Help Eurobodalla Beekeepers save their Bees chemical free
Donation protected
- In June 2022, Varroa mite was detected in sentinel hives at the Port of Newcastle. It has since spread along the coast to southern Queensland and the Far South Coast of NSW, as well as inland beyond the Great Dividing Range.
- In our club, we have been gearing up for the arrival of the mite in our area, by bringing advisors in from the Department of Primary Industries and the National Amateur Beekeepers Association.
- Until recently, we faced the reality of needing to use chemical management for the control of the mite numbers if we wanted to continue to keep bees. Failure to manage the number of mites will inevitably lead to the collapse of our hives. The use of pesticides would taint our honey, and in some cases, make the honey not suitable for sale. The pesticides can also have a residual that stays in the bee’s wax and renders the wax unsuitable for making wax products like candles and wax wraps etc.
- Another non-chemical method of control in conjunction with the use of miticides is to encourage drone laying in one area of the hive, then freezing these frames to destroy the mite. (Varroa selectively lay in drone cells as the drone lava is in the brood cell for 3 additional days, allowing more reproductions of the mite) Unfortunately, this also kills the drone (who are responsible for the genetic variation to give bees the ability to be good foragers; nurse bees; hive cleaners; guard bees; queen attenders etc.
- Fortunately, we have recently learned that Dr Wolfgang Wimmer, in Austria, has designed and is manufacturing a heat control device that can be used at any time during the honey flow season; does not harm the bees (brood); and kills the Varroa that are breeding in the brood cells.
- A couple in Australia is importing the devices into Australia. They are giving Clubs and ABA members a discount. However the cost is still $6,300.
- So help us to raise the funds for the club to buy this Varroa Controller and save the hives we have without using chemicals.
Organizer
Eurobodalla Amateur Beekeepers
Organizer
Broulee, NSW