Hi this is Episode Seventy four of our beekeeping podcast, This week we are talking about parasite’s, Nosema, 3,000-year-old beehives and Counterfeit Honey? Welcome To the kiwimana buzz…

Hi, it’s Gary and Margaret here, We are beekeepers from the hills of the Waitakere Ranges in West 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.

This executive producers for this months show are Lauren Hoffman and Aaron Jennings from Jennings Apiaries; We interviewed Aaron and Lauren on our last podcast, you will find the show here:-The team at Jennings Apiaries – Aaron and Lauren

You can download the podcast directly HERE, or click on the play button above. Feel free to share it with your friends.

What’s happening at kiwimana

Gary

New Fire

Shout out to “Lisa” who we met last weekend, hope the new vaporizer is going well.

Great movie on Netflix – “Beyond The Edge- we knocked the bastard off”

The new Minions Movie “Banana”

Twisted Ankle on the the Pallet Bridge of death

We talked to Mark Goodwin about the new Parsite ***Coming up***

Margaret

Workshop Clean Up

Spring Treatments Underway

Preparing hiveware

Doing the splits

beginners Spring Workshop coming soon

New Introduction Beekeeping course, starting in August, Book HERE

Blog Recap – Top three Blog Posts Last Month

These were download around 1500 times, podcasts over the same period had nearly 7,000 downloads!!

Beekeeping News

Bee colonies wiped out as new parasite spreads through New Zealand

A new Parasite “Lotmaria passim” has been discovered in the the Coromandel and lower north Island, which is causing devastating losses to beekeepers in those areas. We ask is this the start of CCD in New Zealand?

Independent scientists have identified a new parasite in bees on the Coromandel peninsula, one of several regions around New Zealand that have reported the loss of thousands of colonies of honey bees since last spring and a substantial drop in honey harvests since. Lotmaria passim, a parasite that attacks the gut of honey bees, was only discovered by a team of American researchers about six months ago.

Report from Radio NZ:-

Audio – Calls for beehive inspections

Comvita’s response

Parasite appeared to be more hype than a real threat Brett Hewlitt – Comvita Chief executive

Comvita Calm over new Bee Parasite

We talked to Dr Mark Goodwin

We had a quick chat with Dr Mark Goodwin from Plant and Food Research. They are doing a study to find how to prevent colony losses because of the parasite. You can report Hive losses to the EPA HERE Read more:- Bee colonies wiped out as new parasite spreads through New Zealand

FatBeeMan – Noseema Treatment for Honey Bees

Your feedback

Craig Hawkins – Interesting how bees have been around for eons Now there getting wiped out hand over fist. Makes you wonder who or what is happing Jude Purenti – I have had more around now than i did in spring and summer so strange.. Gill Ashmead Mecoy – This is scary

Why This Celebrity-Backed Honey Is Worth Counterfeiting

An article By Bruce Einhorn on bloomberg.com site 1,700 tons of honey is produced in New Zealand, but 10,000 tons is distributed around the world. So they say 83% is counterfeit. Most of this counterfeit comes from Chinese distributors.

Celebrities and foodies love manuka honey, the so-called superfood from New Zealand made by bees that pollinate manuka trees

Why This Celebrity-Backed Honey Is Worth Counterfeiting

Learning lessons from Comvita

Over the past decade sales at Comvita have increased four fold and its operating profits almost five fold

Behind Comvita’s excellent year-end results lies a long story of how it has learnt to create and capture value in health products.

Learning lessons from Comvita

How the honey bee makes pollen pellets

A great post from Rusty of Honey Bee Suite about how Bees pack pollen pellets on their legs. We need to ask her if she wants to be a guest on the podcast 🙂

A honey bee has three sets of legs, and each set is different. The last two legs—the hindlegs—are designed to compress and carry the pollen pellets that are characteristic of honey bees and bumble bees.

How the honey bee makes pollen pellets

Your feedback

Scott Matthews – They also pack wax, not just pollen!

Photo courtesy of Scott Matthews

3,000-year-old beehives found in Israel

A row of old beehives were located in Jerusalem in 2007, proof that Israel is indeed the milk and honey.

Archaeologists digging in northern Israel have discovered evidence of a 3,000-year-old beekeeping industry, including remnants of ancient honeycombs, beeswax and what they believe are the oldest intact beehives ever found.

3,000-year-old beehives found in Israel

Your feedback

Tamarra Taylor – Why am I sitting in an office when there is so much of the world to see?!!!

Sophia Byles – Amazing find!

photo courtesy of Amihai Mazar / AP

Wisdom from an old beekeeper – especially on varroa

A great story about Ron Hoskins who has been keeping bees for over 70 years.

Ron has been on the BBKA executive committee, trained lots of new beekeepers, and is well known, firstly, for his conservation efforts breeding the native British Black Bee, and also for creating a varroa-tolerant strain of honeybee.

Wisdom from an old beekeeper – especially on varroa

Your feedback

Natural Beekeeping Tasmania – Fascinating. We have a secure British Black Bee population directly descendant from the original bees brought out during colonisation of Tasmania. Let’s hope they help if we ever get the mite here. Treatment free the way to go!

June Eyles – Such a fascinating read. Great article and well done Ron Hoskins.

Questions from you…

How to seal off the Beehive Entrance – Waylon, Texas When to treat for Varroa mites – Lynsey, Melbourne How to get into Beekeeping in New Zealand – Brett, Auckland How can I be the executive producer of the kiwimana buzz – Malcolm, Auckland

If you have a question, email [email protected] and the team at kiwimana will do our best to answer.

Feedback from you guys!!!

The Tweeters

Wow we almost have 4000 followers !!!!

Itunes

Great work team. – Tramper Ted – 5 Stars – New Zealand

I appreciate the energy and effort that you put in to this podcast. Awesome. – Friday, 10 July 2015 Please review our podcast on Itunes?.

Emails

Love the podcast, I listened to every episode, enjoy your topics, sound quality, guests, and the “Awesome” Margaret . Also you should go off on a tangent all you want, it makes it real!…Jeff Tucker

Our New Patreon Followers

This month we have these great new supporters.

Gavin Webber From The fantastic Greening Of Gavin blog and podcast, check out his great website about creating a sustainable lifestyle in this modern world.

Also big thanks to Graeme Mander and Amanda Bowdler for their monthly donation.