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Podcast
Boundary Beekeeping Battles – KM107
This week we are talking about Proposed Manuka Rules and a new mite threat to look out for ( as if we haven’t got enough to lookout for !! ). This is Episode One Hundred and Seven of our beekeeping podcast.
This week we would like to thank MeadDrinkr Tysen
Tysen have been supporting the kiwimana buzz for over 6 months
Tysen has a podcast all about Making Mead, over HERE
Thanks for your support!!!
If you also value what we do, please consider supporting us on http://kiwi.bz/banana
You can download the podcast directly HERE, or click on the play button above. Feel free to share it with your friends.
If you value what we bring to you – you may like to make a one-off donation – if you really appreciate our efforts – you can easily do it on our website.
Aaron is one of our regular supporters through making donations – thanks Aaron
Welcome To the kiwimana buzz..
Hi, it’s Gary and Margaret here, We are beekeepers from the hills of the Waitakere Ranges in West Auckland, New Zealand. Our podcast is about beekeeping, Gardening and bit of politics about environmental issues. We also have been known to go off on tangents about other issues.
Big Shoutout to our listeners in South Carolina in the USA this month.
Did you know Margaret …It’s illegal to fish with a yo-yo or dynamite in the fine state of South Carolina.
Yo this is what they’re talking about
A Yo-You isn’t what you think
This automatic fishing spring loaded reel is great for docks, boats, or bank lines because the hook is set without you being there.Dale Maynes – @FishingFun2
Yo Yo Fishing Reel In Action
Thank you for listening to our show, we know life is busy for you and appreciate you have taken the time to join us today
What’s happening at kiwimana
Gary
- Fitbit Friends Update – Crickets 😥 , Follow Gary on FitBit HERE
- We were interviewed on the Hive Talkin podcast last week, we have a great time talking to Tony. Hopefully we can make the next Beehooligans podcast.
- How to do a Sugar Shake Video is out now on YouTube, you can find it HERE
Margaret
- Sadly our top bar failed – fed her, her brood wasn’t huge but they were feisty but they just didn’t have much nectar in
- The hive which took so long to raise a queen – which was awesome, decided to swarm – and – despite my efforts of capturing her 3 times no less….and giving them a yummy frame of honey and put in a new smaller hive box….they swarmed again and we were out grrr..
- Both these losses just taught me about plans of mice and men…that we can’t control everything – I believe the main failure was because they didn’t have enough food – as my cell inspections did not reveal any visual signs of disease
- But let’s talk banaNas ! – yep BanaNa 1 at the education apiary is doing well with lots of honey and nectar
- Then there’s BanaNa 2 she is going ….crazy ( yeah you thought I was gonna say BanaNas but fooled ya)
- Anyways the education apiary is only about 5 kms away but what a difference that makes. BanaNa 2 has great brood pattern and lots of honey and nectar
- Courses finally starting for May and filling up fast
- Wasps are blimmin’ breeding and heaps around, I saw the girls in our 7 frame colony…surrounding a wasp that snuck in behind the robbing-screen and boy did they hammer it !! I was proud of them ….it just couldn’t get out and died as the beast it was trapped and cornered..can’t help but feel joy
- One comment about this Bee Season is that I have struggled and losing two more colonies is heart-breaking I really think the last three bee season have been the toughest – the four years before we had a wonderful time, splitting hives, new queens mating well, big honey production and life felt sweet…I miss those days.
- Nectar flow really sparse here in our neighbourhood – our area has seen huge increases in beehives so my thoughts turn to the fact that I believe our area is over-populated and one of the news story talks of war….between Landowners and guess whose name pops-up…you’ll find out shortly
Blog Recap
Top three Blog Posts Last Month
- Battling for Honey Gold
- What are the 3 basics to start beekeeping? Part 1 – Essential Beekeeping Equipment
- Why should you keep Beekeeping Records with James Wilkes from Hive Tracks
- Delicious, Cheap Recipes That Use Up Your Herb Garden
Beekeeping News
New processing plant for backyard apiarists
A new extraction plant has been setup in Waipu for hobby Beekeepers, great news.
Five Waipu beekeepers keen to pool resources and knowledge for the benefit of themselves and small time hobby apiarists have banded together to build a honey extraction plant which can be used by the community.
Annette Lambly
New processing plant for backyard apiarists
Your Feedback
Alanya Claire Wiles Smith – Interesting idea!
Northlander on trial accused of stealing beehives
Another NZed story about a thieving mongrel 🙁
A Northlander was able to use an apiarist’s name to commercially extract just under 2000 kg of honey from beehives police alleged were stolen, a court has been told.
Northern Advocate
Northlander on trial accused of stealing beehives
Your Feedback
Barry Oliver – Glad he was caught
Donna Maree Cox – Stink buzz ?
Steve Henry – Got Stung the Bum
Vanessa Rotohiko – Good job stealing someone else’s hard work
Gill Ashmead Mecoy – Filthy scum…..I hope he gets locked away for years
Update to above Story – Guilty Plea Entered
Howes was remanded on bail to reappear for sentencing on July 12.
