From the Editor

Happy New Year to all our members! As the festive season winds down and Christmas is a distant memory, we enter a new year with many an interesting quandary, set to perplex beekeepers. The editorial team has delayed the publication of your magazine by a week, as all the “sales” advertisements cluttering up your inboxes.  We shall, however, be back to normal publication times for the next issue, in February.

Varroa is throwing up all sorts of side issues. Unusual swarming patterns are being reported, pollination failures, multiple queen cells and haphazard production of drone brood. Beekeepers need to change some of their management – will varroa make for better beekeepers? The beekeeping skillset is being transformed.

A New Year brings new resolutions and your editorial team is busy looking for new stories.

Beekeeper education is at the top of the list, but revising previous topics and updating longer held views to reflect the new varroa era, are challenges we try to meet. We also want to hear from clubs about local activities, innovative ideas and how you are all mastering biosecurity obligations.

Looking at the Tocal Field Day competitions, the fabulous cake and recipe, the photograph competition and the excellent talks – are we able to encourage more beekeepers to master wax skills, increase apiculture knowledge and provide interesting honey recipe ideas?  All part of being an ABA member and clubs participating in the competitions.

Best of all, we want to write about people. Beekeepers and your clubs! New ideas and stories about what is working for you, or even better, not working! Have you seen something unusual in a hive and you want more information? Beekeepers helping beekeepers – beekeepers talking to beekeepers – the very best communication of all. Learning from each other could be a great resolution 2026.