June YVBG Meeting & in-house honey competition!

1.30 for a 2pm start - If you plan on entering your honey into the competition, please arrive by 1.20.

1.30pm - Honey Judging will begin

2pm - 4pm Main meeting - beginning with Whats Happening in your hive?

We are incredibly lucky to have Matt & Vanessa from Rooftop Honey judging our members in-house honey competition. They will begin judging at 1.30 (as it takes a bit of time), so remember to arrive at 1.20 to register your jar of honey. Whilst they are tasting and judging, we will continue with our meeting. Once they are done, they will announce the winners and give us pointers on preparing for the Lilydale Show competition in November. So, remember to prepare your best jar of honey! See below on how to best to do this.

Here are the Competition Guidelines:

• You will need to be a current member to partake in this competition

• Honey to be in a standard cylindrical 500gm [375ml] clear glass jar with no ornamentation. Use a new jar to ensure there are no contaminants.

• Jar to be filled halfway between neck and lid, with no wax particles evident.

• Do not place any stickers or names on your jar. It must be plain. We will number your jar on the day.

• Honey will be judged on colour [25points], density [25 points], flavor [25 points], general appearance [15 points], and aroma [10 points], giving a potential score of 100 points.

Tips from the VAA:

One hint that the VAA has shared concerning preparing a jar exhibit is this - start with approximately 1kg of honey, let it stand for several weeks to settle. Any wax particles and air bubbles will rise to the top, and any heavier bits will sink to the bottom. Carefully and slowly decant the top 250 gm off, and jar the next 500gm. Theoretically, you then have a clean and clear exhibit!

REMEMBER: Arrive by 1.20 if you want to enter your honey in the competition. 

If you have any questions, please email us at yarravalleybeegroup@mail.tidyhq.com 

Join us and keep up to date with local conditions that effect your hive, connect with other beekeepers, share resources, improve your apiary skills and learn more about honeybee ecology.

Non members are welcome too. Meetings are held at ECOSS, 711 Old Warburton Road, Wesburn, in the ‘Coop’ (past the old house, over the green, down the bottom). Gold coin donation appreciated.