New Manuka Honey Rules
Have you heard this piece of gossip around the apiary and honey packing yards? Isn’t UMF enough ? OMG …Nothing ordinary about this story….
Karen from the Business of Bees Blog talks about the proposed rules regarding Exported Manuka Honey. Will this stop the honey fraud that is damaging the Manuka Honey Brand? MPI are releasing a discussion paper, which talks about some of the proposed tests.
MPI (Ministry of Primary Industries) is re-jigging the definition of manuka honey.
Word on the street is that there will be a ‘discussion document’ released in April 2017, and the final documentation will become law in June or July 2017.
So what does this mean to the ordinary beekeeper (OK, I know none of you are ‘ordinary’)
Karen Knight
- Well, the discussion paper was released on 11 April 2017, Read more at the MPI Site HERE
- You won’t be able to call your Honey “Manuka Honey” unless it passes the five tests.
- The definition uses 5 attributes (4 chemical markers and a DNA marker)
- Hill Laboratories can do the tests for you.
- This doesn’t affect Honey Sold in New Zealand at this stage.
Submissions close on 23 May 2017, public meetings are being held.
Honey wars: Pollen war breaks out between landowners
Geez another story from NZ. TV1 fair go programme investigate another Honey War!
Claims of “Boundary stacking” this time, from Whanganui, when will this craziness end guys?! This news story appeared on the consumer show Fair Go.
A pollen war has erupted between two landowners in the lower North Island – exposing an industry-wide problem as demand for Manuka honey soars.
Interesting point…
Under the hive-per-hectare ratio, Russell would have just 20 hives. Instead, he has more than 200. Russell says this is because he’s not just targeting Manuka, but all honey nectar – including thistles and clover.
Anna Burns-francis
- Why can’t people just get along? Comvita is the company involved again?
- How do you prevent Bees crossing borders? Perhaps talk to your neighbours first?
- Does this require some kind of law change to limit colonies numbers?
Honey wars: Pollen war breaks out between landowners
Physics for beekeepers: mold in a beehive
Another great post from Rusty from the Honey Bee Suite Blog. Indeed a Hive can be the perfect place for mold to grow in dead hives. She discusses ways to help prevent it.
Mold in a beehive is a result of colony death, not the cause of it. Mold spores are everywhere in the environment, waiting for the perfect conditions to germinate into hairy tufts
Rusty Burlew
Physics for beekeepers: mold in a beehive
Your Feedback
Lisa Arnold – Great read, thanks for sharing.
Honey bee parasite mite genome sequenced to aid in fight against bee colony destruction
A new mite to look out for ‘Tropilaelaps mercedesae’ has had it Genome sequenced to help create a treatment. The mites are native to Asia and have spread from their original host the giant honey bee, Apis dorsata, to the European honey bee Apis mellifera
Published today in the open-access journal GigaScience is an article that presents the genome of a parasitic mite, that infects bee colonies, which are facing wide-spread devastation across the entire world.
Bee Culture
Also great information has been released by the The National Bee Unit on this new mite.
Tropilaelaps – Parasitic mites of honey bees
Honey bee parasite mite genome sequenced to aid in fight against bee colony destruction
Questions from you
Margaret discusses general questions about failing colonies we have been getting.
No more Questions this month, I guess everyone is busy chopping up Firewood.
If you have a question, email us at [email protected] and the team at kiwimana will do our best to answer it. Or visit our speakpipe page HERE
Random Review
We Love Cake!!!As a small thank you to our customers we ask for a ‘product’ and from there, we randomly select one product review each month so they can go in to a draw for a $30 kiwimana gift certificate – a prize you can use !
But the draw winner must – Get in touch within 2 weeks – of the podcast release date to claim your prize.
This week’s winning review was:-
(You will have to listen to the show)
You will need to claim your prize before 17 May 2017
Feedback from you guys!!!
Two Hives Better than One Comment – We Hear from Tim
Gary,
Sorry I didn’t tell you where I live. I’m the one with the top bar hive and the long Langstroth (horizontal) hive. I live near San Antonio, TX. Our flow starts as early as February here, and it sure did this year! Lots of plants and trees started blooming in Feb, and the girls were bringing in pollen like crazy! We really only have about 3 months a year of colony dormancy (mid Nov-mid Feb), and many days it’ll still warm up enough for them to get out and cleanse. Love your show!Tim
The Twiters
Irish Fan from Pennsylvania
Gary and Margaret,
I’m from the United States and live in northeastern Pennsylvania. I enjoy listening to your podcasts and I’m entering my second year as a beekeeper. I’ve always wanted to give beekeeping a try but never had the time. I am a teacher and teach fourth grade and up until last summer I coached high school football. When I decided to retire I picked up beekeeping to take up the time football once claimed. I must say, I have been bitten by the beekeeping bug and I love it.Irish Fan
Follow Irish Fan on Twitter HERE
[patreon][endofpodcast] [saf include=itunes,rss,android,stitcher]Media Credits
- Crickets by FreethinkerAnon via FreeSound.org
- Blues riff in Eb on electric guitar BY UncleSigmund
- Aggressive news jingle short.wav by club sound
- Slow Burn Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
- Jazz guitar #5 109bpm.wav by Sub-d via FreeSound
