News
November 2015 - January 2016
from the Melbourne Section of the Victorian Apiarists’ Association Inc
Editor: Barry Cooper Supervising Editor: Bernie Heinze [email protected]
Laurie Braybrook cuts the anniversary cake at our 60th anniversary celebrations (see report on page 2).
In this Issue
Features
2 60th Anniversary Celebrations
3 60th Anniversary Reminiscences
6 40th Anniversary Celebrations
7 The CCF Apiary Flow Hive
BEE News
11 CFA Guidance for Beekeepers in Country Areas
11 CFA Can I / Can’t I
12 CFA Total fire bans and ratings
12 Poisonous Australian Honey?
13 Stolen Beehives
13 Program to improve honeybee biosecurity
13 Bee Semen kills Nosema spores
Upcoming Events
14 VAA Melbourne Monthly Meetings
14 Future Meeting Presentation Topics
14 How to join the VAA
15 2016 Photo Competition
16 Collingwood Children’s Farm Apiary
16 VAA Footy Tipping Competition
17 Beekeeping and Honey Festival
VAA Melbourne
17 2015- 16 Committee Members
17 Contact Details
Features
60th Anniversary Celebrations
On 11th December 2015, VAA Melbourne celebrated
60 years since its formation with a BBQ dinner at its
regular meeting venue in Balwyn.
This event, which was attended by about 65 people,
proved to be a great opportunity for past and present
members of VAA Melbourne, as well as invited
guests, to socialize with each other and, of course, to
discuss bees and beekeeping.
A feature of the event was a presentation by John
Edmonds, a former leader of VAA Melbourne and
foundation president of the Geelong beekeepers’
club, who reflected upon some of the achievements
and amusing incidents that have that have occurred
at the club over the last 30 or so years. The full text of
John’s presentation is given on the next page.
Laurie Braybrook, another former VAA Melbourne
leader, who was instrumental in establishing the
VAA Library Trust in 1977, cut the anniversary
cake and also described some amusing beekeeping
incidents that he had witnessed over the years.
VAA president, Kevin MacGibbon, acknowledged
and congratulated VAA Melbourne for the
contribution that it has made to beekeeping in
Melbourne over the years and outlined possible
future directions.
Current VAA Melbourne chairperson, Bernie
Heinze, thanked everyone for attending and
congratulated the current committee for organising
such an appropriate and enjoyable event.
The event gave representatives from other beekeeping clubs an opportunity to meet.
John Edmonds relates the recent history of VAA Melbourne at its 60th
anniversary celebrations (see article next page).
VAA Melbourne News | November 2015 - January 2016 |
2
60th Anniversary Reminiscences
by John Edmonds
(As presented at the VAA Melbourne Section 60th anniversary
celebrations, 11th December 2015.)
I started attending the VAA Melbourne Section
meetings in the late 1970s, at the State Library
theatrette.
Ivan Barber and Johnny Bryant were presidents
during the 1970’s. Regular attendees were Ken
Jepson, Graham Baker, Max Hunter, Fred Bailey,
Diana Sears, Fred Murphy, Werner Koljo, Laurie
Braybrook, Claude Ilton and many men who were
railway workers from the Newport rail yards.
Fred Bailey.
Weiner Koljo.
Johnny Bryant from Point Lonsdale was elected
President on the first night that he attended a
meeting.
Laurie Braybrook formed the Library Trust to safekeep the collection of books that had been donated
by Jack Rufford Sharp. This has now grown to be a
magnificent library. The auction in aid of the Library
Trust has been a yearly event and creates great
interest, and many intense bidding battles ensued
especially for old beekeeping books.
Problems arose when the rent for the theatrette
rose dramatically and the door income did not
cover the cost of holding the meeting. The VAA
was asked for money to help us out but, as they did
not have any spare money, it looked like we were
doomed. Fortunately a forgotten term deposit saved
the group. Fortunately Russell Goodman was able
to make available a meeting room at the Burnley
Horticultural buildings and the Melbourne Section
boomed. With the better located venue (with car
parking) and free rental, the Section was able to
build its finances. Many thanks must go to Russell
Goodman for opening and closing the building every
month. At this time some members met prior to the
meeting at the Rising Sun Hotel in Richmond for a
Chinese meal and afterwards went to the Taxi depot
in South Melbourne. At this “after meeting” the
beekeeping politics of the day would be discussed till
the early morning.
Geoff Hammond became Secretary and various
Presidents tried unsuccessfully to keep him in check,
with Guest Speaker honey pots and lots of other
ideas and politically incorrect statements. During my
time as President it was often standing room with
over 120 people attending the meetings. We never
knew what Big Geoff was up to but one night we
discovered a table set up in the corner of the room
(left to right) Peter Kaczynski, John McMonigle, Laurie Braybrook and Russell
Goodman on the occasion of Laurie’s retirement from the Department of
Agriculture in 1989.
Laurie Braybrook (centre) presents Fred Murphy (at left) and John B Taylor
(at right) with VAA meritorious awards at a VAA conference in the mid 1990s.
Geoff Hammond, Mrs and Mr Rex Fish from Bairnsdale, and Gordon Redpath
at a VAA conference in the mid 1990s.
VAA Melbourne News | November 2015 - January 2016 |
3
and, as the meeting started, on came Irish music
and young lass adorned in traditional Irish costume
climbed the table and danced an Irish jig.
Big Geoff was our representative for sponsoring the
William Angliss “cooking with Honey competition”.
