Members are advised that the subscription to the club for the current year have been set at $45.00 and are now due.
If you have not already done so please make your payment to the club’s bank account at Westpac:
( Christchurch Hobbyist Beekeepers Club Inc – 03 0767 0323307 00)
remembering to include your name and apiary registration number.
Thanks
Kerry
Hello everyone
Spring has certainly started with a bang – already beekeepers are out and about checking hives, finishing off treatments and preparing for what we hope is a strong start to the Season.
At this time of year treatments, patties for improving/growing brood and foundation/frames/total frames for increasing hive numbers and honey supers, are the name of the game. So here is to being organised!! LOL
New Zealand Beeswax Ltd continues to offer Christchurch Beekeeping Club Members Varroa Treatments at special Club rates. Remember to rotate your treatments.
The following Treatments are available at special Club rates:
• Apivar – 2 x Strips per brood box – Various pack sizes. 4 Strip Packs at the special rate of $32.00 (normally $38.77). 12 Strip Packs at $75.00 (normally $83.66). 60’s packs at $360.00 per pack (normally $418.34)
• Bayvarol – boxes of 20 strips, individually packed in lots of 4 strips / 4 x strips per Brood Box. Priced for Club Members at $65.00 (normally $72.22) each box of 20 strips (800 strip boxes also available to Club Members at the 12+ carton rate of $1955.00)
• Formic Pro – 2 dose pack for 2 Hives. Organic treatment gets below capped cells. Best used in Spring/Summer. Requires 3 x consecutive 10+ degree days. Special Club price $30.00 (normally $37.38)
• Small pottles of Oxalic Acid (300 grams) at $9.00
Additional Club Specials
Bees are awake and hungry – make sure you maintain their food source as changeable Spring weather can knock hives back. Many Hives risk starvation at this time of year.
Order direct to tanya@beeswax.co.nz or ring us on 03 693 9189 ext 1 (Caroline) or 2 (Tanya)
• Easy Checks; (The genuine Easy Check!!) @ $30.00
• Fondant – $9.00 per pack
• Megabee Patties 5 kg Box (made at our Orari Premises) with/without Hive Alive additive. Can be frozen.
5kg Megabee Patties (Standard) @ $47.00 (normally $52.90).
5kg Megabee Patties with Hive Alive @ $52.00 (normally $59.80)
• Hive Alive 100mls (proven bee gut health and stops sugar syrup from fermenting. $30.00
As always – NZ Beeswax can supply all your Beekeeping requirements. Foundation, Frames, Feeders, Storeys etc, as well as the best bee nutritional products and varroa mite treatments.
Order early and I can deliver to your next Meeting on October 5th to save additional courier costs
Deca Holders
A refresher course will be held at the club site after Club Day on 4th October.
To book in, please go to the NZBB / HiveHub and add your name to the list so we know you’re attending.
The refresher will be run by Lindsay. If you’re unsure or need more details, contact Lindsay on 021 116 6713.
Gardening & General Help
We’re looking for volunteers to help with gardening and other tasks around the club. If you can lend a hand—whether during the week or on weekends—please get in touch with Dave on 027 782 2416. You might be surprised at how you can help!
Riccarton Rotary Market – Sunday 28th
The club will have a stall at the market, and we need beekeepers to chat with the public about bees. This is a free event, and you might even learn something new yourself!
If you can spare even a couple of hours between 9am and 2pm, please contact Jeff Gibson to add your name to the roster.
Joan Leitch, the author of this historical novel about Miss Bumby will be holding a Book Launch event in Christchurch on 10th May. Joan writes: ‘My novel, Miss Bumby’s Mission, is about Mary’s voyage to NZ with two skeps of bees and her early years tending to them in the Hokianga. I’m a beekeeper, and I included plenty of details about bees and keeping, including some which were needed for skeps but not for Langstroths. I even took a course in the UK about skep-making!’Joan is a member and former secretary of Franklin Bee Club.
Joan was interviewed in an item about her book recently on RNZ. Click here to hear the recording:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/nights/audio/2018982407/new-zealand-s-first-beekeeper
The Book Launch will be at 3.00pm Saturday 10th May in the Spark Room, Turanga (Christchurch Central Library).
Lindsay reported quiet out there. Exotics surveillance starting.
Lindsay suggests club should hold an AFB refresher course.. $30 cost for refresher. We decided 5th April after the Field Day and to start at 1pm
All 3 hives doing well.
Andy spun out 13kg honey off Hive#1. Honey jarred up and 2 candles were also made up for the Van Asch family.
Plan to continue varroa checking and check stores next club day.
Plan to have honey tasting table set up. Members to be asked to bring in samples.. Honey tasting sticks needed.
Jeff has new Papanui course starting this week.
Queen Raising course – went well. 5 students attended. Used Hive 1 for the Starter/finisher.
As the year comes to a close, we want to wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Thank you for being a part of our community—we look forward to an exciting year ahead with you.
Reminder: Don’t forget to mark your calendars for our January Field Day!
📅 Date: 11/1/2025
📍 Location: Club grounds
🌟 Join us for a day of fun, learning, and connection. We can’t wait to see you there!
Stay safe, enjoy the holiday season, and we’ll see you in the New Year!
Warm wishes,
Christchurch Beekeepers Club
What a beautiful morning after a very cold frosty nights!
The southern alps are covered in snow and looked tremendous and the day was bright.
Jeff Robinson talked about how we can ‘wake up’ the bees after winter. Introducing several new people visiting for the first time to the bees hives on site and how we check on them at this time of year.
Jeff will be running a one day course on Saturday 14th of September please contact our secretary Lee on beekiwi@gmail.com to register your interest.
With much sadness I’m writing to let the Christchurch Hobbyist Beekeepers Club know that my lovely (and sometimes quirky) dad, Jeff Chandler, passed away on Sunday evening after becoming unwell in the morning. It all happened rather quickly but it was peaceful and pain free. We had planned to do some hedge trimming so we were with him all day which I will always be grateful for.
Can you please share this with who you think would like to know, possibly the swarm collectors.
He was a long time member of the club but in recent years you would have found him probably hanging around your sheds.
Jeff was pretty enthusiastic about beekeeping and I am going to have to reach out soon for some help and advice on his current hires. I don’t know where all of them are or how many there are at the moment. I think that he has been winter feeding them which we’ll need to keep up and then find some new bee hive custodians in the future.
Kind regards
Jo Chandler
