ChristchurchHobbyist Beekeepers -

50th Year!Founded 1963

May 2014 Newsletter

President's ReportI t's hard to believe the year has gone so fast and the last Field Day is

on our doorstep. I t has been an eventful year with our 50 Year

Celebrations, Field Days, Training Days and site improvements

Our 50th celebration dinner went off in great style with 82 people

present including Jeremy and Charlotte Foate as Special Guests

standing in for the Van Ash Family. We all enjoyed the wonderful

dinner and an amazing cake created and decorated by Helen English.

A special treat was the solo musical interlude by Rob McLean on his

Harmonica. Rob played Danny Boy and When The Saints GoMarching In among others. I t was fantastic - he had everyonebuzzing . . . .

Brian Busch was presented with his l ife membership in recognition of

his ongoing contribution to the Club; and we all took home some

goodies from a special bag on the table. Thanks to our sponsors,

Ecroyd Beekeeping supplies, Beeline supplies, Whittaker's chocolate,

Alpine Forest Honey and Warehouse Stationery.

We had a great turn out to our field trip to Doug Horne's honey

processing plant at Styx Apiary in Oxford on Sunday 1 3 Apri l . 60

members turned up and were treated to a perspective of the bigger

picture of commercial beekeeping. This coming field day wil l be a

celebration day with tree planting to commemorate the 50th

Anniversary of the club. Our special guest wil l be David Penrose, the

founder of the Club and first President, who wil l plant a

commemorative tree. I look forward to seeing you all there. Keep

your bees well fed during the coming months!

Jeff Robinson

Chakra Sisters Bee Products

See text on last page

Inside -

AnniversaryDinner

Bees in a Wall

AGM

Recipe

...and More!

50th Anniversary Dinner Images...Courtesy of David Alexander, Photographer

Our own Helen English with her wonderfulcreation.

Jeff Robinson, our President, honoursBrian Busch with Life Membership.

Helen presenting our gift for the vanAsch family to Jeremy and Charlotte Foate.

A harmonica interlude from Rob McLean.Our Life Members cut the cake (L to R:Henry Tenhow, Bill Gates, EleanorPoynton, Rob McLean).

Inviting table settings for the bigoccasion.

March and April Field Days

These Field Days were held as usual at the Club Site. The focus of these sessions has been on

honey extraction and wintering down of hives. We also discussed treatments for varroa, and

carried out the usual hive inspections. Your Newsletter Editor had his arm twisted, and worked

Hive No 2. The first time I had worked a hive bare-handed! I only got stung once!

At the Dinner

A magical scene greeted the guests at Riccarton Park Events Centre. Helen English and her

team of workers had transformed the room with balloons, goodie bags, bee stickers and a

beautiful cake into a suitable venue for the Club's Banquet to celebrate its 50th Jubilee. There

were speeches from our President, Jeff Robinson, who presented Brian Busch with his Life

Membership, spot prizes, presentations to members of the Committee. Kevin Gates, Jeff

Chandler and Grant Jarvis' annual contribution to the Club's stand at the A&P Show was

recognised with a special gift. Sandy Jamieson won the competition to guess the weight of the

honey in the jar. We all also had ample opportunity to talk bee-talk with Club Members old and

new. Music was provided by a trio from CPIT Music Department, and Rob McLean entertained

us on the Harmonica.

I t was great to see so many people from out of town - including our spopnsors from Beeline

Supplies in Mosgeil . Thanks to all who made the special effort to attend!

Unfortunately, no one from the van Asch family was able to attend. However, Jeremy and Cheryl

Foate accepted our gift of glasses (with Napoleonic bee mouldings) on their behalf in recognition

of the family's generosity in al lowing the Club to use the site. Access to the site has been a key

factor ensuring the longevity of the Club.

The Editor working Hive No 2. . .

Swarm at the Old Stables!!Videoclip of bees going into the wall: http://youtu.be/eapef31uo-g

5th April 2014 - Michael and Jo visitedOldstables Garden Centre, Yaldhurst.Those are bees going into the wall underthe window! They need relocating... Call inKevin Gates to get them out!

25 April 2014 - Two days later - stilltrying to find the queen and persuade thebees to move home. Kevin will make a glasssided inspection hive for the Oldstablescustomers to watch the colony.

We put the comb between empty framesin a nuc box, and left the box by the holein the wall, hoping that bees and queen willmove into their new home...

Looks quite healthy - brood, pollen, nectarand honey. Quite a lot of varroa, thoughwith some deformed wings. Couldn't findthe queen though!

It's a big one! We counted four separatecombs in the wall cavity!

23 April 2014 - after a spell of foulweather, our intrepid hero starts the job!

Annual General Meeting and Honey Show

This year's AGM and Honey Show wil l be held on Saturday 23rd

August at 1 .30pm . The venue wil l be St Anne's Church Hall, cnr

Wilson's and Centaurus Rds, Woolston.

Guest Speaker to be arranged.