After the judging of one competition, I dropped in
to see Big Geoff at his home. He proudly showed
me the ornately decorated cream sponge cakes from
the competition that he had taken and put in his
refrigerator to show at the meeting in a fortnight’s
time. His problem was he had two very hungry
teenage boys, so much to my amusement he had
written with Texta on the Fridge door “do not eat
the F…n cakes”. I was worried that someone might
be tempted to eat a cake at the meeting and get food
poisoning.
During the presidency of John van Weeghel an idea
came from Gavin Jamieson for a “code of practice
for beekeeping”, to be placed in the state planning
provisions. The members were having terrible
battles with councils who were intent on removing
bees from Suburbia as they were seen as pests. Even
country councils were trying to enforce permits to
transport beehives through their lands or prevent
people from outside their areas placing beehives on
farms.
Geoff Hammond and John Edmonds with the shield for the “Cooking with
Honey” competition William Angliss College (now Institute). The shield was
hung in their entrance hallway. Photo taken in 1990.
Geoff Hammond at the Collingwood Children’s Farm apiary in the mid 1990s.
At first we did not understand what it was all
about, and struggled to even make a start. Max
Hunter would be constantly having to change
our paragraphs. But after years of meetings and
discussions we finally achieved a “Code of Practice
for Beekeeping”. Since then other states in Australia
have copied it.
It was only achieved because President John van
Weeghel would not let the bureaucrats stop the
process- they tried every trick in the book to stop
us. When all looked doomed a desperation meeting
with the Minister for Planning was the catalyst for
it being signed into the Planning Act. Today we are
so lucky that we had members with the foresight
and gumption to fight for our right to keep bees
everywhere in the State. (Click here to view the code)
Beginners’ corner was introduced to the meeting and
Gordon Redpath conducted it for many years before
his passing. Eric Smith has taken over this important
teaching session.
Apis Melbourne was a newsletter originally edited
by Max Hunter and then John B Taylor. It served the
Section well except for when the odd article upset
someone.
Minister for Planning (of the day) Rob McLellan accepting the Apiary Code
of Practice from some of the members of the Code of Practice Committee
(Gordon Redpath, Bob McDonald, Ian Fenslau , Eileen McDonald, Gavin
Jamieson, John Edmonds, John van Weeghel) at the 1997 VAA Conference.
VAA Melbourne News | November 2015 - January 2016 |
4
At the launch of the revised book “Beekeeping” a
supper was on the tables and the members stood
around listening to the speeches, unfortunately a
young lad was out of control and started taking a
bite out of the sandwiches and cakes and placing
the remainder back with food on the plates, people
quickly lost their appetite.
Collingwood Children’s Farm apiary has been a
great success and is an asset to practical teaching
beekeeping.
Big Geoff would organise bus trips to Beekeeping
field days and even organised a light plane trip to
Tasmania for a group of us. Big Geoff, Max Hunter,
Gordon Redpath, Andrea Coffey and myself. We
struck a problem as the average weight of passengers
for aircraft is 80 kgs but the beekeepers were
considerably heavier, and legally the plane could only
have 15 litres of fuel, so Geoff hunted around till he
found a young pilot desperate for flying hours and we
went overloaded with only enough fuel to make the
trip. We were only allowed a tooth brush as luggage.
We had a marvellous time at the Stephens of Mole
Creek and the pilot went to the Pub on the Saturday
night and got drunk and could only crawl back to
where we were staying. He managed to fly us back on
the Sunday and we landed in the dark at Moorabbin.
The VAA stand at the Melbourne Show is indebted
to the many hours the Melbourne Section members
spend making it a success. Fortunately I can say we
no longer hear the Commercial beekeepers referring
to the “Amateurs”, they appreciate the strength of the
VAA is now the small beekeeper membership.
It has been amazing the number of people that have
attended the meetings, every night new faces, some
stay around for a while, some get a bee sting and are
gone just as quick, but it is the old timers that are
the back bone and regularly attend and impart their
knowledge. We are presently riding on a wave of
interest in beekeeping and it is remarkable to see the
growth of so many new clubs.
Celebrating the final approval of the Apiary Code of Practice at a VAA
Melbourne meeting, with a steam uncapping knife and a special cake courtesy
Margaret Goodman.
(Back): Russell, Goodman, Bob McDonald, Gavin Jamieson, John Edmonds ,
(Front): Eileen McDonald, Gordon Redpath, John van Weeghel, John B Taylor.
VAA display at the Royal Melbourne Show during the 1990s.
Brian and Anne Faithful and Pam Kaczyinski are shown on the right.
Monthly meeting c 2005.
Well done to the members of the VAA Melbourne
Section and best wishes for the future.
Editor’s note. Most of the photos in this article were taken
from three albums of photographs compiled by Eileen
McDonald and donated to the VAA library to celebrate
VAA Melbourne’s 60th anniversary. Thank you, Eileen,
for preparing such a memorable tribute. Thanks also to
you and your husband, Bob, for your support of VAA
Melbourne section over many decades.
Participation in the annual Moomba festival c 2008. (l to r) Bob Buntine, Mike
Love, Pat Cook (rear),Tony Srdoc, Graeme Grigson, Bruce Diggles, Bernie Heinze.
VAA Melbourne News | November 2015 - January 2016 |
5
40th Anniversary
Celebrations
To celebrate its 40th
anniversary, VAA
Melbourne held an
afternoon BBQ at
Richmond High School in
November 1995. Courtesy
of Eileen McDonald’s
photo albums, this happy
event can be shared once
again.
