences. They tried this and this resulted. CC Miller's, 50 Years Among the Bees and Ormond & Harry Aebi's books, The Art and Adventure of Beekeeping and Mastering the Art of Beekeeping are good examples. Most of these are available from the NBA library along with many others. This winter try and set a plan for the coming year. Find out about queen rearing. A good starting point is Queen Rearing Simplified by Vince Cook (at one time an AAO in the South Island) and for the more adventurous Steve Taber's book Breeding Super Bees. For a how to reference book, TSK & MP Johansson's book, Some Important Operations in Bee Management gives all the alternatives. Our library also has some very good books.

Enjoy the winter, read a few books and plan for what if. What if it's a bumper honey crop next year or for some, what if varroa is found in our area. Try out different techniques. Demaree if you have a short sharp flow. This system is a little more intensive but allows you to replace woodware quickly and can produce more honey. For other with long flows, how about double queening a hive. There are various methods. Some use side by side, some use a divider in the middle of the bottom super where each queen is given 5 frames to lay in and other systems allow the queen to use one super and are kept apart with queen excluders.

Visit your hives a few times during the winter. Keep the grass down and entrances reduced to protect hives from mice and wasps. Lift the roof on a winter's morning and check for condensation. If the hives are wet, put small sticks or matches under the mat or roof to give extra ventilation. Too much will mean there is extra airflow which will result in more store being used by the bees to keep warm. Too little has the same result. I cut a 25 mm slot in my hive mats and this seems to be about right. Clear away vegetation around the hives so they get some sun during the day. Add a piece of wood to the front of the hives so those bees landing short on cold winter days can climb back into the hive.

Beekeeping in city areas has been in decline during the last twenty years mainly because of people's intolerance to stinging insects. Varroa is coming so now its time to tell the general public that bees are essential for our environment.

Social insects are part of the school program so why not make your self available to talk to a class on bees for a few hours. Make a one frame observation hives and put that old queen in it. Children are fascinated with bees. Take note of the child that just hangs around looking into the hive for hours. He or she could well be a future beekeeper - encourage them.

We also take samples of different honeys with us and give some to the classes. Cooking is an enjoyable activity, its part of chemistry and honey adds to the taste and the enjoyment. If you need assistance to do this we have a selection of posters, advice and support data..

The following photos are of eucalyptus leucoxylon rosea in flower, and a close up of a bee on one of the flowers

Aim: The aim of this competition is to get members to prepare and present a sample of their honey.

A cup is awarded to the winner of the liquid honey class, along with a miniature that may be kept.

There are three classes in the competition:

1. Liquid Honey. This is the standard honey produced from extraction. The emphasis is on quality of presentation; it is not about the taste of the honey. Ensure that there are no air bubbles, or other particles, no granulation, and suitably low water content.
2. Creamed Honey. The emphasis is once again on presentation, with the aim being to have a smooth and consistent texture to the honey.
3. Comb Honey. Entries to be a frame of honey that would be suitable for cutting and packing as comb honey. Emphasis is on the presentation of the frame. Please bring a complete frame.

1. Entries in classes 1 and 2 are to be presented in a clear glass 350ml jar (you can use a standard 200g coffee jar) with a well fitting lid. Entries in class 3 are to consist of a complete frame (full or 3/4 depth).
2. No labels or markings on the jar or lid for entries in classes 1 and 2. The frame should also be clear of any identifying marks.
3. There is a limit of one entry per member for each class.

The following rules govern the Annual Mead Competition of the Wellington Beekeepers Association:

1. Dry
2. Sweet
3. Sparkling

Don't forget that the annual honey competition will be the focus of this month's meeting. Bring your prepared sample along in a standard jar and challenge the club's best!

Information about the date of the promised seminar is not yet available. However, each registered beekeeper should shortly receive a letter providing details of the seminars in the local area. There are two day seminars for commercial beekeepers, and a 3-4 hour session for hobbyists. The seminar will be based on the Control of Varroa handbook distributed to all beekeepers last year. You will be expected to bring the book with you to the seminar to assist with the programme.

The club's annual mead competition will be in June, so members should be planning now on making mead. There are recipes in this edition of the newsletter. Further recipes and instructions from previous newsletters are available on the club website.

Don't forget that the club has one (or two?) extractors available for members to hire. These cost $10 per time (ie over a weekend or similar), and need to be returned promptly in clean working order. Contact May-Ann Lindsay (ph 478 3367) for more information if you are interested.

The committee is always looking for interesting and/or relevant speakers for future meetings. If you have any suggestions please contact our secretary,
John Burnet on 232 7863 (or secretary@beehive.org.nz).

• June (10^th): Mead Competition
• July (8th): Annual General Meeting
• August (12th): (to be advised)