Our Honey Co-op will hold an Extraction Day on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th April This is an opportunity for you to sell your honey to our Co-op. You will need to be a YVBG member to take part in this extraction day. You will be required to assist on the day with extracting, jarring & labelling your own honey, and in cleaning up afterwards. There will be club equipment avaialble for use.  However, you can bring your own clean extracting gear if you have it.  You can bottle your own honey on the day after the club honey has been bottled. Also, to make hiring the kitchen viable, the Club will need to purchase at least 50% of the honey you extract & bottle on the day. We will supply jars for the honey you are selling to the Club, but you will need to supply and bring your own jars to the Extraction Day for the honey you are bottling to take back home. You will be paid $10 a kilo by YVBG for your honey.  The Club then sells the honey at local Festivals and the Lilydale Show to help with fundraising for our Club. To let us know that you'd like to attend, please register your ticket below.  Please idicate in the details box your preferred time (Sat am or pm / Sunday am or pm). You will also be asked how many frames/kilos you think you might be extracting. This is not an exact science. It's just to give us an idea.  Basically this is an expression of interest and we will be in touch when we can confirm that the event is going ahead. If you have any questions, you are welcome to email us at secretary.yarravalleybeegroup@mail.tidyhq.com. Registrations close EOB Wednesday 10 April Remember you need to be a member of YVBG to attend this session.   

*****Please note the change of date (to avoid Easter) from Sunday 31st to Sunday 24th March 1.30 for a 2pm start 2pm - Whats happening in my hive?  We will then be discussing different ways of honey extracting, looking at tools and equipment etc. In keeping with our members desire for more membership involvement, we would like to encourage you to bring anything, including videos you may wish to show and tell including tips and tricks you have discovered along the way. 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. 

****Yarra Valley Bee Group will have a stall at the Ecotopia. Let us know if you can spare a few hours to volunteer. yarravalleybeegroup@mail.tidy.com.au Ecotopia is an ECOSS Annual celebration of community the earth and opening Permaculture Week in the Yarra Valley. They love to bring everyone together and showcase the new developments at ECOSS during the year, eat delicious healthy food and support our local producers, art and craft stalls and learn about environmental initiatives. Activities for all ages include: Welcome to Country Youth bike jump activity with Jigsaw Jumps Permaculture Puppet Show- The Dreaming Space Circus Story time - Eastern Regional Libraries Tilda and Stella- incredible young violinists Little Yarra Ensemble - Little Yarra Steiner School Students Forro Lamparina- Authentic Brazillian experience with traditional instruments. Girl Eats Boy- the dynamic duo hailing from the picturesque landscapes of country Victoria BOTH- Warranwood based teenager contemporary band. https://events.humanitix.com/ecotopia-festival-2024   https://www.facebook.com/events/2028459297527695?active_tab=about

1.30 for a 2pm start 2pm - Whats happening in my hive?  Followed by an information sharing session. Bring along your favourite beekeeping idea, piece of equipment, technique or fun fact to share with everyone. You are welcome to bring small things to show and tell, printed photos (or on a memory stick), your favourite book, a story, an invention or technique you have mastered. They'll be a time limit so everyone has a chance to share. So, get your thinking caps on and decide what you'd like to share before the 25th February. 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. 

1.30 for a 2pm start 2pm - Speaker - Andrew Wootton - Withstanding Varroa Andrew Wootton is a certified Master Beekeeper with the Eastern Apicultural Society of North America and has run numerous beginners’ courses and queen-raising workshops.  He is a board member of the Victorian Apiarists’ Association (VAA) and recently became Chair of its Education Committee. As an active SQRT (State Quarantine Response Team) member he has been deployed numerous times with both Agriculture Victoria and the NSW DPI on the varroa response. He has recently presented at the VAA and his presentation will assist us to answer questions such as: Will I lose all my hives? What happens to the feral hives? What can I do to help my bees? Are treatments available yet? Are they breeding Varroa resistant queens? Can we import such queens? So, come along and hear from someone who has the knowledge and expereince about what to expect and how to best manage our hives with Varroa. Come prepared with your own questions for Andrew. This will be followed by our monthly Whats happening in my hive?  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. 

2pm - Whats happening in my hive? Followed by a group discussion about our club Our committee will be guiding a discussion on what you want from your bee group. Whats working and what can be improved? Future activities, events, speakers and activities? Membership benefits, communications......everything is on the table! So, please join us and bring your ideas with you! We'll also be having our final meeting of the year! There will be lots of fun with a Christmas raffle and food! (You are welcome to bring a plate to share). 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. 