Margaret Goodman, Pam Kayzcinski, Fairley Braybrook, Mike Love.
Unknown, Max Hunter, Ivan Barber, Bob McDonald
Nancy Higgins, Andrea Coffey, unknown, John B Taylor, “Buddy”.
Margaret Goodman cuts the
anniversary cake.
Geoff Hammond ,Murray Edmonds, unknown.
John van Weegel, Gavin Jamieson.
Max Hunter, Mario Wincuza (rear), Russell Goodman.
Ian Fenslau, Carol Fenslau, Stan Starc, John Edmonds.
VAA Melbourne News | November 2015 - January 2016 |
6
The CCF Apiary Flow Hive
In October 2015 “The Commons” apartment block in
Brunswick (who have a communal apiary) donated
six Flow Frames to the Collingwood Children’s
Farm apiary.
Installing the Flow Frames on 6th December 2015
On the day that the box of Flow Frames was added, the
hive consisted of one brood box and one honey super
(approx 80% full), separated by a queen excluder.
As shown in the
photo opposite,
the box of Flow
Frames was
“under-supered”,
that is, placed
underneath the
original honey
super (and
above the queen
excluder).
Box of donated Flow Frames gratefully accepted by Michael and Elizabeth Houlihan.
Queen excluder.
Over the next month or so Mike Love remodelled
an already constructed eight frame hive body to
enable the six Flow Frames to fit inside. To do this
Mike used an actual Flow Hive super as a guide as
well as the instructions for doing so in the Flow Hive
Instruction Manual.
On 6th December 2015, we installed a box of Flow
Frames into one of the hives at the Collingwood
Children’s Farm apiary.
Original honey super.
Remote monitoring of the hive.
Three days before the Flow Frames were added,
Andrew Wootton installed a device on the hive
so that its weight could be remotely monitored.
The device also measured and transmitted the
temperature and % humidity underneath the hive
(as well as the device’s battery strength). In the near
future Andrew intends to place the temperature and
humidity sensors inside the hive. Click here to view
more details about Andrew’s device.
Solar panel.
Mike with a box of Flow Frames ready to be installed into a hive on 6th
December 2015 .
In this article the hive containing the box of Flow
Frames will be referred to as a “Flow Hive”. It should,
however, be noted that the hive is not a complete
Flow Hive as described by the manufacturers of Flow
Hives at www.honeyflow.com/. It is just a hive with a
box of Flow Frames added as a super.
History of the Flow Hive
The hive to which we added the box of Flow Frames
was the result of a split that we performed on 23rd
October. The progress of this hive after the split is
described here on page 8 of our 2015 SeptemberOctober newsletter.
Hive is
sitting on
weight
recording
feet.
Electronics
send data to
the phone
network.
VAA Melbourne News | November 2015 - January 2016 |
7
Using Thingspeak to view the data
Data from the device is transmitted every hour and
received and interpreted by the ThingSpeak interface.
ThingSpeak is an open source data platform that
enables you to collect, store and visualize sensor data
over the Internet. It exemplifies the “Internet of Things”
concept that all objects or “things” will eventually
become smart (have embedded computational
capability) and be connected to the Internet. Click here
to go to the ThingSpeak home page.
Data from the apiary Flow Hive can be viewed
at https://thingspeak.com/channels/46279. It is
currently set to display data from the previous four
days. Click here to view it. The data can also be
downloaded into, for example, a spreadsheet.
(above) Four day measurements of the weight of the Flow Hive, 16th to
19th December 2015. Can you suggest a cause of this cyclic pattern?
Multi-displaying the data
The ThingSpeak data displays are not particularly
convenient as data from the various sensors cannot
be easily compared nor can data over longer periods
of time be viewed.
(above) Four day measurements of the weight of the Flow Hive, 16th to 19th
January 2016. Can you suggest why this pattern is different to that of the
previous month?
(left) Andrew was able to view the
output from his device while flying
in a passenger jet over Russia. In
fact, on 6th December he was able
to tell that the box of Flow Hives
had just been installed back in
Australia. Can you suggest how he
was able to tell this?
To overcome such problems Andrew arranged for
the data to be displayed by the Highcharts interface
(Click here for its home page). Click here to view the
Flow Hive data displayed by this interface.
(right) When the
Flow Hive data is
first viewed with
Highcharts, data
from the current day
is shown.
Drag here to increase the number
of days being displayed.
VAA Melbourne News | November 2015 - January 2016 |
8
(right) The interface
now shows the data
from when the device
was filled on 3rd
December.
(Data prior to this
date is from when the
device was being used
on a test hive.)
Click on an axis name to disable or enable it.
(right) With the
temperature and
humidity axes disabled,
the changes in weight
can be more easily
seen. Can you explain
why the weight
increased on Sunday
6th December?
Note that when you
move over a data point,
its values are shown.
Inspecting the Flow Hive on 20th December 2015
Our next visit to the apiary was on Sunday 20th
December. As it had been three weeks since the Flow
Frames were installed, we were keen to see if the bees
had begun to work them.
The weighing device showed that there had been an
increase of 3.9 kg and we wanted to see if that was
due to honey being made in the Flow Frames.
Unfortunately the 20th December was declared as
a Total Fire Ban day and, because of this, we were
not allowed to use a smoker and thus were unable to
open the hive and have a look.
