Sizzling in New Zealand – KM085

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This week we are talking about Hive Alive, New Wasp bait and 6 Things You Didn’t Know About Queen Bees and why does honey crystallise? This is Episode Eighty five of our beekeeping podcast. This executive producers for this month’s show are Aaron and Lauren Jennings from Jennings Apiaries who have been out to see the new Star Wars movie!!! 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 on the Wild West coast of 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. Shoutout to our amazing listeners in Nelson New Zealand, Did you know Nelson was the location of the first Rugby game ever in New Zealand on Saturday, May 14, 1870. Between between a Nelson College side and the Nelson Football Club. You can find out more HERE Big Shoutout to our listeners in Greece, Lorin and John – little update blog HERE Local shout-out to Tracey and her 84 year old Dad, Rod – latest photos from January inspection of his home-made foundationless bench hive ( look no gloves !!! ): Photos can be found HERE

What’s happening at kiwimana

Gary

• New Zealand’s First Podcast Conference. coming up 12 Feb, hope to meet you there, details HERE
• Went to Matamata, but didn’t go to Hobbiton.
• TPPA Environmental Concerns, Expert analysis of agreement HERE
• Some great interviews booked for 2016
• Beekeeper Q and A update, would you like to see them as podcasts? Check out the Beekeepers Q&A Page for the next one

Margaret

• Hive Alive – what is it?
• Beekeeping Courses – when and where ?
• Last beeginuzz kit – typical murphyís law !
• Robbing screen – little how-to guide blog, Link????
• Kiwibreeze– saved my life??? Extracting Honey in high Temperatures

Blog Recap – Top three Blog Posts Last Month

1. Happy Holidays
2. Commercial Beekeeping in Australia -We talk to Victor Croker
3. The Beekeepers Q&A – The Fat Bee Man “Don” joined us

Beekeeping News

Why does honey crystallize?

A great article from honeypedia about why Honey crystallised and some ways to stop it doing it.

• Occurs when glucose separates from water
• Cooler temperatures (below 10 C) are ideal for crystallisation delay.
• The more glucose the quicker the honey crystallised .

Ноnеу сrуѕtаllіzаtіоn, оftеn rеfеrrеd tо аѕ grаnulаtіоn, іѕ а nаturаl рhеnоmеnоn bу whісh hоnеу turnѕ frоm а lіquіd tо ѕеmі-ѕоlіd ѕtаtе wіth grаnulаr соmроѕіtіоn.

Why does honey crystallize?

Your Feedback

Jay Bennett – Interesting that below 10 degrees is the best temp to store honey ..,.. Might need to get an old fridge until I can build a cellar

Wasp bait developed in Nelson now publicly available

A new wasp bait “Vespex” has been released to the public that looks very promising for controlling wasps or Yellow Jackets. – You need to do a exam and then pay $58 to be a registered user

After extensive development, Nelson-based company Merchento announced the release of Vespex on Monday. It is a protein-based bait targeted at wasps that contains the insecticide, fiprinol.

Wasp bait developed in Nelson now publicly available You can find Merchento HERE Is it safe for Bees? From the Merchento site:-

Vespex was designed to contain nothing that is attractive to bees. They simply have no interest in it. In addition to this, the stewardship controls applied to the use of VespexÆfurther reduce any chance of exposure to bees or other non-targets. Tests of beehives positioned beside areas where baiting with Vespex has been undertaken show nil traces of the active ingredient.

How to run a wasp control programme with Vespex

Your Feedback

Phil Chandler – Beer also works. Bees are teetotal. Jennifer Finucane – I have noticed quite a few yellow jackets around – more than my usual number. Great to see new bait traps available! Nakita Honiss Kill – wasps ….wasps are bees number 1 enemy Zete Purongge – Please make one for the home garden!

Here is Phil Chandler Trap video

6 Things You Didn’t Know About Queen Bees

Another great post from Hilary in San Diego, California. She discusses some information about Queen Bees. How many of these did you know? Did you know that the Queen was thought to be a King bee in the 1600’s.

• Queen Bees Are Not Rulers
• Queens Only Have Sex Once in their Life
• All Fertilized Eggs Are Created Equal – Unfertilzed become Drones
• A Royal Deathmatch – Listen for the Siren
• Stingers Bring Death & Life – Not Barbed
• Royal Indigestion
• Queen Bees Crash Diet – Before Swarming

As the sole bee in her caste, the queen bee is an illustrious member of the beehive. She is not only unique among her colonyís population, she is vital to maintaining that population. A queen can lay up to 1,500 eggs a day! Although egg laying is her main gig, the queen has many other qualities that may surprise you. Read on to find out more about this all-important bee.