Honey Competition YVBG will be running the honey competition in conjunction with the show. Click here for the schedule and to find out how to enter your honey, frame of honey or mead!   Photo competition We are also running a photo competition! Find out more here.   Volunteers needed We also need volunteers to man our YVBG stall. Each year we have a stall to sell our honey, educate the community about beekeeping and the joys of beekeeping clubs. You don't have to be an expert on beekeeping, Newbees will be rostered on with more experienced people. 2 hour timeslots. All volunteers will now need a Working with Childrens Check. However, this is free and easy to complete online.  Please email your interest to volunteer to yarravalleybeegroup@mail.tidyhq.com.  Visit the Lilydale Show Website to find out whats on this year

2pm - Whats happening in my hive? Followed by our Photo Competition Judge Jeremy Blinco who is an artist, sculptor and photographer will announce the winner of our photo competition and share with us some of his insights into photographing bees. Come along 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. 

Closing date extended to 15th Oct - Yarra Valley Bee Group Photography Competition 2023 Send us your photos!! The Yarra Valley Bee Club is excited to announce that we will be holding a Bee Photography Competition to be held in October 2023 at our monthly meeting.  All financial club members are eligible to enter the competition with a maximum of 1 entry per category. The entries will be judged by a guest judge Jeremy Blinco who is an artist, sculptor and photographer.  Photos should be 150 dpi and printed 10” by 8” format.  All entries will need to be received by 15th Oct 2023. Post your entry to 16 Sunset Drive, Kilsyth South 3137. (or email us for other drop off or digital options yarravalleybeegroup@mail.tidyhq.com). The winner will be announced at the October monthly meeting and their photograph will be displayed at the Yarra Valley Bee Group Stand at the Lilydale Show in November 2023.  Photography categories are: 1.     SCENIC – Must be a photo of a honeybee yard, truck transporting bees, installing nucleus hives, doing a hive check, beehive removal, swarm catching or other bee activity. 2.    PORTRAIT – Must be a portrait of a person, or groups of people doing something involving beekeeping. 3.    CLOSE UP – Must be a closeup of a bee or bees (including native bees). The photographs will be judged on the following criteria: 1.    Subject       a.    Relationship to beekeeping                (15 points)      b.    Interesting choice of subject              (15 points) 2.    Story Telling Quality                          (15 points) 3.    Composition; Placement of subject to draw the eye to the most important point  (25 points) 4.    Technique:      a.    Exposure and contrast (full tonal range - light to dark)  (20 points)      b.    Sharpness (focus and graininess or pixilation)   (20 points)      c.    Colour and Tones (attractiveness of colours or Black and White tones)   (20 points) Total point score   130 points       The winning entries will be displayed at the Yarra Valley and Lilydale Show on Nov 18-19, 2023.  Prizes are to be confirmed. 

2pm - Whats happening in my hive? Varroa update and discussion. Followed by our monthly Speaker - Andrew Blackwell who will be speaking on the topic of Prostate Cancer. This topic is very relevant and up to date, so please come along and support our men. 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. 

Annual General Meeting of the Yarra Valley Bee Group will be held in person (only) on 27th August 2023 beginning at 2pm.   Followed by our guest speaker: Andrew Wootton - Understanding Hive Splitting: from simple to sophisticated Andrew started beekeeping in the 1960’s in the UK. Over the last few years in Melbourne, Andrew’s beekeeping activities have mainly concerned running numerous teaching courses including beginners, Flow hive and queen raising workshops. He has given talks at the Apimondia World Bee Congresses in Istanbul and Montreal as well as at the 3rd and 4th International Bee and Hive Monitoring Workshops. As an active SQRT (State Quarantine Response Team) member and the only certified Master Beekeeper (Eastern Apicultural Society of North America) in the Southern Hemisphere, he is perhaps especially well prepared should the Varroa incursion overwhelm our Australian response. In his presentation, Andrew will attempt to demystify hive splitting and recommend some straightforward approaches.   In preparation for the meeting, please view the following: AGM Minutes 2022 Agenda Committee Nomination Form Proxy form All are welcome to attend the AGM. However, only financial members are entitled to vote.  If you are unsure of your financial status, please email us to check at yarravalleybeegroup@mail.tidyhq.com   Do you love your Bee Group? Do you want it to continue? Then we need your help! To allow this great club of ours to continue, we need nominations for the Office Bearers for the YVBG Committee. These include President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. You don't need to be an experienced beekeeper to nominate for these roles. Whether you're a Newbee or an Oldie, we'll look after you!  Like any club, there is a lot going on behind the scenes. However, the more help we have, the more we can grow. Please join our friendly and focused committee so that together we can help our YVBG group thrive. Did I mention that there are only four meetings a year! Click here for position descriptions or go ahead and fill out a Committee Nomination Form. Please return to us no later than the 25th August. Positions are also available for the General committee. Examples of how you could help as a general committee member: Book Borrowing and Equipment Library Newsletter Social media Help to coordinate our presence at public events  Monthly meeting coordination  Membership Coordination Swarm Collection and Bee removal Want to talk to someone before committing? Feel free to email us on yarravalleybeegroup@mail.tidyhq.com Meetings are held at ECOSS, 711 Old Warburton Road, Wesburn, in the newly renovated ‘Coop’ (past the old house, over the green, down the bottom).