We were, however, able to have a look through the
inspection ports of the hive. This revealed only a
few bees were inside the Flow Hive (as shown in the
photo opposite).
VAA Melbourne News | November 2015 - January 2016 |
9
Inspecting the Flow Hive on 10th January 2016
With the intervention of the Christmas- New Year
holidays we had to wait another three weeks to
inspect the Flow Hive.
Of course we had been monitoring the weight of the
hive on-line and were encouraged by the fact that its
weight had increased to 68.8 kg, an increase of 5.3 kg
since the installation of the Flow Frames.
Inspecting the Flow Hive on 24th January 2016
With much
anticipation we
inspected the Flow
hive two weeks after
our last inspection.
Data from the
weighing device
indicated that the
hive had increased
by 2.6 kg since then.
Maybe this increase
would be due to
honey being stored
in the Flow Hive.
Mike removes Flow Frame # 4.
Sunday 10th January. No Total Fire Ban. The Flow Frames can be inspected..
The covering of bees on frames #4 (on the left) and frame #3 had an
interesting difference. Can you explain why the bees on frame #3 did not
cover its lower central portion?
Mike lifts one of the central Flow Frames.
About a third of the cells in this frame contained honey. Some were almost half full.
In summary, the bees had started to work the Flow
Frames from the middle two outwards. About a
third of the cells in the two middle frames were
partially filled with honey but no cells were capped.
Apart from the outermost sides of the outer frames,
all frames contained some cells whose sides had
been knitted together with wax. Of note box 3 (the
original super) did not seem to have has much honey
as it did on 6th December when we installed the
Flow Frames. (We did not inspect the brood box.)
Compared to two weeks ago, there was only a small
increase in the amount of honey being stored in the
Flow Frames. No cells had yet been capped.
Box #3, however,
was much heavier
and likely to be the
cause of the observed
increase in hive
weight. We removed
this box with the aim
of encouraging the
bees to store honey in
the Flow Frames.
Until the publication
of the next newsletter
in two months time
you can follow this
story on our Facebook
page. Click here to go
to it.
The Flow Hive now has one brood box and the super
of Flow Frames (separated by a queen excluder).
VAA Melbourne News | November 2015 - January 2016 |
10
BEE News
CFA Guidance for Beekeepers in Country Areas
The following brochure was released by the Country
Fire Authority in August 2015 to assist beekeepers
who have hives in county areas. Click here to
download a pdf version of the brochure.
This brochure provides general guidance as to what
beekeepers can and can’t do during declared Fire Danger
Periods in the Country Area of Victoria when fires in the
open air are legally restricted and on days of Total Fire
Ban. Other conditions may apply to areas managed by
Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning
and the Metropolitan Fire Brigade. Please check the
conditions that apply where you are operating
Legislation
Section 34A of the Country Fire Authority Act 1958
defines in the Open Air as:
(1) A fire is in the open air if it is in any place other than
within a permanent structure.
(2) In this section permanent structure –
a) means a structure of a permanent kind consisting of a
roof and fully enclosed on all sides;
b) includes a caravan; and
c) Does not include a tent.
Any fires within one, two or three sided structures/
buildings are considered to be in the “open air”.
CFA declares Fire Danger Periods municipality by
municipality during periods of increased fire risk.
During The Fire Danger Period (FDP) - not on days of
Total Fire Ban
If a fire (flame or any combustion producing heat) is
used for the purpose of extracting honey or a bee smoker
is used during relocating bees or opening hives during
routine hive management, a permit for that fire in the
open air is not necessary when the following is in place:
• A person is in attendance at all times who has the
capacity and means to extinguish the fire while a
smoker is operating (i.e. when combustion of fuel to
produce smoke is occurring).
• A fire-resistant shield or guard is in place to stop
sparks and/or hot particles from being emitted. A
well maintained and correctly functioning smoker
can be considered to fulfil this function.
• An area of at least 1.5 metres in all directions from
the operation is clear of all flammable material or
the area is wetted down. Flammable material can
be defined as combustible material that is likely to
burn easily. Other materials that are able to burn
but are not likely to burn easily such as beehives and
beehive pallets are considered combustible but not
flammable.
There is available for immediate use in the event of a fire
occurring, a reticulated water supply or an effective water
spray pump of the knapsack pattern with a tank capacity
of not less than nine litres and fully charged with water.
Total Fire Bans (TFBs)
Total Fire Bans (TFBs) are declared by CFA on days when
fires are likely to spread rapidly and be difficult to control
and can be declared for any area of the State. The use of
smokers on a TFB is illegal unless the beekeeper has been
issued a Section 40 permit. This permit must be in their
possession at all times when using smokers. Section 40
permits can be applied for at:
• CFA District offices for the Country Area of Victoria.
• DELWP offices for forests, national parks, protected
public lands and fire protected areas.
• MFB offices in the Metropolitan Fire District.
The following actions are also advised:
• Apiarists using smokers should remain informed of
local fire danger conditions.
• Smokers should not be used in strong windy
conditions as stray sparks could ignite fires.
• Smokers must be kept in good working condition.
• Smokers with double vents in the bellows are
preferred because they prevent hot ash being sucked
out of the fire box.
• When the smoker is no longer required, the fire
should be extinguished and the smoker placed in a
fire proof container. One method of extinguishing the
fire in the smoker is to stop the air flow by plugging
the outlet nozzle with tightly rolled wet material.
