This week we are talking about when Great Britain came to kiwi nirvana land, Addiction, Saunas, Bumblebees and Sticky fingers. This is Episode Eighty Seven of our beekeeping podcast.

Recorded March 2016 – so this means Autumn is here in New Zealand, so in this show weíll talk about what we are up to to prepare for the end of Summer.

We want to thank Aaron and Lauren Jennings from Jennings Apiary for all their support.

You can download the podcast directly HERE, or click on the play button above. Feel free to share it with your friends.

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 and this show is no different !

Big Shoutout to our listeners in Limerick in Ireland this month.

Limerick is where Frank McCourt’s memoir “Angela’s Ashes” is based.

What’s happening at kiwimana

Gary

• Podcasting Conference Thoughts
• My kiwilife podcast is found HERE
• Snap Chat, our account is “kiwimanabuzz”
  Our PreShow Snap we talked about in the show.
  
• Presentation to the Kimberley Childcare Centre
• Met Chris and Laura listeners from England!!!
• Mentioned on a possible new Beekeeping Podcast “Let’s talk about Top Bar Beekeeping”

  Thanks for comments about Margaret beeing a hoot !!!

Margaret

• Hive Alive Update – no update
• Beekeeping course SOLD OUT
• Beekeeper services
• Annual leave but not for a holiday
• Bee Season 2016
• Wow big thanks for all your reviews – the winner ? Where are you??

Blog Recap – Top three Blog Posts Last Month

• Sizzling in New Zealand

  Feedback from Joe Lewis
  The Dyce method is discussed on this Linda Tillman article:-
  Making Creamed Honey

  Ingo from Wales writes:-

  Hi Gary and Margaret

  Aldi is a huge budget supermarket that has spread from Germany throughout most of Europe and very popular.

  Unfortunately they sell very cheap honey that is EU and Non-EU blend, so probably from China or elsewhere. It is time that product labeling in the EU should state exact country of origin. If the TAPP (TPPA) goes through we will all be eating food laced with HFC syrup which is GMO based, we do not understand the long term health consequences for humans. I agree with Margaret that this treaty will only benefit politicians and the multinational companies.

  Enjoying all the news and podcasts, keep the tangents coming Margret and Banana to you!

  Best wishes from a wet Wales, Ingo

  Emily from London

  Thanks for linking to my blog! Your website is looking fab.



• Beekeeping in Wellington with Frank Lindsay
• Beekeepers Q&A – End of Jan

Beekeeping News

Local man accused of having sticky fingers

A story about a Bee thief that allegedly stole three shipping containers full of beekeeping equipment.

A Northland man is facing more charges of stealing beehives as well as three shipping containers which contained items relating to the production of honey.

Local man accused of having sticky fingers

Your Feedback

Follow The Honey – We don’t “Like” this, but you know what we mean! 😉
Bert Legg – Glad they caught them pity more weren’t caught. It will be a good day when trackers can be more affordable for all beeks pros and the backyarders
Gill Ashmead Mecoy – Throw away the key….scum
Craig Lovell – I’d like to think he’ll be hung by the hocks for this

Greed, threats mar honey hunt

Trouble a brewing up north with Corporate beekeeping companies employing unethicall practices in the hunt for Manuka honey says Malcolm Scrivener in the article from the Farmers weekly website in New Zealand.

Too many bees are exploiting Far North manuka so yields and quality are adversely affected and large companies are behaving unethically, beekeepers say the gold rush for unique manuka factor (UMF) honey sources has brought about turf disputes, threats, assaults and even hive fires and box destruction, they said.

Greed, threats mar honey hunt

Your Feedback

Joyce Kennedy – Sounds like all the other gold rush schemes, Angora Goats, Alpacas etc etc sickening
Chris Mitchell – sounds like water resources in Canterbury, not easy to solve.

Innovative Solution for Varroa Mite: Sauna for the Bees

An interesting ideas from Germany that exploits the low tolerance to heat that the varroa mites have. The project is still in the development phase and is looking for funding.