2pm - Whats happening in my hive? Followed by our monthly Speaker - Rae Howell Bee-Sharp Honeybee - An immersive journey through the secret life of bees.. Rae Howell is an award winning composer and multi-instrumentalist.  She is founding director of Sunrae: a tour ensemble, label and sheet music publisher, and works across a broad range of genres in collaboration with performing and visual artists, in film, theatre, dance, concert hall and multimedia productions.  Rae’s most recent large-scale environmental research project “Bee-Sharp Honeybee”, culminated in a performance at the Natimuk Frinji Biennale, for string orchestra, a live honeybee hive and realtime animated visuals projected onto giant wheat silo's in rural Australia.  Come along 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. 

2pm - Whats happening in my hive? Followed by our monthly Speaker - Janis from Beewise - Wintering Bees We are thrilled to have Janis, from Beewise, talk about what we should do between now and spring and how we can assist the bees to stay cosy and dry? Join us to hear Janis answer questions such as: How many boxes?   What about queen excluders? Did I leave enough feed in the right places for the bees to successfully winter. When should I feed?  There are plusses and minuses to feeding at the wrong times. Conditions for your bees, Supplements, Safe storage of gear into spring? So what happened after the last three seasons and what are we likely to experience in the coming one?  Can we survive any type of season?  Will I be ready for what is coming in August and September?   and of course, biosecurity matters. Come along 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. 

2pm - Whats happening in my hive? Followed by our monthly Speaker - Don Muir Don Muir - B-QUAL and more We are thrilled to have Don Muir from B-QUAL give us an update on the following at our May meeting: 1.        Update on B-QUAL and B-TRACE operations. 2.       Sustainability and traceability tree to shelf. 3.       Honey testing methods. 4.       Honey library testing results of various Australian honeys. 5.       Varroa update and testing results of hives after miticide treatments. 6.       Changing Government attitudes and regulations in beekeeping. B-QUAL, as the industry owned QA and Food Safety program, has been asked by various stakeholders to implement a low-cost program that offers small producers assistance with their record keeping obligations, and to give consumers confidence in their products and product traceability. B-TRACE is designed for smaller enterprises to maintain readily available hive record information that satisfies the requirements of the National Biosecurity Code of Practice, including Extracting and Product records that are also required by legislation. A specially designed hive management web app has been developed to assist members with this record keeping.  The B-TRACE program is intended for small semi commercial and recreational beekeepers.   Come along 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. 

2pm - Whats happening in my hive? Followed by our monthly Speaker - Dr Anna Carrucan - The Botanist and the bees. We are thrilled to have Dr Anna Carrucan join us online at this months meeting. She is a second-generation beekeeper with a PhD in botany, as well as a qualified teacher, educator and science communicator. She is dedicated to elevating beekeeping, celebrating pure, natural honey, and eduction about the intricate interconnectedness of gardens, farms, ecology, pollination and the environment, and the importance of all bees! Bees were part of her life from a young age - her dad started beekeeping as a hobby about 40years ago, encouraged by the gift of a classic beekeeping book from her mum.  I became more and more fascinated by these little insects, with their “hive mind” and complex societal behaviours.  The more I discovered, the more I knew I had to have my own hive. In 2018 she wanted to create something bigger than keeping hives for honey and to build upon her knowledge of plants, flora, ecology, science, communication and education, then BUUKAAR WAARUUNG Boutique Apiary and Artisan Honey was born.  A niche enterprise that seeks to elevate the understanding and appreciation of bees and beekeeping; celebrates and values pure, raw, natural honey that’s made locally; works with Gardners and farmers to increase knowledge about pollination services and planting bee habitat on their property; and, providing specialist and relevant presentation to networks, group, conferences and events. So, come along 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.