Issue: August September 2025
Presidents Report Aug/Sep 2025
Dear Members,
Although it’s the quieter period of the year for beekeepers, we have been rather busy over the last few weeks and months. My report covers the following issues: Membership Renewal, Insurance, Annual General Meeting, New Swarm System, Varroa Transition to Management and Honey Testing for Residues.
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Biosecurity Buzz
Spring Apiary Preparation in Australia: A Fresh Start With a Watchful Eye
As the days grow longer and the air warms across the Aussie landscape, beekeepers turn their thoughts to the vibrant buzz of spring. After the dormancy and slow rhythm of winter, colonies begin to ramp up brood production, nectar and pollen become more plentiful, and the urge to swarm returns with vigour. This is the definition of spring for beekeepers, not dates in the calendar.
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Think Like A Bee!
“Think Like A Bee” (TLAB) will be a regular inclusion in The Amateur Beekeeper, and we hope that you may find it useful. It is a section especially for our members new to the gentle art of beekeeping. Hopefully these articles will inspire some of our longer-term members to keep learning. Look for the Yellow and Black TLAB symbol.
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How to Light a Bee Smoker
A bee smoker is used so the smoke stimulates the colony bees to gorge on the nectar in the uncapped cells temporarily disrupting the defensive behavior of the colony.
Smoke masks the pheromone communications between the bees, limits oxygen intake, and possibly impairs other sensory receptors, so beekeepers can open and manage colonies with very few if any stings.
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Varroa destructor Treatments
General Guidance for Usage
The APVMA has approved some chemical treatments for Varroa and issued permits for their use. If you follow the permits, you and your bees will benefit. The correct dosage for effective treatment is detailed, and that dosage will not leave residues. Treating with honey supers on or off is specified. Withholding periods are defined and protective equipment is clearly covered.
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Bee Pest and Diseases Workshop – Hosted by Cumberland Beekeepers Club
Saturday 25th October 2025 | 9:30am–4:00pm | Chifley College Bidwill Campus, Daniels Road, Bidwill
Cumberland Beekeepers Club is opening its doors to ABA members for a full-day Bee Pest and Diseases Workshop this October.
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Formic Pro vs Bayverol
Testing miticides alongside each other
There is still a lot to learn about how often we may have to treat colonies with miticides and their effectiveness under various environmental conditions throughout the year and region to region. This can be a tough and costly decision for larger beekeeping operations.
For the purpose of this article, I would like to share an experience of using a synthetic versus a non-synthetic miticide treatment on 50 colonies at the same apiary.
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Understanding the Honey Levy:
If you're new to beekeeping, you've likely heard mention of "the honey levy" – a small cost attached to the sale of honey in Australia. But what exactly is it, how is it collected, and what does it fund? In this article, we break down the essentials so you can better understand how your contributions are helping support and safeguard our industry.
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Jacob’s “Sesamia” - Sesame Honey Slice
The base recipe for “Sesamia” is a very simple, traditional, middle eastern recipe from Jordan. Given sesame seeds and honey have both been staple foods in the middle east for thousands of years, the basic Sesamia recipe is undoubtedly very old. By substituting other ingredients like pistachio, almonds or sultanas for some of the sesame seeds you can change the Honey Sesame Slice into something more exotic. Drizzle with dark chocolate or dip the entire slice for something extra special.
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The Swarming Behaviour of Honey Bees
It is that time of the year again were swarm control becomes an important part of spring management extending into the early summer months. Swarming after honey production is the bees’ strongest instinct.
Why do honey bees swarm?
Swarming is a natural behaviour of honey bees to reproduce when the “house” becomes to full.
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Potential Replacement Swarm System
With the arrival of Varroa, most feral colonies will sooner or later die as a result of high mite load. However, till that moment such colonies can become mite bombs and impact managed colonies. Thus, we now have an additional reason to collect swarms and that is to help reduce the risk of mite infestation.
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Varroa mite in Queensland update
In the first week of March 2025, 4 recreational beekeepers in the Lockyer Valley reported suspect varroa mite infestations. Tests confirmed the pest as Varroa destructor, marking the official arrival of varroa mite in Queensland.
As of 15 July 2025, the situation has escalated.
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Learnings for NSW as varroa spreads further during the build-up phase.
With varroa now becoming far more prevalent in both QLD and Victoria (and possibly other states too) it is very helpful for beekeepers to take stock of what has been seen in NSW.
Both NSW Varroa Development and Bee Biosecurity Officers (BBO) have been engaging intensively with beekeepers, some of whom just wanted to proactively learn about varroa before it became an issue to their own bees, and others who’s bees have been absolutely decimated by varroa and desperately needed help to save the last of their live colonies.
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USDA Researchers Find Viruses from Miticide Resistant Parasitic Mites are Cause of Recent Honey Bee Colony Collapses
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) are helping American beekeepers solve the mystery behind a widespread honey bee colony collapse and its debilitating effects on U.S. agriculture.
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TEMPORAL INCREASE OF VARROA MITES IN TRAP FRAMES USED FOR DRONE BROOD REMOVAL DURING THE HONEY BEE SEASON
An extract from the European Beekeeping Association magazine "No Bees No Life" July 2025
Reproduced with permission.
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