• Never travel from apiary to apiary with a lit smoker.
• When locating hives, search for places with little or
no flammable vegetation within - 1.5 metres of the
hives.
• Those unfamiliar with the use of and operation of
smokers should participate in relevant training.
• A rake hoe is recommended, as it is useful for
clearing space and to deal with minor ignitions.
CFA Can I / Can’t I
This CFA web page provides information about what
you can and can’t do during Fire Danger periods
and Total Fire Ban Days. Click here to go to this
page. Go to the “Hot work/ Bees” section for specific
information about working bees then.
VAA Melbourne News | November 2015 - January 2016 |
11
CFA Total fire bans and ratings
This CFA web page provides a four day forecast for
Total Fire Ban days and Fire danger Ratings. As you
are not allowed to use a smoker on Total Fire Ban
days, this site is useful in planning your beekeeping
activities. Click here to go to this site.
It should be noted, however, that this site only shows
predictions. You should check on the day itself
whether or not it is a Total Fire Ban day.
Poisonous Australian Honey?
Recent media reports have commented on a study by
a European research team that imply that Australian
honey is not safe to eat.
Click here to read “Australian honey: how much is
safe to eat?” published in “The Age Victoria” 22nd
January 2016 7.24 am
Click here to read “Australian honey is most
contaminated in the world, research reveals”
published in “7News” on-line 21st January 2016
10:38 am
These reports were based on research conducted by
a team of European scientists and reported upon in
an article in the on-line Journal of Food Additives
& Contaminants on 12 Jan 2015. Click here to read
an abstract of this article. (Payment of 50 USD is
required to read the full article.)
On 21st January 2016 the Australian Honey Bee
Industry Council (AHBIC), through its chairperson
Trevor Weatherhead released the following statement
on this matter. (This statement was also emailed to
VAA members by VAA secretary, Kerrin Williams,
on 22nd January.)
Click here to go the AHBIC web site.
“Australian Honey is a Safe Natural Product
The Australian honey industry has been well aware of the
issues of natural plant alkaloids (PAs) in honey from all over
the world for many years. It has worked to remove the risk of
identified plant toxins by managing out the supply of Paterson’s
Curse honey from the Australian honey supply chain.
Modern Farming
Historical research from some time ago has identified honey
from Paterson’s Curse (Echium plantagineum) to contain
natural plant alkaloids.
(above) Likelihood of a Total Fire Ban on Wednesday 27th January 2006
as predicted on Monday 25th January 2016.
As a consequence of modern farming techniques the amount
of honey produced from this agricultural weed has declined
dramatically over the last decade. Farmer’s actions, such as
less to no fallow rotation of crops, better use of more selective
herbicides and the major success of biological control programs
have reduced the presence of this weed to next to nothing. This
has resulted in an insignificant production of this type of honey
in Australia.
Misleading Study
A recent study out of Ireland has driven an alarmist headline
which ignores key facts. The study is misleading in that it
overstates consumption of honey and underestimates body
weight creating a misleading conclusion completely out of touch
with reality.
The Irish research uses a figure for the average adult of 60kgs
when considering toxicity. The Australian Bureau of Statistics
data shows the average Australian male weighs 85.9kgs and
the average female 71.1kg. Thus the research exaggerates the
toxicity likelihood.
No Health Risks
No new studies have been done surrounding the health
risks of PAs in the global food system. It should be noted, that
there is not one single case documented of human health being
unfavourably affected as a consequence of the consumption
of honey containing very low levels of alkaloids. It should also
be noted that the alkaloid found in Paterson’s Curse is mainly
echimidine, which has been shown to have significantly less
toxicity than the other plant alkaloids found in European plants.
Despite this, there remains no scientific evidence illustrating
that consuming such honey leads to unfavourable clinical
human health concerns.
Australia has a rigorous risk averse food safety system and
consumers of Australian honey have nothing to fear and they
should continue to enjoy our great Australian honeys.
Australian beekeepers reject research claims their honey is
world’s most contaminated.”
VAA Melbourne News | November 2015 - January 2016 |
12
Food Standards Australia New Zealand has also
recently issued the following statement on this
matter. Click here to view this on-line.
Natural contaminants in honey (January 2016)
Some types of honey contain high levels of naturally
occurring plant toxins, known as pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs),
which may cause adverse health effects. PAs are found in many
foods and are naturally produced in more than 600 plants.
The toxins may get into the honey when bees forage on the
flowers that are rich in pyrrolizidine alkaloids such as Paterson’s
Curse, also known as Salvation Jane.
Many years ago, FSANZ established a safe level of intake for
these alkaloids of one microgram per kilogram bodyweight per
day based on the known toxicity in humans. FSANZ has not
established a regulatory level because there is no evidence of
harm from normal consumption.
For people who normally eat honey derived from flowers
other than Paterson’s curse, the levels of pyrrolizidine alkaloids
would not be a cause for concern.
It is recommended that anyone, including pregnant or breast
feeding women, who consumes more than two tablespoons of
honey a day, doesn’t eat Paterson’s Curse honey exclusively.
Pure Paterson’s Curse honey is relatively uncommon and is
usually bought from specialty markets and online distributors.
Most honey processors blend their Paterson’s Curse honey with
other honey to reduce the pyrrolizidine alkaloids to a safe level.
What is FSANZ’s response to reports on the high levels of
PAs in Australian and New Zealand honey?
