!

!!

Capensis

!

!

!

NEXT!COMMITTEE!MEETING!

!

19!April!2016!

@!10am!

The!Cape!Honey!Factory!

Koelenhof!

19!January!2016!@!10h00!at!the!Cape!Honey!19!

January!2016!@!10h00!at!the!Honey!Factory,!

Issue: March 2016!

MEDIA!RELEASE!!

05!March!2016!

!

The!annual!conference!of!the!South!African!Honey!Bee!Industry!is!scheduled!to!take!place!in!Oudtshoorn!from!1!to!2!July!2016!

at!the!beautiful!Surval!Boutique!Olive!Estate.!

!

It!is!hosted!by!the!Western!Cape!Bee!Industry!Association!on!behalf!of!SABIO!M!the!national!bee!organization.!

!

Various!leaders!in!South!African!Agriculture,!Government!as!well!as!leading!bee!researchers!have!been!approached!to!address!

the!conference!on!key!issues!at!this!time,!i.e.!challenges!facing!agriculture,!biodiversity,!safety!of!agricultural!chemicals!in!the!

food!chain,!growth!of!the!honey!market!and!pollination!of!vital!crops.!

!

The!addMon!value!provided!in!the!production!of!a!number!of!foodstuffs!and!ecological!balance!is!highly!significant,!owing!to!the!

humble!role!of!the!honey!bee!as!key!pollinator.!!For!example,!deciduous!fruit,!specialized!vegetable!seed!crops!and!intensive!

horticultural!production!all!depend!on!the!honeybee!for!a!successful!harvest.!

!

Information!on!the!event!and!booking!details!can!be!sourced!from!our!convener!shown!here!under.!

!

!

Yours!faithfully!

!

!

Danie&Vorster&!

CHAIRMAN!WCBA!

!

072!363!9478!

!Beecon 2016 01#&#02#July#2016#

Surval, Oudtshoorn !

Beecon!2016!

Please!see!the!accompanying!documents!for!the!

Beecon!Program!and!Registration!form!...!

!

!

MINUTES OF MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE MEETING

01 March 2016 @ 10h00, Cape Honey Factory, Koelenhof

1. WELCOME & CONSTITUTIONING

Present:! ! Danie! Vorster! (chairman),! Brendan! AshleyMCooper! (viceMchairman),! Dawid! Smit! (secretary! &! treasurer),! Lynette! Barnes,! Pieter! Theron,! Nico!

Langenhoven!and!Helena!van!der!Westhuizen.!

Johan!van!As!and!Tlou!Masehela!were!absent!with!notice.!

2. ADDITIONS

The!following!items!were!added!:!!Beecon!2016,!AGM,!Blueberry!Pollination!Day,!Protocol!and!Training.!

3. APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES

Danie!Vorster!read!the!minutes!of!the!meeting!of!12!January!2016.!!The!minutes!were!approved!as!a!correct!version!of!the!meeting.!

4. MATTERS ARISING FROM THE PREVIOUS MINUTES

Danie!will!obtain!the!library!books!from!Matthew!Surridge!to!supply!to!Braam!Stander!to!take!control!of!them!at!the!coming!field!day.!

Brendan!remarked!that!the!the!mayor!of!Stellenbosch!seemingly!lost!his!appetite!for!his!Million!Trees!Project.!!Simlarly!minister!Alan!Winde!suddenly!went!cold!

as!well.!!The!latter!will!be!asked!why!at!Beecon!2016!where!he!is!being!lined!up!as!keynote!speaker.!

Tlou!to!keep!communicating!with!Pia!Addison!on!the!issue!of!research!on!ants.!

Brendan!will!follow!up!with!Riaan!van!Zyl!regarding!detail!of!the!old!and!seemingly!unclaimed!“containers”!with!honey!in!Montague!Gardens!with!the!idea!to!deal!

with!the!issue!appropriately.!

5. FINANCES

The!balances!on!our!accounts!were!as!follows!on!01!March!2016:!Cheque!R12055.79;!Development!Fund!R89969.81;!Symposium!Fund!R81397.10!and!Cash!Box!

±R300.!

It!was!agreed!that!R40000!from!the!Symposium!Fund!will!be!loaned!to!the!Beecon!2016!organizing!committee!according!to!the!Constitution!as!starter!funds.!!The!

WCBA!Cheque!Account!will!be!used!for!the!finances!of!Beecon!2016.!

6.!!MEMBERS!

The!number!for!the!financial!year!came!to!63.!!New!membership!forms!will!be!sent!out!to!all!on!our!database!within!the!next!week.!

7. YEAR PROGRAM & FORTH-COMING ACTIVITIES

Dawid!sent!an!updated!program!to!the!MC!members!previously.!

It!seems!that!the!organizing!of!the!upcoming!Spring!Field!Day!is!well!in!hand.!!The!venue!of!the!AGM!to!be!confirmed!by!Dawid.!

Danie!will!update!the!contact!details!on!our!display!material!ASAP.!

8. CAPENSIS

The!next! issue!(March!2016)!should!at! least!carry! info!regarding!our!Year!Plan!and!Beecon!2016.! !Mike!Allsopp!has!agreed!to!submit!an!article!on!the!current!

status!of!AFB.!

9. POLLINATION

A!brief!discussion!on!pollination!costs!indicated!that!an!incerease!of!more!than!10%!should!be!expected.!!Dawid!to!do!the!usual!calculations!again!and!liaise!with!

the!Pollination!subMcommittee!before!the!next!meeting.!

