Sailabee

We need to convert judges into hobby beekeepers, then the sentences would change!

Wish someone had let us know it was on in Auckland, would have liked to have seen it. Was not at a theatre that I knew existed.

@Trevor Gillbanks, yes, excellent day, good to catch up again. Suppliers for the strips were Attwoods Packaging and Oji Fibre Solutions - who are NZ based manufacturers. Have still to find the article that Graham Woods referred to - I had written down Api Corner, but have yet to find right link on Google.

I made my first boxes out of doulgas fir, but painted them, and so far done 10 years, glued with exterior PVA, 7 galv nails/corner, and still as good to go. Perfectly happy - the douglas fir was very dry and well seasoned.

The mBovis was worse than it should have been, partly because of those not keeping their Nait tag information up to date - exactly the same as happens with AFB and unregistered hives and AFB. Having been dairying when both Brucellosis and TB were more prevalent, people are now into factory farming and are shifting huge numbers of stock constantly around the country. Instead of raising their own replacement stock, week old calves are sold to someone to raise to weaning, then on to next owner to raise to heifer near calving, etc. We used to be very circumspect about buying in from a source of unknown or untrusted disease status. I see migrating bees and disease in much the same way.

Yes, both sides of the political divide seem to be in collaboration, shortening the years considerably with each year.

Will be there, be good to catch up!

If making your own boxes from scrape, get @dansar to explain which way the grain needs to go inside/outside to minimalise the lifting top and bottom.

Thank You Dennis, having a board member of ApiNZ condoning the state of affairs in such a public domain is gold! If I am censured by the administrators for posting the truth, I'm so good with that - we all have our own definition of integrity, and while a fourth generation kiwi, I'm still Irish enough to see that as far more important to me.

One of the biggest shaftings is our 'must have' honey judge happily judged at the Australian Bee Conference last year, awarding prizes to jelly-bush honey labelled as manuka, and called manuka as a class to be judged. Time I would think for a new judge of any NZ honey competition.

Most areas in Australia have the advantage of no varroa, that has got to be a huge advantage - more hives/staff unit, and cheap gamma steralisation of all boxes and frames etc to sort any other greebies. Plus non of the insane and growing testing regime - no tutin for one thing.

Sorry @frazzledfozzle, not up to date at present, but at the Whangarei meeting I had the impression they were all struggling because the new testing regime meant that very little qualified as high rating manuka. Will hopefully know more after June 8.

Agreed, it is possible to be all theory - but when it comes to understanding the new manuka tests, a through education in the biochemistry is what most of us beekeepers lack. Not only having the education, but as the principal of Tahi Honey John Craig has a unique grasp of the problems which the new tests have wrought on the Northland area.

Try reading the info on John Craig on the Tahi Estate website - remarkable example of conservation blending with beekeeping. Over the last year Harrods of London did a big promo on Tahi Honey. Has the backround to truly understand the current problems of manuka testing, and was eloquently vocal as well as very versed in the technical side at the manuka testing consultation meeting in Whangarei.

Still building leaky homes up here, in spite of the Council Building permit process which costs an arm and a leg, and much of the inner city cost of subdividing prohibits many of the subdivisions of existing urban sections being completed. For example, one large section with house in Browns Bay could as of right be subdivided into three under the city plan, but after family had worked it out, found they could spend $180,000, and still not have it finalised. It is hard for the rest of the country to understand the sheer evil and stupidity of a 'super city'.