Issue: January 2026
Presidents Report Oct-Nov-Dec 2025
It’s amazing how fast time flies by when there is so much going on and I didn’t realise that there was no report for some time until Fiona, our Editor, chased me for an update.
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Managing Small Hive Beetle through the QLD storm season
Small hive beetle (SHB) pressure has risen dramatically across parts of Queensland in recent weeks. Beekeepers in some areas are reporting high adult beetle numbers in their hives and rapid hive slime-outs. SHB is a familiar pest, but the intensity we’re seeing so far this season reflects how closely Queensland’s weather patterns align with the conditions beetles thrive in. Read More:
Be on the lookout for SHB (and AFB) over summer.
Rod Bourke talks about that versatile and pesky little bee pest called small hive beetle (SHB). SHB loves the warmer seasons and is delighted to come across any vulnerable beehive that it thinks can become a fantastic breeding opportunity for them. It can detect regular beehive odours. It can also detect odours from hives starting to slime, which become particularly attractive to any nearby SHB flying around. Read More:
Stingless Bee Honey Packs a Serious Antimicrobial Punch!
If you keep stingless bees, you probably already know their honey is something special. The team at the University of Sydney tested 48 samples of Australian stingless bee honey against bacteria and fungi that cause skin infections, food poisoning, UTIs, and systemic infections. The results were far better than we expected. This honey isn't just good – it's exceptional.
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Macarthur Beekeepers New Home
The new, purpose-built facility located within the Lakeside Golf Course maintenance precinct on Ballandean Boulevard currently houses 13 hives in the Apiary, along with an education and workshop shed and a food-grade honey extracting shed. With open club meeting nights, held at Wests League Club (and live-streamed via Google Meet), and apiary field days held monthly at the Lakeside complex.
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HoneyLand 2026 Needs You!
It is that time of year again when the NSW Apiarists Association and the Honeyland Committee team is busy preparing for 2026 HoneyLand!
HoneyLand is a fabulous event, held for the duration of the Sydney Easter Royal Show, and is a standout event on the NSW beekeeping calendar. Volunteers at the HoneyLand Stall will be able to share their knowledge of bees and honey, selling products from the NSW Association membership to the public. A great fund-raising event that helps educate the general public about honey and the importance of bees for all Australians. Read More:
Busting Three Common Bayverol Myths
Before we dive into specific myths, the VDOs and Bee Biosecurity Officers (BBOs) have noticed some misunderstandings about the use of synthetic miticides—especially regarding the number of strips and the duration of treatment.
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Sentinel Hive Program
Recently, I attended the Far North Coast field day in Alstonville, where guest speaker Daniel Martin, NSW DPI’s Beekeeping Biosecurity Officer, gave an informative presentation on the Sentinel Hive Program an- initiative set up across NSW to support ongoing surveillance for bee pests and diseases.
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Introducing TAB Search Function
Believe it or not, but since we started this new format in August, we have added 80 web pages / articles of content.
Last month we added a Search Function to TAB and it is easy to use on both mobile devices and desktop.
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Try your hand at Queen Rearing!
Cumberland Beekeepers’ Club is running a two-day queen rearing course for new and experienced beekeepers. The couses will run on 7th and 8th February. This is a great opportunity to learn both the theory and hands on practice of of raising queen bees, from a very experienced team.
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From the Editor
Welcome to 2026! Looking back at 2025, what did the bees do that interested or intrigued you? Many anecdotal stories have emerged about multiple swarming this year - what have other beekeepers found?
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