The Journal of the Victorian Apiarists' Association
The acute phase of varroa continues its spread across all of Victoria this autumn. Yes, unfortunately, next season‟s varroa reinfestations are looming large. Varroa doesn‟t care what type of hive you use or truck you drive, it is relentless and permanently changing how we manage our hives. The news of synthetic pyrethroid and synthetic formamidine … Read more
Central Victoria has seen sporadic flowering of grey box mid to late March, with some red bottlebrush (Callistemon) observed flowering in late March, unusual for this time of year. I suspect the weather has the local flora second guessing itself. Thankfully the earlier rains have so far promoted continued growth on quite a few tree … Read more
As we approach our first Victorian winter with varroa mites, we must be even more careful to consider colony health. Bees in winter are different from those of the rest of the year. Instead of a work-weary demise after about 6 weeks, winter bees are longer lived. Indeed in climates much colder than ours, they … Read more
By Kris Fricke What do you think when you hear the term PMS? What if your friend tells you, as you catch him getting out of his bee truck looking harried, “ah, mate, the girls have PMS”? “Parasitic Mite Syndrome” was coined in the United States in 1994 when both tracheal and varroa mites were … Read more
By John Edmonds Beekeeping is a fascinating science. Sure, you can be just a “honey grubber” or you can apply some scientific thinking to achieve a better outcome. You soon realize that you are always learning and trying to predict what is happening in the bee hive. There are so many factors to alter the … Read more