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NEW ZEALAND BEEKEEPER, JULY 2017
else’s site by saying that so-and-so gave them permission. With the new system, DPI proposes to establish a common database, streamline administration and will assist beekeepers when there are problems in dealing with other agencies. Beekeepers are being excluded at times of the year for bushfire reduction, shooters in the area, etc., sometimes with only a few days’ notice, yet they have paid for these sites. As happens here, it’s up to beekeepers to put in submissions if they want changes made. Regulatory Under Australia’s new proposed Biosecurity Act, it will be an offence to allow robber bees to get at honey. Currently AFB must be notified within one working day of detection. (University of Sydney): From one research project, artificially inseminated (AI) queens inseminated with eight drones did better than queens inseminated from 16 drones for honey production and had less chalkbrood. The researchers now want to find out how many drone colonies are contributing to drone-congregating areas. Fungal diseases: The University of Technology Sydney is looking at treating fungal diseases with honey. Apparently, honey’s antifungal activity works differently to its antibiotical mechanism. The following information comes from the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) Projects Report. Horticulture innovation: the Australian government has put A$7 million in four research projects over five years: honey bee hive sites, honey bee products, honey bee health and honey bee marketing and education. Some projects are still being developed. Pollination funding (pool 2 co-investment) has currently A$13 million over five years, some of which is being done by HortResearch New Zealand. Fifty-two crops require bee pollination, worth $6.5 billion at the farm gate, and the bee industry is undervalued. Questions are being asked such as, ‘do European bees work alongside native bees or are Research Research and queen bee quality
there is a massive amount of misinformation about pollination. With low honey prices due to imports keeping the wholesale price down, droughts and increased planting of blueberries, almonds and other crops, beekeepers are looking at different ways to secure and guarantee an income. NSW DPI through Tocal College (which assists with the training) is putting out a lot of books to help beekeepers. These are available at a very reasonable price; A$25–35 or half that price for an iBook download: (http://www. tocal.nsw.edu.au/publications). I personally prefer a paper book rather than something on a tablet; however, iBooks are ideal to have when travelling. With all the emphasis on Bee Biosecurity as part of its code of ethics, the NSW DPI has produced an online training course (90 minutes) at no cost for those registered with over 50 hives (levy payers), A$20 for those under 50 hives (non-levy payers), and internationals A$40. Apiary sites on public land NSW DPI has circulated a discussion document for formulating a policy of beehives on public land. Beekeepers are 70% dependent on access to public land for their honey income. To get access to these sites, beekeepers will be measured on their conformity to the Code of Ethics before their name is entered into a ballot. The proposal is that sites will cost A$175 a year (75% increase), which they estimate is 6% return of the site; however, this amount is dependent on the nectar sources available. Some species flower every second year, some every third and a few only every eight years. All are dependent on rain in the autumn and spring. Beekeepers generally put down a load of bees on a site (what their truck can carry: 80–100 hives), but at times hive numbers on a site are often halved where nectar is scarce. Most beekeepers only use 25% of their sites each year. Some areas, if clearfelled, can take up to 20 years for the trees to re-establish. If a bushfire goes through, it can take a minimum of five years for the trees to re-establish, and during this entire period beekeepers are required to pay for the hive site. Apiary sites are hard to come by. Most get sites through ballot or by buying another beekeeper out. Because there is a shortage of good producing sites some years, beekeepers will, as in New Zealand, move in on someone
weeks and the bees are hanging from a tree branch and the whole hive is slimed out. You can wash the frames in vinegar, but even then you can add only one slimed-out frame to a hive; otherwise the bees will not clean out the frames as they are repulsed by the smell of the slimed-out frame. With varroa, you still have a hive you can put bees back into again. Other pests and diseases Australia doesn’t have deformed wing virus. A DNA survey didn’t find it; however, I was told they did find EFB DNA in Western Australia, although it’s not evident in the bees. Tracheal mites move very fast over the comb. Many countries are undertaking active surveillance for these mites. Transmission of these mites most likely will be via Apis mellifera bees. Australia has only a 30-kilometre stretch of clear water to stop swarms getting from Papua New Guinea to the mainland. Training The NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) has produced an AgGuide entitled Honey Harvesting and Extracting, which is a blueprint for extracting and where the industry is going. This book was given to everyone attending conference, thanks to Capilano Honey Limited and the NSW Apiarists’ Association. I would recommend that every beekeeper get a copy. It costs $A35.00 and is available from http://www. tocal.nsw.edu.au/publications/list/animals/ honey-agguide-honey-harvesting-and- extracting Australia has B-QUAL (http://www.bqual. com.au/), while New Zealand uses the RMP system. The training package costs A$275 (self-learning) and the initial inspection costs A$500, but subsequent inspections are based on whether the honey is for export or sold locally. Beekeepers are inspected only once every two years, after the auditors know you have grasped the system and are compliant. I now have a list of things I should adapt in my honey house. Beekeeper numbers are shrinking, so the NSW DPI has increased the number of training programmes. Courses are a combination of online and face-to-face training. Cert III qualifications are much higher than that set for NZCA III. The NSW DPI has just produced a Honey Bee Pollination short course for new beekeepers, as
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