Hi from Australia

Hi Rick,

Unfortunately we’re only offering a scheduled pickup for nucs here in Victoria, However Graham from NT bees may be able to help you out: his number is 0437179261

Cheers,

William Rogers
The Bunyip Beekeeper
www.facebook.com/thebunyipbeekeeper/

Thanks Gumnuts,

                      I had seen this website, but thanks anyway.  Looks like Warwick may be my nearest club.

Regards,
Peter.

Thanks Rodderick,

I had seen this website, but thanks anyway. Looks like Warwick may be my nearest club.

Regards,
Peter

Hi rmks,
There has been a lot of work done with the Tretragonula species in NSW, even to the point of creating a honey super for them, however the most honey that could be extracted is less then 1kg a season and in some areas removing their honey may cause the demise of the colony. I have a native hive alongside a couple of honeybee hives and they are great to watch. We have tried to extract honey but their brood is generally too close to the honey stores and gets damaged in the process. Many people keep them for their novelty value, I had to bite the bullet and get into honeybees. Sure glad I did.

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I’d love to have some native stingless honey bees, but too cold down where I am for them :frowning:

Cheers,

William Rogers
The Bunyip Beekeeper
www.facebook.com/thebunyipbeekeeper

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Thanks TBB. I’ll look him up when I get back to Oz.

Hi rmks My grandchildren live in Eltham and my wife and I visit a few times a year. Be happy to share a coffee with you next time we are there if you like.

Hello from Townsville. I haven’t kept bees for about 15 years, but have just bought a nuc hive of bees. Hopefully they will be ready for the flow frames come December.

Sure, i’m not very mobile, so if you would like to come around to my house.
Introduce urself and let me know on rmks@hotmail.com.

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Hi I’m also in eltham. Any other newbees in the area? Might send you a message rmk!

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Yeah for me it would more be the novelty of keeping native bees rather than any honey-harvesting.
As I am allergic to bees, wasps and ants, it would be good to have a stingless colony.
I believe the Native bee honey is more concentrated and , as you said, smaller in quantity. if honey was to be extracted, then it would be important to ensure that this could be a partial process and only done infrequently.

look forward to hearing from you
@Noddy

These Liguriun Bees, are they with or without stings?

If you are in Victoria, then sadly I believe it is too cold for the Native Stingless, lots of flowering plants in the garden should attract the solitary bees which can be easily observed. The stingless bees are not much bigger than an ant (the small black variety) and very hard to see. The very first honeybee sting I received my arm blew up like a balloon and was quite painful, then after a few more over the months my reaction became less and less where now it is still painful but subsides after 5 minutes or so with only minor swelling. Only a very small minority of people are in danger of an anaphylactic reaction, I hope this is not you?

Hi rmks,

The Ligurians are still European honey bees, however they are genetically pure and not hybridised.

They are very docile and forgiving to work with and are less likely to sting - but will still do so if threatended or if you accidently squish one.

I think there should be an imperative for smaller bee-keepers to take advantage of the latest $20,000 investment announced in the latest Federal Government budget, to acquire Flow_hives. The potential labour-saving costs could be enormous in themselves. Any significant increase in sales may also help drive down the production costs in manufacture, making them an even more attractive acquisition in the future.
Question is, how to get “The Word” out?

Unfortunately, I am severely allergic & occasionally had to have adrenalin, when I was young.
I now keep a supply of antihistamines at home and am careful not to walk barefoot outside ,esp. if clover is in flower.

Hi Gumnuts!
I’m just down the road from you at Raymond Terrace. My wife and I have invested in a full flow hive and can’t wait to get started at the end one the year. Might see you on Sunday at the meeting! Happy to share our future knowledge on local wins and fails with you!

Hi All,
Sam from Raymond Terrace NSW.
First time beekeeper very green to this. My father in law has a property close by and due to recent severe storms one of his iron bark trees has fallen over, with a hive inside. What I was wondering was, is it possible to get a brood box going and transfer these bees in? From what I can see the colony looks strong. They are definitely some sort of European breed. The bees seem to not mind me walking straight up to the entry point within two feet. The father in law wants to cut the tree up but I’ve held him up in case I can save the colony and transfer them over. I understand I need to get the queen, not sure how big the hive is until I cut in with a chainsaw. Do I have a chance of success here? If so, what’s the best plan? Smoking, sugar water, cutting the tree open at night? Baiting a brood box next to the existing hive? The entry for the bees into the tree was facing south before it fell over, now it faces directly up to the sky now so I’m not sure how long they’ll survive the rain and weather. Any tips/advice appreciated. Sam

Hi Sam,
You should gear yourself up with a smoker and a good suit before tackling them. Wouldn’t bother with sugar water or doing it at night. The queen is important but not as important as the brood comb, get as much brood comb as possible and strap this into empty frames with elastic bands. There are lots of YouTube clips on this. Once the bees sense that their brood is in your box, they should walk right in there. Leave the box in this position for a week or so before moving to a new location (which should be done at night).

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