WELCOME

Interactive Beekeeping Zoom Forums:

Zoom Evening Meetings (7:30 to 9:00 pm AEST) 

• Tuesday 20th August Monthly Meeting 
• “City Buzz vs. Suburban Serenity: The Impact of Urbanisation on the Behaviour of Native Bees and Hoverflies " by Aislinn Primmer from the Integrative Cognition, Ecology and Bio-inspiration (ICEB) Research Group at Monash University Melbourne.
• "Floral visitation in the face of climate change: a collaborative study of native bees with Yolŋu First Nations of NE Arnhem Land" by Clancy Lester, Master of Bioscience student at the University of Melbourne.
  
• "Preparing for Varroa" by Barry Cooper.
• • These presentations have now been delivered and their recordings are now available to members on the Club's YouTube channel.
• Tuesday 15th October Monthly Meeting (7:30 to 9:00pm)
  
• • "The Bee Biome" by Bob Owen, author of the "Australian Beekeeping Manuel".
  • Assessing the spread of Varroa mite in Australia: Lessons from New Zealand by Jay Iwasaki, Biosciences School, University of Melbourne
  • These presentations have now been delivered and their recordings will soon be available to members on the Club's YouTubeTube channel.
• In-Person Events: 
• • 20th November (6:45 to 9:15pm) at a Community Hotel
  • • New Zealand Honeydew Honey by Sarsha Manuel
    • Local honey production by Viv and George Fox.
    • Two-queen swarm control by Peter Lewis.
  • Sunday 1st December (2:00 to 4:00pm)
  • • Central Melbourne Garden Picnic with practical beekeeping demonstrations.

We assist our members to prepare for varroa by

• Communicating advice from Australian authorities about how to best deal with varroa.
• Liaising with beekeepers in the US and New Zealand who have successfully dealt with varroa over many years.
  
• Conducting interactive Zoom meetings with these beekeepers. 
• Conducting in-person meetings to learn from experienced Australian beekeepers about how they plan to deal with varroa.
• Providing an extensive library of YouTube presentations about beekeeping practices, including how to deal with varroa.
• Promoting continuous testing for varroa, including the use of drone frames.
• Demonstrating varroa-relevant practical activities at hives.
• Encouraging re-queening using queens from hygienic lines of bees.
• Through our Zoom meetings, members have direct contact with experienced beekeepers in Maryland (US) and in New Zealand who have successfully managed with varroa for many years.
• Encourage the use of robbing screens to restrict the entry of foreign drones to a hive.
• Support the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council (AHBIC) by contributing to its "Friends of AHBIC" program.