FSANZ is aware of the recent reports on total PA levels in
Australian and New Zealand honey. However, based on the type
of PA present and honey consumption levels in Australia and
New Zealand, they are unlikely to pose a health risk.
FSANZ has not reviewed the paper by Luckhart et al on the
effects of PAs on cells in culture. However, it should be noted
that caution is required in extrapolating from cells in culture to
a risk in humans.
Although poisoning incidents have occurred in other
countries from contamination of PAs in plant products derived
from wheat and other crops, there have been no reports of
poisoning due to PA contaminants from honey.
What is FSANZ doing about this issue?
FSANZ and the honey industries in Australia and New
Zealand have made a significant effort to characterize the
toxicity of PAs present in honey.
In particular, this work has shown that the predominant PA
in Australian and New Zealand honey, echimidine, has a lower
toxicity than the PA used as a standard by some authorities to
set values.
FSANZ is taking account of recent research conducted
in Australia and New Zealand on the presence and toxicity
of these substances in honey and is waiting on the outcomes
of the international risk assessment of PAs by JECFA (the
WHO expert group with responsibility for assessing food
contaminants).
It is anticipated that the WHO will complete a risk assessment
this year and then the Codex Committee on Contaminants in
Food will consider if there should be an internationally agreed
maximum level for PAs in honey or other foods.
Stolen Beehives
Program to improve honeybee biosecurity
David Briggs, Secretary of the North East Apiarists’
Association Inc wishes to draw everyone’s attention to
a recent incident of stolen beehives. It may be that the
stolen hives find their way further afield and are sold
individually to recreational beekeepers.
“I wish to inform you that 60 eight frame singles were
stolen from a bee site on Tiger Hill Rd, near Tatong in
North-Eastern Victoria sometime between Wednesday
13th January and the evening of Sunday 17th January.
The hives were in fact two way nucs [eight frames divided
into two four frame nucs]. They are branded S671 painted
variously aqua/green, yellow, beige or white and have
distinctive cleats across each end for lifting. They are
fitted with loose bottoms and ply lids held together with
emlocks. The boxes, lids and bottoms are brand new.
Because the hives were divided two-ways, the boxes will
have a vertical groove in the inside centre of each end.
This would makes the them distinctive even if they are
repainted.
If you come across this material you are asked to contact
the Benalla Police as a matter of urgency. Phone 03 57
600 200.
Theft of hives is becoming all too common in recent times
and honest beekeepers need to support one another to
limit the damage that this activity causes.”
In an effort to improve bee bio-security, twenty selected
beekeepers from beekeeping clubs throughout Victoria have
an opportunity to undertake an on-line training course about
bee pests and diseases and to be reimbursed the $425 course fee
upon their successful completion of the course. Click here to
view an outline of the course.
Successful applicants will be required to communicate
information about bee pests and diseases to other members of
their club.
Through a selection panel, VAA Melbourne Section committee
is responsible for recommending applications from VAA
beekeepers who attend VAA Melbourne meetings. Steve
McGrath is the chair of the selection panel and Bernie Heinze
and Aris Petratos are its other members.
To obtain further information about the program and an
application form, contact Steve by email at steve.mcgrath@
whitehorse.vic.gov.au Applications to the VAA Melbourne
panel close by Friday 12th February 2016.
Bee Semen kills Nosema spores
An investigation by the University of Western
Australia’s Centre for Integrative Bee Research
(CIBER) has found that bee semen is very effective in
destroying the spores of Nosema, a pathogen of adult
bees. Click here for a news report about this discovery.
VAA Melbourne News | November 2015 - January 2016 |
13
Upcoming Events
VAA Melbourne Monthly Meetings
Our meetings are a great opportunity to meet other
beekeepers and to share experiences and advice.
• Meetings occur on the last Thursday of each
month (except December).
• Meetings are held at the Church of Christ Hall
on the corner of Cherry Rd and Whitehorse Rd,
Balwyn (Melway map 46 grid D8). Tram route
109, stop 47. Enter from Cherry Rd.
• Meetings start at 7:30 pm with “Beginners’
Corner”. This provides practical beekeeping
advice and demonstrations, particularly to new
beekeepers.
• The meeting proper starts at 8:15 and concludes
at 9:45 pm.
• Books and multimedia can be borrowed from
the VAA Library till 8:15 and after 9:45.
• Supper is available throughout the meeting.
• Entry is $5 for VAA members and $10 for nonVAA members.
Sale of Beekeeping Equipment at Monthly Meetings
At each monthly meeting we sell a limited range
of basic beekeeping equipment as a service to our
members. This includes sheets of wax foundation,
hive tools, brushes, plastic excluders, and AFB test
kits. Kits for sending honey samples to Gribbles for
AFB testing are also available for collection.
In addition to this, any VAA member who wishes
to sell any beekeeping equipment may do so at our,
January, March and September meetings. In return
they are asked to donate 10% of their sales on the
night to VAA Melbourne or to make an equipment
donation which can be used as a raffle prize.
Should you wish to sell beekeeping equipment
at one (or more) of these meetings, we ask
that you first communicate with us by email at
[email protected] at least two
weeks before the meeting date so that we can allocate
space for the sale of your goods.
Mean EVI
• Thursday 25th February:
Future Meeting Presentation Topics
Queen breeding and re-queening
• Thursday 28th January
Presented by Diana and Nikolai Faizoulline.
