Saturday, June 21, 2008 - 10:04 PM

Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India , Kashmir Apiary Exports and Lee Bee International Institute of Beekeeping at Doraha , Ludhiana, Punjab, India jointly plan to hold an International Beekeeping Conference in a five star hotel in New Delhi during February, 2009 (Exact dates to be circulated in first announcement). Main objective of this conference besides scientific and technical programme is to provide opportunity to the beekeepers from different countries to exchange beekeeping experiences and knowledge amongst themselves and to learn from each others success stories and failures on all aspects of practical beekeeping.

Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 03:50 PM

MAF Biosecurity New Zealand (MAFBNZ) is currently consulting with bee industry representatives on the South Island varroa situation and the remaining two years of the four-year varroa response programme which began in June 2006.

MAFBNZ met with the executives of the National Beekeepers Association (NBA) and the Bee Industry Group of Federated Farmers (BIG) in Christchurch at the end of May. A forum was held during the Federated Farmers Bees Conference 2008 in Cromwell this week. A further meeting is planned with beekeeper representatives from regions around the South Island at the beginning of July.

So far, stakeholders are saying they would like MAFBNZ response activities to focus on maintaining movement controls.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 08:28 PM

You can listen to this Radio New Zealand report featuring Dr Mark Goodwin at: http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/national/aft/honey_bees_in_danger.

Monday, June 09, 2008 - 04:05 PM

16 June 2008

GOLDEN GATE LODGE, CROMWELL

10.30am till 4.30 or 5pm.

COST: $25 per person to cover morning and afternoon tea and room hire

MORNING TEA: From 9.30am

At a bee products council meeting on the 13th May, it was moved that the council wanted to be involved with the current review, which has been started by the NZ Food and Safety Association.

This review will include queen production and organic sugar feeding, and works towards equivalent EU standard which has proven successful for organic certifiers and exporters in other sectors.

This meeting is organised for organic producers to meet those involved and discuss problems they are having at the present time.

NZ beekeepers export approximately 3 million dollars worth of product at the present time, which could increase fourfold if the present problems facing the industry can be overcome.

Saturday, June 07, 2008 - 04:35 PM

NATIONAL BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION HOBBY PROGRAMME 2008

Sunday 13th July
All hobbyist or new beekeepers welcome

9.30 am Cup of tea and welcome
10.00 Biology of the Bee (Frank Lindsay)
10.20 Siting your Apiary: local regulations (Neale Braithwaite)
(Wellington/Masterton/Palmerston North)
Note: all Councils are reviewing their by-laws)
10.40 Purchasing hives and equipment etc: three-quarter or full-depth hives (Neil Farrer)
11.00 Queen rearing simplified (Gary Jeffery)
11.20 Spring requeening versus autumn requeening (David Cramp)
11.40 Varroa treatments: ‘alternatives’ (Frank Lindsay)

LUNCH (1 hour: lunch provided)

1.00 pm Seasonal requirements of the bee (James Driscoll)
1.20 Honey processing (Anne Hulme)
1.40 Food hygiene regulations (Jim Sim, NZ Food Safety Authority)
2.00 Exotic disease (Byron Taylor)
2.20 AFB National Pest Management Strategy overview (Rex Baynes. Manager)
2.40 How to attract new members to your club (Carol Downer, Auckland Branch)
3.00 Panel discussion from the floor
3.30 Closing and thanks to the chair

Sunday 13th July

Active Manuka Honey Association
The AMHA Seminars are open to all members of the beekeeping industry

Seminar One 11am – 12 Noon
Medsafe & Claims
(Please bring a copy of your website and promotion material)

Seminar Two 1 pm – 2 pm
Processing Validation

AMHA AGM 2 pm
(Closed meeting: AMHA members only)

Monday 14 July
Specialty Group Meetings
Open to all the beekeeping Industry

9 - 10 am Review of the Organic Regulations Pertaining to Exports
Kay Shapland - NZFSA
This review carries on from an earlier meeting held at the BIG conference

