Presidents Report Aug/Sep 2025
Dear Members,
Although it’s the quieter period of the year for beekeepers, we were rather busy over the last few weeks and months.
Membership Renewal
With membership renewal in full swing, we have seen more than half of our members renewing in June and we see a steady flow every day. A few members reported to us that some gremlins made it difficult for them to renew.
If you experience any difficulties to renew, please reach out to your club membership officer who can renew your membership on your behalf or contact the ABA Support team on support@beekeepers.freshdesk.com
Note: You can renew your membership till the end of September when it will lapse and you will be removed from the membership register.
Insurance
Some members reported that the optional Public Liability Insurance was not visible when they renewed their membership. With our IT vendor we tried but could not replicate the issue so it’s hard to say what the problem is.
Members can add the insurance at any time by logging into the membership system and then click on shop to purchase. Note: you must log in first as the insurance is only offered to members.
Annual General Meeting – Saturday 30 Aug 2025 11:00 am
Several members were disappointed last year when they missed our one-day conference with high calibre guest speakers in Mittagong, as they didn’t read the email once they saw the three letters AGM.
Most members don’t want to spend their time attending an AGM, however, it’s a requirement for us to hold it to comply with the law.
Thus, we decided to hold the AGM this year together with the Club Executive workshop at Hornsby RSL at the end of August with the AGM scheduled for 11:00 am.
Members can attend the AGM either in person or online. A Notice with relevant details will be sent out closer to the event.
Swarm System
In areas where Varroa is established, most feral bee colonies disappeared and the problem of reinfestation from feral colonies is much lower than in the first wave. To keep it that way, we need to ensure that swarms are collected and managed rather than letting them set up a new feral colony, breeding mites and then reinfesting your hives.
Thus, as pointed out in my earlier email, we are considering moving to a new Swarm System which will notify beekeepers if a swarm is reported in the area they cover. The first beekeeper “claiming” the swarm will be connected with the reporter. If you are busy or not interested in catching that swarm, you can just ignore the notification and your contact details will remain private. Further details can be found on the Swarmed Wiki page.
Hopefully we get sufficient members registering before the swarm season starts.
Note: Currently we are working with the developer to get the SMS notification for our members free of charge, so sign-up for the free option for the time being.
Varroa Transition to Management
The last training session as part of the National Varroa Mite Management Program in NSW/ACT and Queensland was delivered a few weeks ago in Ballina.
Beekeepers from other states should check the Education and Training page to see if further workshops are held close by, or reach out to a Varroa Development Officers (VDO) if you require further advice.
The Bee Biosecurity Officers (BBO) of DPI NSW can be contacted 1800 084 881 or Email: bee.biosecurity@dpird.nsw.gov.au
Honey Testing for Residues
Some members contacted us and asked where they can get their honey tested for residues. If you followed the instructions on the label, the risk of contamination is low. However, if you want to learn more about honey testing and how it can be done, best visit the AHBIC Maximum Residue website
I hope you enjoy reading our newsletter.
Happy Beekeeping
Vince