Equipment and Book Library

Book Library

Books will be available to borrow at bee group monthly meetings. Current Financial members are entitled to borrow books FREE for a month, to be returned at the next meeting. If unable to attend the following meeting, members should make their own arrangements to return the book to the Librarian that month. Each month the book is not returned will incur a late fee of $5.00.

Please ensure that the books you are taking are recorded in the borrowing book at the time. Books can be borrowed for 1 month only as there are many people wishing to use them. We have a limited number so only 2 books can be borrowed per member at one time. Please return your books in the same condition that you received them or they will need to be replaced at your own expense. Make sure when you return books that they are recorded as returned, in the borrowing book.

Kilsyth - Linda Hill on 0413 627 732
Warburton - Danny Kurka on 0406 166 208 or 5966 9020 (try mobile first).

Equipment Library

We have the following equipment available:

• One set for extraction honey press & 2 frame manual centrifuge
• Frame board and embedding tool
• Sting proof armour suit, 3 adult suits, and one child suit
• Swarm box

Each set comes with a list of what is included and cleaning instructions. It is very important that equipment be thoroughly cleaned with soapy water as per the DPI recommendations before returning. All honey, wax and propolis must be removed in order to prevent the spread of hive diseases (most can be wiped of with a cloth and soapy water, if heavily soiled, hoods can be unzipped of suits and suits/ gloves put into cold gentle wash cycle.)

Members are expected to own their own personal equipment such as a hive tool, hive boxes, frames, queen excluders, feeders, other items that go inside the hive etc. Gloves need to be owned individually by beekeepers and are not able to be shared or borrowed from the equipment library. Equipment is available to borrow by members only and can be booked in advance of use, by email yvbeegroup@gmail.com or by phoning –

Kilsyth - Linda Hill on 0413 627 732
Warburton - Danny Kurka on 0406 166 208 or 5966 9020 (try mobile first).

Equipment needs to be picked up from Warburton and Kilsyth and returned within 24 hours for others to use. It is not acceptable to use library equipment on any hive that you know, or suspect has a disease. If in doubt ask first! Please be aware that using bee group equipment is undertaken at your own risk. While all measures are taken to use equipment responsibly and minimise the spread of hive disease, it must be understood that sharing any equipment has a minimal risk involved. The Yarra Valley Bee Group would like to acknowledge the support of the Bendigo Bank in establishing our book and equipment libraries.