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NEW ZEALAND BEEKEEPER, NOVEMBER 2016
CANTERBURY
NELSON/UPPER SOUTH ISLAND
As of October 2016 our monthly meetings will be noted in this column. All bar a handful of members have e-mail addresses. If others read of our meetings, they are welcome to attend. It is not possible for many of our members to attend meetings. Therefore, we are considering a number of ways to include distant members. We have recently increased our colonies reporters from one to three, and are looking at the availability of a member in another area. As secretary, I endeavour to phone one or two distant members per week. It would appear the most important issue for these members is informative minutes of the monthly meetings. Most times, General Business is just whatever those attending want to raise from the floor. We also have a rundown of what people perceive to be issues in their areas, or their hive observations. This gives our meetings an informality and the ability to information share. This enjoyable banter is often educational. We are considering other suggestions from our distant members for 2017. Next Meeting (End of Year): Tuesday, 29 November Venue: Hornby Working Mens Club, 17 Carmen Rd, Hornby (same carpark as mall) Time: 6.00 pm onwards Restaurant Meal & Bar Facility: Pay for what you eat. Bar adjoins restaurant. RSVP: Not required. But Non-Working Club Members must sign the Club register at reception. Meantime, back in mid Canterbury, we have had vast amounts of dandelion flowering. Ye olde beekeepers say, ”lotsa spring dandelion, in for a summer drought”. Hope not, because that will make it the third summer drought in a row.
Spring is here, and for Nelson it has started with regular showers of rain, sunshine and generally very unsettled weather patterns. It makes opening hives for various tasks sometimes quite difficult; at least it has been relatively warm. The weather aside, most beekeepers have indicated that hives are building up well with minimal varroa. This is great for those involved in pollination, with many hives now in orchards that currently have apples and pears in full bloom. There have been some reports of swarms already. Hopefully this can be minimised, as many of those not familiar with bees find them quite scary and disruptive for any people in the vicinity. The recent Bee Aware Month appears to have been successful and definitely managed to get more publicity about bees and articles in the local print media. I conducted one fun school talk with enthusiastic primary children. However, reporters twice managed to get hold of me, something I try to avoid. At least they managed to get most of what I mentioned correct and in the right context. The Nelson Beekeepers Club had a fantastic talk from Frank Lindsay at the September meeting. Our small venue was overflowing with people spilling out doors, standing and squeezed into any space available. About 100 people were present, with some commercial beekeepers also in attendance. Frank provided us with history of his time with beekeeping, a bit of bee biology, tips for those starting out and his opinion on some issues currently facing the industry. His talk was entertaining and the two hours disappeared very quickly. Thanks to the Nelson ApiNZ hub for providing Frank’s airfares, and Amy and Adam for his accommodation. That’s about it: it’s a busy time for most beekeepers. For all those doing long hours at the moment, keep safe.
- Jason Smith
- Maggie James, Hub Secretary
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