6 Things You Didn’t Know About Queen Bees

The World’s Largest Garden Supply Store Is Phasing Out Bee-Killing Insecticides

Home Depot is phrasing our Neonicotinoid treated plants. Home Depot is a large hardware retailer in the US. Home Depot will still stock insecticide sprays and other consumer products that contain Neonicotinoids 🙁 Well I guess it’s a start? Come on Mitre 10!!!!!

The change was spurred by a study conducted by the environmental group Friends of the Earth that found 51 percent of plants purchased at The Home Depot, Loweís, and Walmart locations in 18 cities had been treated with the chemicals. On Thursday, The Home Depot, which has more than 2,200 locations in the U.S., said that it has stopped treating 80 percent of its garden plants with neonics, as they are called, and will phase out pretreated plants altogether by 2018.

Also Aldi the first major retailer in Europe is doing the same, with a ban on Bee Killing Pesticides ,including neonicotinoids. Read more HERE. The World’s Largest Garden Supply Store Is Phasing Out Bee-Killing Insecticides

Your Feedback

Glenys Carr – 2018! better 2 years away than never I suppose Natural Beekeeping Tasmania – Let’s vote with our cash here and buy from stores actively providing safe plants and seeds. Let’s make habit of asking every time we buy if they have been treated with neonics. Elizabeth Walter – About time!

New LASI oxalic acid research published

Emily from the Adventures in beeland Blog discussed Scientists at the University of Sussex have determined the best way of controlling Varroa mites is by using an Oxalic Acid Vaporizer.

• Trickling and spraying Oxalic Acid cause harm to bee colonies, resulting in reduced winter survival
• Vaporizing inside the hive using an electrically heated tool has no negative effect on the bees. In fact, colonies treated in this way had 20% more bees four months later than untreated colonies.

Beekeepers should only use the sublimation method. If they apply oxalic acid in this way, they can be confident that it will kill most of the mites and will not harm the bees…Professor Francis Ratnieks

I was dismayed to see a new press release, “Scientists determine how to control parasite without harming bees”, which advises beekeepers not to use the trickling or spraying oxalic acid method (which is what most beekeepers I know use). Instead sublimation (also known as vaporisation) is recommended.

[clickToTweet tweet=”You be confident that it will kill most of the mites and will not harm the bees..Prof. Ratnieks” quote=”Beekeepers should only use the sublimation method. If they apply oxalic acid in this way, they can be confident that it will kill most of the mites and will not harm the bees…Professor Francis Ratnieks ” theme=”style3″] New LASI oxalic acid research published Full article is HERE

Our Vaporizer:-

Infrared: The Next Generation In Colony Management

Using a Infrared camera to check your bees during winter.

• Cameras are coming down in Price and you can even get adapters for your mobile phone.
• Camera will probably not be able to see a small colony. As its not generated enough heat to effect the outside of the hive.
• On the chat with Victor we discussed “The Bunyip Beekeeper” experiment with this technology.

Have you ever wished that you could check your bees without having to suit up, get the smoker going, and dismantle each hive for inspection? How about in the winter, when itís too cold to inspect bees without chilling the cluster? Or maybe, you want to remove a bee colony from a wall or ceiling, but donít know where it is or how big it is?

Infrared: The Next Generation In Colony Management

Your Feedback

Natural Beekeeping Tasmania – I will be interested to know what the bees think given they can respond to a wide range of wavelengths

Questions from you

• How to make beehive frames – Connor – Wellington Margaret’s Article: How to Build Beehive Frames
• What kind of health issues do beekeepers get – Julie – Brisbane
• What do you do with bees when on holiday – Titus – Christchurch

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

Random Review

We have a new feature this month, a Random review!!! New Years Resolution – we have set-up – as a thank you for reviewing a product. Weíll draw out a random product review each month. The winner will receive a $30 kiwimana on-line shop product gift certificate. If you are the lucky WINNER : ) You’ll have 14 days to claim from podcast release date. Please take time to review on-line. This month’s winner has until Thursday 25 Feb 2016 NZ to claim their Gift Certificate

Voicemails from You

We got a message from Ricky??? A man of not many words 🙂

Patreon

This month we have these great new supporters. “Thinking Bee Podcast” made a monthly pledge of $1! Yay …banaNas…!!!!

iTunes

Really – Whatswrongwiththispic – 5 Stars – United States of America

Great podcast minus their newfound Kevin moments. One star for the moment. They took it well 🙂 – Friday, 15 January 2016

Yay Whatswrongwiththispic has changed his review to five stars…Nothing wrong with this picture now 🙂

Twitter

Great picture from Anne in Denmark:

Skis and bees!

Anne writes:- @kiwimanabuzz You’re my favourite beekeeping podcast, I really enjoy listening to you from across the world (Denmark)! [newsletter] [endofpodcast]