Articles
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The Editor
ABK.
I wonder how many beekeepers around Australasia are tired of losing hives to AFB and would like to try a new approach. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Several books tell of European beekeepers taking their bees to herb fields to restore the bees’ health. Elsewhere, several plants are described as being “good for bees’ health”, etc.
A story did the rounds of south-east Queensland ten years ago of a beekeeper whose hives, surrounded by a large herb garden, escaped the AFB that...
August 2010 is the 6th anniversary of an operation on my back. At times I still have to tolerate a degree of pain and discomfort and that’s just from sitting in a car or at my desk. Working and handling bee boxes can be an occupational hazard. Most beekeepers, when asked will admit to having a sore back at some stage of their time in keeping bees. Some beekeepers like me continue to have persistent pain associated with their backs and resort to taking anti-inflammatory medication.
I...
Dear Editor,
Does a wounded queen heal?
I wonder if your readers would be interested in the story of a queen wounded, near squished, by clumsy handling, and a unique opportunity to follow her recovery visually over the next three days and follow-up for six months? I have never read such an account or even mention of wound healing in bees.
On the 18th February 2010, while putting bees in a display case for a show, I identified the queen and set about to mark her. Knowing full well that you do...
As announced in the May issue of the ABK, and also in the recently released RIRDC Honeybee R&D News (No.5 May 2010), I have recently been selected as a Climate Champion, representing the Honeybee Industry.
As I explained in the last issue, the Climate Champion Program is being...
As I explained in the last issue, the Climate Champion Program is being...
I recently attended the induction workshop of the Climate Champion program. This program is run under the Managing Climate Variability (MCV) initiative, an Australian government initiative, funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) and Land and Water... (Address to Tocal Field Day Oct. '86)
(from THE AUSTRALASIAN BEEKEEPERNovember, 1986)
(Ed. Note: Way back when, as a beginning beekeeper who had just started trying to make a go of becoming a commercial beekeeper, I was avidly reading as much material as I could lay my hands on. I was also attending Field Days, and heard Graham Kleinschmidt give the following address at the 1986 Tocal Field Day. I was very pleased that the then Editor of The ABK, Bill Winner, printed Graham’s talk in The ABK....
The territory now occupied by the Republic of Uruguay was discovered in 1516 by the leader of a Spanish exploration party, named Juan Diaz de Solia. Uruguay in South America is boarded in the north and north eastern frontiers by Brazil and separated from Argentina by the Rio de la Plata river in the south and the Rio Uruguay in the west, the east is boarded by the Atlantic Ocean. Uruguay covers 176,215 square kilometres, there are no impenetrable forests or deserts regions or mountains the...
(Ed.Note: It has not been possible to add the photographs that accompanied this article to the web version)
What do we know about drones?
Although many aspects of honeybee biology have been studied extensively over the past decades, the males have always remained the neglected gender [1]. This is partly due to the fact that honeybee drones do not participate in any of the colony’s tasks, and also because they are mostly present during a short season. Moreover, the most important event in a...
American Foulbrood - What is it?
American foulbrood (AFB) disease is the most serious brood disease of bees in NSW. It is caused by the bacterium Paenibacillus larvae. In Australia, it has been found in all states. Infection may lead to serious economic loss through the destruction of colonies and loss of production.
It is a notifiable disease under the NSW Apiaries Act 1985. There is a persistent low level of infection in NSW. Early and accurate diagnosis is essential
Spores remain viable...
Introduction
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to transport bees utilizing a fully insulated air conditioned curtain side truck body? Since the winter of 2004 we have been doing just that. With this article I’d like to share with you the many benefits (including; shifting hives securely during both night and day, transporting honey supers in a bee tight and climate controlled environment). I’d also like to highlight the system’s weakness (including the initial expense, problems...