10 -12 Noon New Zealand Queen Bee Producers Association

1 – 3 pm New Zealand Packers and Honey Exporters Association

3.15 - 5 pm New Zealand Honey Bee Pollination Association General meeting and AGM
6.30 pm Mix & Mingle in the Evening
7.00 pm Meet our overseas Guest Speaker:
Des Cannon, Australia – Australian research projects and their funding

Tuesday 15 July
8.00am Opening of the conference by the Mayor of Masterton
8.30 am–3 pm NBA AGM

Seminar
3.30 - 4 pm Honey Marketing – John Rawcliff
4.00 - 5 pm Bee Products Standard Council & Discussion
Follows on from the April meeting
6.00 pm Sponsors’ Evening & Presentations

Wednesday 16 July
National Pest Management Strategy Programme

8.30 am Welcome - Frans Laas
8.35 am AFB NPMS Manager’s Report - Rex Baynes
9.15 am Helicopter Surveillance Exercise - Frans Laas
9.45 am Morning Tea
10.15 am Annual Report – AsureQuality - Byron Taylor
10.45 am New Zealand Food Safety Authority - Greg Zemke-Smith
11.15 am Open Forum - Delegates
12.15 am Closure - Frans Laas
Note: The programme and timing maybe subject to minor alterations

Woman’s bus trip leaves 9.30 am to 4.30 pm
Visits a number of places of interest including the Paua Factory and time for shopping.
Lunch at the Gladstone Hotel.

Afternoon Bus trip 12.noon to 4.30pm
Late Barbeque lunch at the Tui Brewery - escorted visited through the factory – sampling.
Wine and splits for those that don’t drink beer.
Note that suitable footwear must be worn as there could be broken glass on the floor.

For those not interested in shopping or seeing the sights, it is hoped that videos of the best presentations from Apimondia and the New South Wales 2008 conference will be screened for a couple of hours.

Conference Dinner (Formal dress) & Entertainment (Special Location)
6pm - Bus pick up from Hotel and Motels by arrangement only
DON’T FORGET YOUR CAMERA!

Thursday 16 July
Seminars - technology in beekeeping

8.30 Remote hive weighing Des Cannon
9.00 BeeSpeak- Acoustic monitoring of hives - Clive Mitchell
9.30 Harvest Electronics - Remote weather stations – Peter Munn
10 am Morning tea
10.30 Protecting NZ honey: proof of origin (James Driscoll)
11.00 Climate change: the insurance effect and impact on the beekeeping industry (Wayne Thomas, FMG)
11.30 Tutin – results to date (Jim Sim, NZFSA)

12.00 Lunch

Seminars - where are we going
1.00 Manuka Honey Testing Procedures – Gordana Aleksic-NZLabs
1.30 Current research at the University of Waikato (Prof Peter Molan)
2.00 Possible bio-control of Varroa-Dr Mark Goodwin
2.30 E.F.B possible effect on NZ beekeeping - Murray Reid
3 pm Afternoon tea
3.30 Chemical Resistant Varroa - Dr Mark Goodwin
4.00 Small Hive Beetle in Australia - Des Cannon
4.30 Questions

Sunday, May 25, 2008 - 08:12 PM

The NBA invites you to attend a 1 day seminar sponsored by the Sustainable Farming Fund

Please note: All beekeepers are welcome. There is no charge to attend

When & Where:

Thursday, 5th June
Conference Centre, Telford Rural Polytechnic

Friday 6th June
Greyway Lounge, Timaru Racecourse

Time: 10.00am to 4.30pm

Coffee & tea and a light lunch will be provided

The NBA will bring experienced North Island beekeepers
to present a “hands on” approach.
…………………………………………………………………

You must RSVP by 5.00pm Thursday 29 May to:

Pam Edwards by e-mail secretary@nba.org.nz or Fax (06) 362 6302

Speakers:

Mary Anne Thomason and James Ward
Managing Varroa in a Large Operation

Neil Farrer
Budgeting
Alternative treatments currently approved in New Zealand

Barry Foster
Organic methods of Varroa control.

Jane and Tony Lorimer
Oxalic acid treatments and the Organic trial.