Equipment and Procedures Show and Tell
•
Thursday 31st March: Photo Competition
Following Eric’s inspection of a live hive and
(see details next page) and
his beekeeping truck, various beekeepers will
“BeeBox” on-line software package.
demonstrate the following:
Jonathan
Arundel, a PhD candidate at the
• Apiary inspection kit (Steve McGrath),
University of Melbourne, will describe a software
• Converting a hive body for Flow Frames
package (called BeeBox) that can use satellite
(Mike Love),
data to predict eucalypt flowering.
• Remote hive monitoring (Andrew Wootten),
Click here to use BeeBox. Click here to
• Preparing honeycomb (Eric Smith),
download its user manual.
Mean EVI time series
• Flame treatment of boxes (JP Scheerlinck),
4000
• Wiring Frames (Graeme Troutbeck),
• Preparing honey and wax for 26th May
3500
competition (Bernie Heinze)
• Ant proof hive stand (Mike Houlihan)
3000
2500
01/01/01
01/01/02
01/01/03
01/01/04
01/01/05
01/01/06
01/01/07
01/01/08
01/01/09
01/01/10
01/01/11
01/01/12
01/01/13
01/01/14
01/01/15
Date of 16−day averageData,
endfrom “Bee Box” software, of forest growth near Collingwood
Children’s Farm apiary. Jonathan Arundel will explain this at our 31st March
How to join the VAA
Go to www.vicbeekeepers.com.au or ask Sandra Smith at the
entry desk at one of our monthly meetings.
(above) At last year’s event, Mike Love demonstrated how to prepare
honey sections for sale.
VAA Melbourne News | November 2015 - January 2016 |
14
2016 Photo Competition
As was done last year, this year’s competition will
have two separate sections- a printed section and a
non-printed (digital) section. Each section will be
judged separately. Judging will occur at our Thursday
31st March meeting.
Categories
In each section there will be five categories:
• Bee Flora Suggestions: flowering trees, shrubs,
weeds, buds, bees on flowers, pollen sacs.
• Apiary scenes Suggestions: moving hives,
hives in the landscape (including backyards),
decorated hives, swarms, beekeepers and their
hives, water for bees.
• Inside the hive Suggestions: honey combs,
brood combs, pests and diseases, manipulation
techniques.
• Bees up close This category will focus on the
quality of the shot, its focus and depth of field,
and how well it shows bee detail. Suggestions:
Bees on flowers and combs, queen (marked or
unmarked), bees interacting with each other.
Can you show us a bee’s knees?
• Storyboard – a series of at least three related
photos with captions. Digital submissions can be
submitted as single files, or presented together
in a single file such as a slide show or a collage.
Suggestions: The bee life cycle, building a hive,
capturing a swarm, finding and marking a queen,
Robbing and extracting honey, Purifying wax,
communicating about bees at an event, the same
frame photographed at weekly intervals.
Entry limitations
• For each section entrants may not enter more
than two entries in a category.
• The same photo cannot be entered in both the
printed and the digital section.
Some of the entries in “Bee Flora”
category of the printed section of last
year’s competition.
• Submitted photos will be accepted for the
competition on the understanding that have
been shot (and, if necessary, manipulated) by the
entrant.
Submission and Judging of Printed Section
• This will be conducted in the same way as
previous years.
• Entries will be judged at the 31st March meeting
by independent judges.
• Entries should be submitted by 8:00 pm to the
hall stage.
Submission and Judging of Digital Section
• Entries are to be submitted as an attachment to
an email to [email protected]
on or before Thursday 24th March. (This is one
week before judging night.)
• Entries for each category should be sent as
separate emails.
• The entrant’s name and the category of the
attached photo(s) should be included in the
subject of the email.
• Each digital photo should be submitted in jpeg
format and should not exceed 3MB in size with
an image size of at least 2000px by 1500px (for
landscape orientation), or 1500px by 2000px for
portrait orientation). A single email (with its
attachments) should not exceed 10MB in size.
• Except during the judging process, entries will
not be distributed to other persons or published
in any format without the permission of the
entrant.
• Using electronic clickers, the audience will judge
the digital entries at the 31st March meeting. If
necessary, an independent judge will short list
the entries to be judged.
Audience using “clickers” at last year’s competition
to judge the digital photo entries.
VAA Melbourne News | November 2015 - January 2016 |
15
Collingwood Children’s Farm Apiary
The apiary is jointly managed by the VAA Melbourne
Section and Collingwood Children’s Farm. Its aim is
to educate the public about bees and beekeeping, as
well as providing beekeeping advice and practice to
current and prospective beekeepers. It is usually open
from 10:30 to 3:30 on the second and fourth Sunday
of each month (except during winter when it is only
open on the fourth Sunday).
To reach the apiary, go to the end of St Heliers St,
Abbotsford, and go through the main gate of the
Collingwood Children’s Farm. Then walk a few
metres to the bike path and turn right along it. The
apiary is located on the right approx. 300 metres
along the bike path (Melway 2D D10).
In February 2016 the apiary will be open on the 14th
and the 28th, in March on the 13th and 27th, and in
April on the 10th and 24th.
Honey Harvest Day will occur on Sunday 28th
February when we will robbing the apiary’s hives and
using the Farm’s registered kitchen to extract the honey.
A Flow Hive Day will occur on Sunday 10th April
when we will be harvesting honey from our Flow Hive
and inviting anyone else who has a Flow Hive (or plans
to have one) to come and share their experiences.
Extracting honey at last year’s Honey Harvest.