This year a number of Committee Members and Office Holders are

standing down, including our President and Secretary - both of whom

have given the Club sterl ing service. I t's thus doubly important for as

many members as possible to attend.

Helen English, our current Secretary, is eager to receive nominations

for the Committee. She can be reached through

helen.engl ish@scorch.co.nz.

Coming EventsDECA Course to recognise AFB

This is happening on 1 0th May, and registration closed on 25th Apri l .

For information on future courses, contact

Jeff Chandler 741 1 994,

jchandler38@gmail .com

LibraryReminder

I f you have

finished with

books

you may

have

borrowed -

PLEASE

Return

Them!

From our Treasurer - Subscriptions- Special Offer!Don't forget to pay your subs! Payment ($25) may be made by

internet banking to the clubs account at Westpac Bank -

number 03-0767-0323307-00 (remember to include your name

and apiary number in the particulars field) or by mail to the

Treasurer - Kerry Kearney - at 28 Fairway Drive, Shirley,

Christchurch 8061 . To save club funds receipts wil l not be

posted unless requested.

The committee encourages you to pay the sub as soon as

possible. If you pay your sub before June, you will becovered till June 2015!

We now have171 Members

WOW!!

50th Anniversary Commemorative ItemsWe have some great souvenir items for sale - Jeff Robinson is shown

sell ing T-shirts, and wearing one of our Anniversary Caps. We have

other items too! Check them out at the next Field Day!

Recipe - Propolis TinctureBeekeepers know about the health benefits claimed for propolis. The

American National Institutes of Health rates propolis as "possibly

effective" for treating cold sores, genital herpes, and post-surgery mouth

pain. Currently, there is "insufficient evidence" to rate the effectiveness

of propolis in treating canker sores, tuberculosis, common colds and

other infections, nose and throat cancer, improving the immune

response, ulcers, stomach and intestinal disorders, wounds,

inflammation, minor burns, or other conditions. (See

http: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propolis) Notwithstanding this, many

beekeepers promote propolis as a health-promoting bee product.

Propolis is sticky, and some people do not l ike the way it sticks to the

teeth. Propolis tincture is a way of avoiding this problem. This recipe is

adapted from

https://hiveandhoneybeepothecary.wordpress.com/201 3/04/1 7/how-we-

make-propolis-oi l-and-tincture/comment-page-1 /. There is also a recipe

for propolis oi l at the same site. For 1 0% propolis tincture, mix 1 part of

propolis by weight with 9 parts of 37% or stronger alcohol in a screw

topped container (ensure that the l id, if metal and not stainless, is well

coated to ensure that the alcohol does not come into contact with the

metal). Shake, and store in a dark place for a couple of weeks, shaking

at least daily. At the end of this time, strain through muslin, or use a

coffee fi lter and store in a dark glass bottle.

I have not tested this recipe personally, but would probably keep the

alcohol propolis mix in a yoghurt maker to speed up the extraction

process.

Some of the benefits claimed for propolis include: antibacterial action,

lowering blood pressure, use against warts etc (http: //www.bee-pollen-

buzz.com/health-benefits-of-propolis.html).

Visit to Styx Apiaries, Oxford on Sunday 13 April.

Approximately 60 people sal l ied forth on a dull 1 3th Apri l to make their

way to Oxford - the goal was Doug Horne's honey extraction facil ity at

Styx Apiaries. Helen English commented that it was really interesting to

see the size of the plant, and to watch it at work. The workers were busy

extracting high-value Manuka honey; and Helen was impressed by the

compressed air technique used to make the extraction easier.

Next Field DaySaturday 3 May, 12.30pm (weather permitting)

At the Club Site - Cashmere Rd, Kennedys Bush,Christchurch 8025

Final Meeting for our Jubilee Year!

• Barbeque - bring a plate, some salad, and cutlery

• Tree Planting with Special Guest David Penrose -

first President of the Club

• Wintering down of hives

• Dealing with issues over winter

The Committee

Image from: https://www.etsy.com/nz/l isting/1 03730030/bees-beehive-honey-on-keep-calm-and

The Chakra Sisters are a family business based in Christchurch. Their motto is “Inspire, Uplift,

Empower”, and they design t-shirts and gemstone jewellery. They are passionate about their

creations and preserving the Environment, and decided to combine both to raise public

awareness as well as funds to help the declining numbers within the bee population.

Their latest creation is a beautiful bracelet cal led “Bee Aware”. “Bee Aware” features a bee

charm,

with semi- precious gemstones of carnelian and yellow calcite. The bracelet is priced at $35

with $5 from the sale of each bracelet being donated to the National Beekeepers Association.

They can be purchased from www.chakrasisters.co.nz or by email ing

sales@chakrasisters.co.nz. You wil l also see from the website that their latest t –shirt design is

cal led “Just Bee”. The message is a simple one; Time to stop the rushKTime to enjoy each

moment of l ifeKJUST BEE!

“One can

no more

approach people

without love

than one can

approach bees

without care.

Such is the

quality of bees...”

- Leo Tolstoy