The Amateur Beekeepers Association NSW has provided the following information for members: COVID-19 BEEKEEPER TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS – JULY 2021 THE NSW DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES HAS ISSUED THE FOLLOWING ADVICE FOR BEEKEEPERS DURING THE CURRENT COVID-19 SITUATION. IF YOU REQUIRE ANY FURTHER CLARIFICATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE DPI COVID SUPPORT TEAM AT COVIDINFO@DPI.NSW.GOV.AU RECREATIONAL BEEKEEPERS RECREATIONAL OPERATORS
Honey (APIS) Bees Beekeepers need to manage their honey bees for winter otherwise they may die. It is important to take measures in autumn to prepare for winter. Before the onset of winter a final inspection should take place in April or the beginning of May at the latest. Pick a sunny day. The NSW DPI has put out a
World Bee Day (20 May) was declared by the United Nations in 2017. It has been celebrated annually since May 2018, making this year the fourth celebration of World Bee Day. Growing quickly, the main purpose of World Bee Day is to spread awareness of the importance of bees and other pollinators for our survival.
April is Sugar Shake Test Month. Each year in April beekeepers are encouraged to test their own hives for varroa and other pests using the simple sugar shake test. From 1 July 2020, the NSW Biosecurity Act requires all registered beekeepers in NSW to conduct at least 2 hive inspections per year for the presence of
An interesting article on how bees make honey... Curious Kids - How do bees make honey
For beginners: remember the best beekeeping so far as bees are concerned is none at all – just leave them a hollow tree. However, so we can take advantage of the bees considerable labour, there are many and varied approaches. Just be aware that if you ask five beekeepers the same question, you may get
I know there will be other views that will dispute this theory on how the bees manage to build their near perfect hexagonal cells – but food for thought. Always remember the Occums Razor principle. Bee cells
One of our members came across this at the Chateau de Chenonceau in France. Now that is a beehive – non of this boring box on a box stuff. Presumably the idea being to keep the bees well away from surrounding people. A nice simple idea but what a piece of art. This facebook link
This ought to generate some thought among beekeepers…. An article, following on from a 2003 ABC-TV’s Catalyst series by Jonica Newby, highlights: “Honey bees are not so sweet when they escape into the Australian bush. European honey bees are not native to Australia but they play a very important economic role, not just as producers
“Gardeners can choose a wide variety of plants to attract and support bees. Some plants provide valuable supplies of nectar and pollen for the bees whilst others assist the bees with their nest building.” An excellent information document by Valley Bees
Another interesting site – Beepedia
An interesting site on honey bees https://www.honeybeesuite.com/
This freely available and excellent document published by the “Commonwealth of Australia, Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation”. Acknowledgement is made of the copyright of this document but the publishers also state that “The information contained in this publication is intended for general use to assist public knowledge and discussion and to help improve the
Honeybee Memory “This study demonstrates that the bee with a tiny brain possesses a sophisticated memory, and is able to remember tasks within a temporal context. Honey bees can thus ‘plan’ their activities in time and space, and use context to determine which action to perform and when. ” A honey bee knows what to