Spring is well underway, and the beekeeping fraternity is spread around the state, with the canola ending along with the almond pollination. Now, where to go next? There could be some Coastal Bush and some pockets of Jarrah, and it has been some talk of the Goldfields, which could have some potential.

I am hearing that our little bees have made it through winter quite strong and that swarm control has been difficult to manage. I urge everyone to be vigilant in applying the very best practices to stop bees from heading to the bush.

On the BICWA front, our AGM was held on FRI 23^rd September. Members were invited to vote on Constitutional changes allowing electronic voting and director election prior to the AMG proceedings, and the election of 2 board directors. We had 5 nominations for the 2 vacancies, which is fantastic to choose from a variety of great candidates, all beekeepers with different backgrounds.

The voting outcome will be announced mid October once we have validated all votes.

Leilani Leyland retired from the board, and we thank her for her commitment and dedication to thrive Industry where it is now! No doubt, without her tireless engagement, the WA Bee Industry would not be where it is today! She will stay on a BICWA Sub-Committee organising events, so we are still lucky to have her involved!

My position became available at this AGM, and I have decided to re-nominate for another 3 year office term.

We have launched our new BICWA webpage – www.bicwa.com.au ! Check it out, and leave us feedback on how you get along with it!

The new DBCA portal launched, and using of sites and applications will be much easier. A user manual for the system is available online at: https://www.dpaw.wa.gov.au/plants-and-animals/animals/beekeeping-on-crown-land-in-western-australia.

We are working on getting some new traceability techniques in place to help us in the event of an incursion. We followed up with DPIRD after we met with Minister MacTiernan, on further measures to bolster and improve our biosecurity.

The new Industry Strategic Plan organised by the Agriculture Producers Committee (APC) Beekeeping Section gets finalised at the moment, and we await its launch later this year.

Our sub-committees have been working tirelessly, and I would like to pay a special mention to Mickey Cernotta and Kim Fewster for their commitment to keeping up to date with the incursion in NSW. We appreciate the significant time you spent doing this and the way you represented our industry.

NSW is calling for more volunteers in the Varroa incursion. If you can help, please contact with Christine, info@bicwa.com.au or 0458 212 528 to get further info.

Until next month, happy keeping, and don’t forget to subscribe to our webpage, like us on Facebook and become a member of your Industry today. 

Regards,

Brendon Fewster

BICWA Chair

Brendon Fewster