Welcome to the Amateur Beekeeper's Association of NSW (inc). Many members of our Association get great pleasure from keeping bees just for their own sake. The fact that they get a surplus of honey is an added bonus. Some members can get a sufficient surplus of honey and wax to sell or give away. We hope that you will get as much pleasure from your bees and from membership of this Association as other members have before you.

If you are new to keeping bees, these notes may help you get started by answering some important questions before you start.These notes are not intended to be a complete course on beekeeping. They are intended to tell you where you can get help and advice. They will also answer some questions that you will not find in the standard books. Other questions such as how to get your first bees and where to put them are also discussed. There is a list suggesting what equipment you should get and what it will cost. There is also a list of some useful addresses.

You and the Law
Beekeeping is governed in NSW by the Apiaries Act 1985. The Beekeeping Code of Practice (2003) for NSW codifies the provisions for urban beekeepers. This is reproduced here for your information.

There are several advantages to registration. Extension officers and Regulatory Officers employed by the Dept. of Primary Industries may contact you if a serious disease is reported near your hives and may be available to inspect your hives. You will be able to send samples to the Department's laboratories for disease diagnosis. If your hives have to be destroyed you may be compensated for the loss.

In traditional beekeeping, when a beekeeper extracted honey from the combs, it was common to leave the sticky combs out in the open to let flying bees clean them up. The method is effective at cleaning the combs and spreading disease. The Apiaries Act states that beekeepers may not expose used honey combs or wax to foraging bees. This is to reduce the spread of disease. The same applies to any material that has honey or honeycomb on it, eg wax, containers, cutlery, bread, hive tools, bee boxes etc. The principle is that unhealthy bees must not be allowed to contaminate hive materials that will be used by healthy bees, and that healthy bees must not be allowed to be infected by contaminated honey from another hive. The penalties for this offence are severe.

This Association supports the law on registration and strongly urges all members to comply. You can get registration forms from any office of the Dept. of Agriculture. Your branch of the ABA Amateur Beekeepers' Association) may also have some of these forms.

Diseases
If you suspect that your bees are diseased, you must inform the Dept. of Primary Industries. Your bees must be kept in hives with frames that can be removed for inspection so that disease may seen more easily.

Bee Stings
If you wish to keep bees, you must accept the fact that at some time you will be stung. You should learn how to remove the sting quickly. This will reduce the effect of the sting. Other members of your branch will be able to show you how to do this.

For most people, the reaction will be small. Typically, there will be some pain for a few minutes and some swelling for a day or so. The amount of swelling will vary depending on what part of the body has been stung. Reactions to subsequent stings get smaller. However a few people, (about 1 person in every 200) will react strongly and may need medical help (sometimes urgently).
If you do not know how you will react to a sting, take special care the first time you are stung to see if you are sensitive to bee stings or not. If you can organise your first sting on the fore arm or back of the hand, so much the better. The reaction is less severe and easier to treat. The same will apply any friends and relations that may assist you with your beekeeping. Wear a veil, to avoid stings on the face particularly near the eyes.

Most beekeepers are not sensitive to bee stings. Consequently, some of them will not go to the trouble of wearing special clothing to protect themselves. They accept the occasional sting as a minor nuisance. However if you, or any of your family, are sensitive to bee stings, you will need to take special precautions. These will vary depending on the situation. Talk to experienced members about what you should do. Desensitising is one option that is available. Note that some beekeepers are sensitive to bee stings but they will not give up their bees. The main principle is to wear the best protective gear you can afford until you are very confident.

How much time must you spend with the bees?
One of the advantages of bees over other animals is that they do not require as much looking after. With most animals, you have to buy all their food and feed them every day. You also have to let them out each morning and put them to bed each night, (unless you live on a farm).However, bees can do that for themselves. They will fly to wherever their food is and feed themselves. They will also let themselves out and put themselves to bed. Thus you can leave them for quite long periods. When you do look at them you may even have a honey surplus to take!

In the spring each hive should be examined once a week to control the bees' swarming instinct. For the rest of the year they can be left for several weeks at a time. In the winter it is better to leave then alone for a whole month or more. As result it quite possible go on holidays without making any arrangements with your neighbours for bees as you would for other animals.