• Suspect the prices tag of our 1500 euros would put off most New Zealand Beekeepers.
• Mites and bees have a six degrees difference in heat tolerance.

Beekeepers, we get always sparkles in the eyes, when we hear the news about fighting against varroa mite. This news is certainly worth of your attention, just like related news from last year; Innovation: Effective Biological Varroa mite Treatment.

Innovative Solution for Varroa Mite: Sauna for the Bees

Your Feedback

Matt Brake – Really interesting Gary – does it not make the bees want to beard on the hive though, to cool off? Even if they did, i guess it would be worth it to avoid using chemicals to get rid of varroa… wonder if I could make one… 🙂
El Buz – great idea!

How Does Honey Affect Your Blood Counts?

Regular Honey consumption normalizes white blood cell “Leukocytes” count in your blood

• Blood Cholesterol is reduced?
• The recommended daily dose of honey is 1–2 g. per kilo of body weight.

*** Check with your Doctor before following this article ***

A spoonful of honey cannot cause much of a change in the long run. But those of you who regularly consume honey will most probably have better blood counts.

How Does Honey Affect Your Blood Counts?

Your Feedback

Heather Carston – Where though, are the results for those with diabetes?

The 10 Stages of Beekeeping Addiction

A great post from Hilary from the Beekeeping Like a Girl blog. All about signs that a Beekeeper has Beekeeping addiction. How many of these do you have?

1. You have Withdrawals
2. You drone on about bees
3. You investigate all nearby flowers for ìyourî bees.
4. You need to I.D. all buzzing UFOs.
5. You constantly think, ìI could put a hive thereî.
6. You hear buzzing when there are no bees around.
7. When you close your eyes at night, you see bees.
8. When you feel pain, you assume you are being stung.
9. Bees find you everywhere.
10. Bees frequent your dreams.

Random Margaret Tangent – when you start to compare family members to types of bees…

Our interview with Hilary will be out soon, so be sure to subscribe to our podcast.

Many new beekeepers fall head-over-heels for bees. I often joke that my own story is the classic tale of “girl meets bee”. Not only is the world of bees fascinating, the sheer volume of information on the subject can be engrossing.

The 10 Stages of Beekeeping Addiction

Your Feedback

Chris Andrews – She missed ‘You buy different types of hives to compare how happy the bees are and which they prefer’
Daniel Benefield – I think I’m an addict…

Why you need to avoid bumblebee nests

Well BumbleBees Rock for starters!!! We get lots of calls to move Bumble Bee nests with limited luck.

Everyone likes bumblebees – until they build their nest too close for comfort, that is.
Bumblebees build seasonal nests, usually underground, but also in wall cavities, and even old piles of leaves. By late spring they are literally hives of activity.

Why you need to avoid bumblebee nests

Questions from you

• How often can you use oxalic acid vaporizer?
  Some advice from the interview with Frank Lindsay HERE* Talk about vaporizers starts at 34:00
• How to Get Rid of a Wasp Nest in NZ

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

Feedback from You

Voice Mails

We got a voice message on Speakpipe from Steve Lawson, host of future podcast “Lets Talk about Top Bar Beekeeping”

Wow doesn’t he have a cool podcasting voice !!! We are looking forward to his new show.

Random Review

As a small thank you we randomly select one product review each month. The winner will receive a $30 kiwimana gift certificate. Get in touch within 2 weeks of the podcast release date to claim your prize.

*** Last Month’s Prize didnít get picked up, so this month the prize jackpots to $60!!! ***

This draw covers reviews submitted up to 24 Feb 2016

The winner was (Listen to the show)

Contest Closes 23 March 2016 Midnight New Zealand Time.

We use Random.org to generate the random review.

Margarets Auutum Tips for your bees

Margaret talks about some things to do with your bees over the next few weeks in New Zealand and Spring tips for the Northerm Hemisheapre.

Whats coming up

We have some great interviews, here is an except from ones with Mary Canning from “Follow the Honey in Boston”

Your Mission this month

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