VAA Footy Tipping Competition
The VAA Beekeepers’ AFL on-line footy tipping competition
has been created to encourage camaraderie amongst
beekeepers. Participation in it is only available to VAA members
and their families.
In 2013, the competition’s inaugural year, current VAA
President, Kevin MacGibbon, was the winner. In 2014 the
winner was Graeme Troutbeck, a recreational beekeeper from
VAA Melbourne and last year, despite concentrated efforts of
others in the competition, Kevin returned to the winner’s circle.
Our competition has an entry fee of $10. The competition
winner will receive 60% of the entry fee pool, second 25%
and third 15%. Of course, the main prizes are bragging rights.
Footytips’ sponsors also award a prize to anyone who tips all the
winners of a round.
A few days before the start of each round Footytips will email
you a reminder to enter your tips. Tips can be entered up to a
few minutes before the start of a game. When a game ends you
can view the tips of other members of the competition for that
game. Shortly after the last match of a round you will receive an
email informing you of your tipping success. At any time you
can view the beekeepers’ competition ladder.
As the AFL season starts on Thursday 24th March, you will need
to enter your tips for round one before then. New members to
our competition will need to join it (see following steps).
How to join the competition
(Last year’s tipsters do not have to do this.)
Step 1. Go to www.footytips.com.au (click here) or install the
Footytips App on your smart phone or tablet.
Step 2. If you have never done so, you will need to join Footy
Tips. Just click the join button on its home page.
When you do join, could you please not choose an alias
for display on ladders. If you do this, other members of the
competition will not know who you are which rather defeats the
social interactive purpose of our competition. If you wish you
can upload a photo of yourself, preferably in beekeeping attire.
Step 3. Join the Beekeepers’ Footy Tipping Competition. To find
the competition, search for it or go to www.footytips.com.au/
comps/Beekeepers (Click here)
The password for the competition is apismellifera (all one word)
How to pay the entry fee
Payment of the $10 entry fee would be preferred by Thursday
24th March also but would be accepted up to round 3, Friday
8th April.
The entry fee can only be paid by electronic funds transfer. If
you are unsure how to do this, your bank or financial institution
will be able to assist you.
Here are the details of the account for the fee transfer
Account name: Victorian Apiarists’ Association, BSB: 633-000
Account Number: 120404595
Make sure that your surname and the word “tipping” are
included in the transfer details otherwise you will not be
credited with the payment.
If you need any further information or help with joining the
competition, email Barry Cooper
at [email protected]
VAA Melbourne News | November 2015 - January 2016 |
16
Beekeeping and Honey Festival
Presented by the “J” Bee-Keeping School, Diggers Rest
Sunday 6th March 2016, 10 am to 4 pm
at the Jadran Social Club, 35 Duncans Lane, Diggers
Rest 3427 Melways ref. 352 G 11
• Demonstrations of bee-keeping operations
• Glass bee hive
• Bee-beard (subject to conditions on the day)
• Honey- varieties for tasting and sale
• Mead and Honey Liqueur- tasting and sales
• Various other bee related products for sale
• Sales of bee-keeping equipment
• Kids’ corner— learn all about bees
• Various other attractions including a live band
• BBQ lunch, cakes, tea, coffee and drinks
Come along with your family and friends to enjoy a
taste of country life close to Melbourne.
Admission $3.00 per adult, children free.
Enquires: Rei Collaco 0458000426, Billi Geko: 0421 020 531,
Robin Bray: 5426 2264, Marilyn Fiedler: 0400 068 886
Tony Srdoc assists with the bee beard at last year’s festival.
Collingwood Children’s Farm apiary stand at last year’s festival.
VAA Melbourne
2015- 16 Committee Members
Chairperson: Bernie Heinze, email: [email protected]
Deputy Chairperson: Barry Cooper, email: [email protected]
Secretary: Max Hunter, email: [email protected]
Treasurer: Sandra Smith, email: [email protected]
Committee Members:
Alex Kristic, email: [email protected]
Mike Love, email: [email protected]
Steve McGrath, email: [email protected]
Aris Petratos, email: [email protected]
Jean-Pierre Scheerlinck, email: [email protected]
Eric Smith, email: [email protected], Chris Tonovich, email: [email protected]
Contact Details
VAA Melbourne Section
Email: [email protected]
Post: PO Box 2447, Taylors Lakes Vic 3038
Web: go via www.vicbeekeepers.com.au or more
directly to www.melbourne.vicbeekeepers.com.au
YouTube: Click here
Collingwood Children’s Farm Apiary
Email: [email protected]
Blog: www.photoblog.com/collingwoodbees
Facebook: www.facebook.com/collingwood.bees
YouTube: www.youtube.com/collingwoodbees
Online forum: If you wish to join and participate
in the forum, send a request to
[email protected]
The content of this newsletter does not necessarily reflect the
opinion of the editors nor of the VAA Melbourne section.
Newsletter
We aim to produce and email a newsletter near the
end of each second month (January, March, May,
July, September and November).
If you would like to contribute an item, just email it
to us at [email protected] before
the 10th of that month. As you will observe from
the contributors to this newsletter, photos are a very
effective means of communication.
Past editions of newsletters can be read at
www.melbourne.vicbeekeepers.com.au/melbournesection-newsletter.html
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Acknowledgement
Thanks to Aris Petratos for proofreading this newsletter.
VAA Melbourne News | November 2015 - January 2016 |
17