Where should you put your hives?
Locating your hives needs careful thought because it cam be difficult to move them. Bees can be moved easily if you move them more than 5 Km. However if you move them less than 5 Km, (say from one side of the back yard to the other), they will fly back to the old site. If the new site is only 2 metres away, they will be able to find it after some trouble. The hive must be left on the new site for about 2 days before you move it another 2 metres. It can take weeks to move a hive just a short distance. Consequently, moving the bees within the back yard is an awkward process and you should choose the best site first time. Consider your neighbours. Some of your neighbours may feel threatened by bees in your backyard. You cam reduce this fear by keeping only a few hives and locating them carefully so that your neighbour won't even notice. A jar of honey now and then will help.
Place the hives so that you have enough working space around the hive. When you open a hive for inspection, you should put yourself beside the hive and spare supers etc. behind it. If you and your spare equipment are in front of the hive you will interfere with the bees' normal flight path. This will encourage the bees to sting and start robbing other hives. Try to have enough space to carry a spare super all the way around each hive on flat ground.
Other members of your branch can advise you on the best way to locate hives in the backyard. The Agfact "Beginning in Bees" also has some very good advice on this point.

Where to get your first bees.
You can get your first bees either by catching a swarm or by getting an established hive from someone else. It is better not to start with a swarm for your first hive as it requires more knowledge and experience than needed for an established one.
If you get your bees from someone else, there is a risk that you may be getting some with disease. As a beginner you won't be able to judge their state of health. Ask an experienced member of your branch to look at the bees before you accept them. Bees are often advertised in the Trading Post. Members of this Association often have surplus bees to sell. You can also buy bees from commercial breeders (they are less likely to have any disease). The vendor is however obliged, by law, to give a certificate concerning the health of the bees, although some ignore this requirement. Insist on it!

If you plan to get more hives by collecting swarms, make sure you have boxes (branded with your number) with bottom boards, lids and frames ready before the swarm season starts in August. Bottom boards, boxes and lids should be fully painted. Each branch has its own way of dealing with swarms. Some have a member resposible for coordinating swarm collection. Others encourage their members to use the web based swarm collection service of the ABA web site. If you want to take them all the swarms that are available you will have to be well prepared. Sometimes, if the conditions are right, you can combine several small swarms into one hive. Get advice from experienced members of your branch before you start.

Where you can learn more about beekeeping.
The best ways to learn is by talking and working with other beekeepers. To that end, this Association holds regular meetings and field days. Apiary officers and commercial beekeepers are often invited to these sessions to pass on their knowledge and experience to us. The opportunity to watch these experienced beekeepers and ask questions is invaluable.

At the University of Western Sydney, the Faculty of Horticulture has an Apiary School that conducts research and education.. They ran a wide variety of courses. These courses cover the full spectrum from basic courses for beginners to advanced courses for the experienced beekeepers. Some of these courses are annual events that last for a week with or without accommodation included. These courses are advertised in the standard apiary magazines. If you ask to be put on their mailing list, you will get invitations as each course comes up. It would be a good idea to find out the dates a year or so ahead so you can arrange leave etc.

The Dept of Primary Industries through Tocal Agricultural college has a home study course in beekeeping. The course has 10 units. You can do the course at your own pace and take as long as you like. The material includes all Agfacts about beekeeping, some audio cassettes and a practical session (this session is voluntary). The total cost is about the same as a beehive.

OTEN The External Studies College of TAFE has a correspondence course in beekeeping which includes two intensive practical sessions per year. There is an annual charge for the course. If you get on with it, you will finish in less than a year. (Your answers are marked by apiary officers from the Dept. of Agriculture.)

The three institutions listed above are not the only ones that conduct formal courses. However they are the ones commonly used by members of our Association. Other members may suggest different institutions that you may like to investigate.

NSW Primary Industries and the Hunter Valley Branch conduct an annual field Day at Tocal College, usually in Spring. Details are advertised in the ‘Amateur Beekeeper’.

To a limited extent, you can also teach yourself straight out of a book. There are many of books around about beekeeping. Some of them are very advanced but a lot of them are very simple for the beginner to follow. You can find them in council libraries, bookshops that have a "farming" section and beekeeping suppliers keep stocks. The Dept of Agriculture also has several pamphlets. These pamphlets are called Agfacts and are available for a nominal charge and for free download at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/reader/honeybees. The is Agfact "Beginning in Bees" is especially recommended to all beginners. (Ask for a copy when you register). In a short time, you can find yourself giving advice to other beginners.

