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AG News: 02/12/2009

Includes: honey bees don’t look after themselves and farming diaries

By Department of Primary Industries - 10th December 2009 - Back to News

HONEY BEES DON’T LOOK AFTER THEMSELVES

The Department of Primary Industries (DPI) is urging hobby beekeepers to register as a beekeeper.

The reminder follows recent discoveries of unregistered beehives in Gippsland.

DPI Apiary Inspector Ray Gribbin said that under the Livestock Disease Control Act 1994 and the Apiary Code of Practice (May 1997) it is mandatory for anyone who owns, or who has charge, care or possession of one or more hives of bees to register as a beekeeper with DPI.

"There are 2117 beekeepers registered in Victoria; together these beekeepers are managing over 100,000 hives," Mr Gribbin said.

"Honey bees, like other livestock don’t look after themselves, and beehives can harbour both endemic and exotic pests and diseases that could seriously threaten the Victorian honey bee industry.

"Registration is therefore vital to enable the department to contact beekeepers and locate hives in the event of a pest or disease incursion."

The current annual fee when one to 60 hives are kept by a beekeeper is $15.00. When 61 or more hives are kept, the fee is calculated at 25 cents per hive. DPI routinely forwards application forms to all registered beekeepers in early June for renewal of registration which must be completed by bee keepers and returned by 30 June each year.

Mr Gribbin said there are other benefits to registering with DPI, including access to the free American foulbrood disease honey testing program, known as AFB Smart, as well as a beekeeping advisory service supplied by DPI apiary staff.

"Registered beekeepers may also qualify for compensation in the event of an outbreak of American foulbrood disease in their hives," Mr Gribbin said.

"However, it is important that the beekeeper declares the number of all hives to be kept when making an application for registration, as failure to do this may limit the amount of compensation made available."

Once bees have been obtained, the beekeeper has a legal and moral obligation to responsibly manage the colonies in a healthy state in accordance with the Livestock Disease Control Act 1994. The Apiary Code of Practice 1997 outlines the way honey bees must be kept so as not to cause a nuisance to other people.

Constant surveillance by beekeepers is necessary to ensure there are no disease incursions and early detection and rapid response are key to effective biosecurity emergency management.

For more information please contact the DPI Beekeeper Registration Hotline on 1800 356 761 or Ray Gribbin at DPI Bairnsdale on (03) 5152 0600 or ray.gribbin@dpi.vic.gov.au. To register as beekeeper online visit the DPI website at www.dpi.vic.gov.au

FARMING DIARY

FLEXIBLE ACCESS TO FEEDING SYSTEMS RESEARCH

Gippsland’s dairy farmers have the opportunity to plug into the internet and get the latest information on Feed Conversion Efficiency (FCE), and how it can cut costs, improve productivity and increase farm profit, via Dairy Australia’s DairyLive on Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 7:30 pm.

Guest speakers include Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Senior Dairy Scientist, Dr Bill Wales who leads the new Flexible Feeding Systems project at the recently opened research facilities at DPI Ellinbank,

Other speakers are the UK’s Professor David Beever, Nutritional Physiologist and Dairy Australia’s, Steve Little, Grains2Milk Program Leader.

Farmers will be able to call the program on a toll free number while it’s airing and speak to the experts, as well as send in questions via the DairyLive website and have them answered during the program.

For more details and to register, visit www.dairy.australia.com.au\dairylive

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com