Issue: March 2026
What is driving the strange swarming behavior?
Many beekeepers in NSW, mostly in areas with established Varroa, are experiencing continuous swarming from at least some of their colonies.
This TAB Swarm Special Feature is designed to highlight the reality that in many places swarm season may now last 12 months of the year.
Many experienced beekeepers are struggling to manage the swarm behavior. You are not alone. Read More:
Orange Beekeepers Swarm Report
A swarm season in Orange like no other!
Orange Beekeepers have a club swarm catcher who has been flat out for 4 months. The swarm behaviour in Orange is summed up by Orange Biosecurity Officer, Geoff Mitchell. "..hives swarmed more than once. Not just primary swarms, followed quickly by secondary swarms, but a primary swarm followed a few weeks later by a second primary swarm – young queens swarming. Young introduced queens also swarmed much to my chagrin." Read More:
So You Think Your Bees Won't Swarm!
Jacqueline and Edward Lea talk about nearly two years of swarming at Kurrajong.
Despite doing everything that we can to mitigate against swarming, the new normal is for the colonies to sneak in a spontaneous swarm every couple of months, or replace their queen every couple of months. At the end of the day, the bees know what they are doing and we are just along for the ride. Read More:
Letting colonies swarm in Australia’s Varroa era:
Mike Allerton discusses "To Swarm or Not to Swarm?"
Before varroa, Australian beekeepers could treat swarming as mostly a productivity issue, lost honey, annoyed neighbours, and a smaller workforce for pollination. Now that we’re transitioning to long-term management nationally, the question changes. In a varroa landscape, swarming can look like a “free” brood break and a genetic pressure valve, but it can also be a mechanism that re-seeds mites and viruses into places you thought had settled down. Read More:
A Scottish Perspective on Swarms
30 Years after the arrival of Varroa in Scotland the primary imperative for swarm mitigation is productivity.
A swarm in May, is worth a load of hay
A swarm in June, is worth a silver spoon
A swarm in July, is not worth a fly!
This medieval saying sums up the value of swarms to a beekeeper, in the colder regions of the Northern hemisphere. If a swarm is early enough in the year, then the bees have sufficient resources to make up the colony strength before winter. Read More:
Two grams good, four grams better
Andrew Wootten discusses the limitations of Api-Bioxal.
I’d like to discuss problems with the use of Api-Bioxal that limit its effectiveness. I’m not here to criticise the government (indeed, I’ve been proud to play my own small part in the varroa response and will continue doing everything I can to support it). I’m also not going to encourage anyone to go off-label and break the law (that would put me in a perilous legal position). The issues with the registered product are in both its dose and its administration. Read More:
Cumberland Beekeepers
Current holders of the Bruce White Award
Tucked away in Western Sydney, the Cumberland Amateur Beekeepers is a young club with a surprisingly resilient history. Formed just prior to COVID, the branch began its life, not around a shared hive stand, but around screens. For the first year or two, members met monthly via Zoom, talking bees from their lounge rooms while the world shut down around them. Those early days were quiet, a few new members, and plenty of uncertainty, but they laid the foundations for a friendly, supportive club that has since hit its stride. Read More:
Stolen Research Nukes
Unfortunately, on Monday night 02/2/26, four, 5 frame nucleus hives were stolen from the Londonderry Rd side of the Western Sydney University Campus, at Richmond NSW. These hives were part of a long term, funded research experiment looking at entomopathogenic nematodes (possible biological control) for Small Hive Beetle.
The annoying thing is that these hives were custom built and have modified 3D printed tray floorboards and were mid analysis. They are really of no use to anyone as hive boxes. Read More:
Oxalic Acid Vaporisation
Elizabeth Frost discusses the pros and cons of Oxalic Acid Vaporisation.
Beekeepers’ interest in oxalic acid varroa treatment methods is massive. Oxalic acid vaporisation involves heating oxalic acid dihydrate crystals, using either an electronic resistance or gas-powered device, until the crystals turn into a gas which is either passively or fan-forced into a bee hive. Inside a well-sealed bee hive, the vaporised oxalic acid can coat the surfaces and bees within the hive, resulting in grooming which can cause increased mite fall. Read More:
Way Before Teflon
There was Beeswax!!!!
Canelé is a traditional pastry from the Bordeaux region of France, famous for its caramelised crust and soft custardy centre.
Bakers have long coated the special fluted copper moulds for canelés with a mixture of melted beeswax and ghee (clarified butter) before pouring in the vanilla-and-rum-infused batter. The beeswax serves several purposes: it creates a nonstick surface, ensures even heat distribution for that signature crust, and imparts a subtle, honeyed aroma that elevates the flavour. Read More:
Biosecurity Code of Practice 2025
The Australian Honey Bee Industry Biosecurity Code of Practice (the Code) has been developed in consultation with beekeepers and governments to provide a clear framework for Australian beekeepers to engage in best-practice biosecurity.
The Code is the industry’s guiding document and is legislated in full in NSW only, components of it are part of states/territories rules in other states.
Read More:
Pollen at Your Fingertips: A New Tool for Beekeepers
Understanding what our bees are foraging is central to good beekeeping. Pollen tells a story about forage availability, colony health, and the wider environment. For those who enjoy looking more closely—perhaps with a microscope—pollen identification opens a fascinating window into the lives of our bees.
Read More:
From the Editor
I would like to thank all of our contributors, for helping to make the new look, The Amateur Beekeeper, such a success. Without your insight, knowledge and willingness to share your beekeeping experience with all of our members, our magazine would not have the readership it currently enjoys.
We aim to provide practical help, scientific updates and general information about our members and clubs.