What can you do with surplus honey and wax?
If you build up a surplus of honey and/or bees' wax, the inevitable question is "How can I disperse this surplus?".
Honey can be sold direct to the public or to packers. The packers process it for sale in the export and local markets. This is the easiest way to dispose of surplus honey but the price you get for it will be lower and in times of plenty they may not want it.

Alternatively, you can pack the honey yourself for sale directly to the public. This requires more work and higher costs on your part but you can get a higher price. No licence or any other form of "official permission” is required although new food regulations require the extraction plant to be approved. Some branches are setting up approved facilities, as this is being written, for use be members. You must comply with the laws about labelling foods, including nutrition panels and batch identification. Some branches have regular stalls etc to help members sell honey to the public.

The apiary industry is the biggest consumer of bees' wax because it is used to make foundation wax sheets for new frames. Most beekeeping suppliers are willing to take it from you. They will either buy it directly from you or offer an appropriate discount on other equipment that you buy from them.
Beeswax is also used in a wide variety of processes in the chemical/manufacturing industries. The regular beekeeping magazines often have advertisements from processors offering to buy wax. Some beekeepers use the wax themselves for making candles etc. and selling the products at shows and fetes.

Equipment you should get
There is a lot of equipment that you can get for your bees. Here is a basic starting list. It does not cover all the possibilities but enough to start with.

Before you start you will have to decide if you want to have 8 or 10 frame boxes. It is not a good idea to keep both types because they are not interchangeable. You may also consider different depths in honey super boxes. Talk to some of the experienced members of your branch about why they prefer one type to the other. One major factor is the weight you may have to lift.

To start with you will need (at the very least)
1 smoker $70 to $90
1 hive tool $14 to $21
1 veil per person $16 to $52
1 bottom board per hive $12 to $14
1 box per hive (with frames and foundation wax) about $45
1 lid per hive about $17
1 roll foundation wire $9 to $19

By mid summer you should also have
2 more boxes per hive (with frames & foundation) about $45 (each)
1 queen excluder per hive $8 to $15

Optional extras
1 pair of overalls or bee suit per person $80 to $140
1 pair of gloves per person $30 to $40
lots & lots of books $6 to $100 (each)
1 Subscription to Australasian Beekeeper Magazine $50.

(Prices are based on a price list for new equipment published 30th Jan 2009)

An empty hive that can be used as a spare or for temporary storage can be very helpful. Preferably this would be a complete set of bottom board, lid, one box with wired & waxed frames and one box empty. Large Acrylic storage boxes from “cheap” shops are useful alternative.

If your hives are made of timber, the boxes, lids & bottom boards should be thoroughly painted and aired before you put bees in the hives. The recommended technique is to use 3% to 5% copper napthanate as per directions as a wood preservative, then primer, under coat and two top coats. The copper napthanate needs several weeks to dry before you paint over it, so give your self plenty of time to prepare the boxes. The winter is a good time to do this.

Read some books while you wait - your branch library may help NB. Some brands of copper naphthenate contain arsenic which is toxic to bees. Check that the brand you select is recommended for use with bees. Beegoods suppliers stock suitable brands.

New equipment can be bought from any of the suppliers listed in the yellow pages. Your branch may also sell equipment to branch members at a discount. You can also buy equipment second hand via the Trading Post or from other members of your branch. However there is always a chance of spreading disease with second hand equipment so insist on the required vendor declaration (required by law).

There is a great variety in extraction equipment. It is also costly and bulky. Health regulations now set standards that need to be observed if you plan to sell or give honey away. Your branch or other members may help with this. Later, when you have a better idea of what type suits your situation, you can buy your own extractor and set up a suitable facility.

Some useful contacts
Government - the NSW Dept. of Primary Industries beekeeping website at :-
www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/honey-bees/contacts/directory gives an excellent list of official contacts, courses, periodicals, equipment suppliers, etc.

This is more up to date than anything that we could print here. If this link does not work do a search for NSW directory of beekeeping.

The equipment suppliers listed here may have online price lists and other equipment details.

Amateur Beekeers Assocaition of NSW
The association website www.beekeepers.asn.au gives branches and their current officers and contacts.