10. CORRESPONDENCE

Dawid!read!a!request!by!a!pest!control!company!for!a!list!of!names!of!beekeepers!that!can!assist!with!handling!problem!bees.!!The!decision!was!to!not!supply!

such!list!but!to!put!the!request!out!on!Apiculture!SA.!

11.!!SABIO!MATTERS!

Danie!will!follow!up!with!Mike!Miles!regarding!the!interpretation!of!their!new!member!fee!structure!pertaining!to!the!associations.!

12. AFB

We!are!waiting!for!Mike!Allsopp’s!article!for!the!Capensis.!!It!seems!to!have!entered!a!cycle!of!low!occurence!again.!

13. FORAGE

Tlou!and!Brendan!will! henceforth! take!Nico!onto! their! subMcommittee! for! this!most!

important!aspect!of!our!local!industry.!

At! the! meeting! recently! held! at! Elsenburg! Mike! Allsopp! had! a! seemingly! different!

attitude! towards! cooperation! with! this! institution.! ! Brendan! to! pay! him! a! visit!

regarding! this.! ! Danie! and! Brendan! will! also! visit! Robert! Post! about! the! issue! to!

explore!ways!to!work!together.!

Dr!Trautman’s!offer!to!employ!Elsenburg’s!strategist!(dr!Troskie)!for!further!planning!

will!be!taken!up!ASAP.!

14. AD HOC MATTERS

a.!!Beecon!2016!

A! further! planning! meeting! will! again! be! held! after! this! MC! meeting! under! the!

convenorship! of! Lynette.! ! The! latter! gave! feedback! on! the! reconnaissance! trip! to!

Oudtshoorn.!

b.!!Blueberry!Pollination!Day!

The!Eurafruit!Growers!Day!on!04!February!2016!Backsberg!Estate!was!a!good!one.!!It!

was! confirmed! that! it!was! a! closed!meeting! for! Eurafruit! growers! and! their! service!

providers.!

c.!!Protocol!for!MC!Members!

A! discussion! about! how!MC!members! must! react! to! enquiries! that! may! end! up! in!

them!doing!personal!business!ended!in!a!confirmation!that!uttermost!discretion!must!

be!employed!with!this!issue.!!It!was!stressed!that!enquiries!to!the!Association!must!be!

forwarded! to! the! total! membership! community! for! an! equal! opportunity! to! act.!!

Dawid! will! send! the! detail! to! register! info@wkbv.co.za! on! all! MC! computers! for!

transparency! purposes.! ! It! was! agreed! that! he! will! take! responsibility! for! the! first!

action!to!emails!to!this!address.!

d.!!Training!

Lynette! and! Helena! (and! Nico! ?)! were! urged! to! come! up! with! a! suggestion! of! the!

Association’s!strategy!in!this!regard!ASAP.!

!

15. NEXT MEETING

19!April!2016!@!10h00!at!the!Cape!Honey!Factory,!Koelenhof!unless!Pieter!manages!to!organise!something!different!as!suggested.!

The!meeting!adjourned!at!about!13h30.!

WKBV Bestuurskomitee 2015-2016 : Danie Vorster - 072 363 9478 Voorsitter, Bestuiwing, Inligtingsdae

Nico Langenhoven - 082 592 9940 Bestuiwingsinspeksies, Inligtingsoordrag, Heuning-fees

Brendan Ashley-Cooper - 082 484 0030 Onder-voorsitter, Bye-welstand, Bye-weiding, Webtuiste

Lynette Barnes - 071 241 1411 Kantoor, Telefoon, Posbus, Heuning-plakkers, Ledekaarte, Kontant-trommel, Opleiding

Dawid Smit - 083 655 2280 Tesourier, Sekretaris, Lede-aangeleenthede, Kommunikasie, Webtuiste, Chemie-intervlak, Bestuiwing

Pieter Theron - 082 828 9291 Registrasies, Velddae, Inligtingsdae, Biblioteek, Toerusting, Promosie-materiaal

Helena van der Westhuizen - 072 802 3634 Capensis, Bemarking/Promosie, Heuning-fees, Opleiding

Johan van As - 083 650 2079 Bestuiwing, Velddae

Tlou Masehela (gekoöpter) - 078 285 2553 Bye-weiding, Bewusmaking, Miere-projek

!

Donec&interdum&

Pellentesque:!

Consectetuer:!

AFB!Update!–!March!2016!

Mike!Allsopp!(ARC)!&!Riaan!van!Zyl!(DAFF)!

It!is!seldom!that!a!week!passes!without!one!or!both!of!us!being!asked,!“what!is!the!AFB!situation?”!–!by!the!press,!

our!bosses,!the!growers,!beekeepers,!the!public.!!As!the!saying!goes,!‘if!only!we!had!a!dollar!for!every!time!!.!.!.!.!.!.!‘.!

We!would!love!to!have!a!thorough,!convincing,!complete!answer!to!the!question,!but!sadly,!in!the!absence!of!the!

monitoring!and!reporting!needed!to!deliver!such!an!answer,!the!best!that!we!can!provide!are!our!personal!

observations!relating!to!AFB!over!the!past!season:!

• There!have!been!far!fewer!beekeepers!contacting!us!to!report!AFB!this!past!season!than!was!the!case!the!

previous!year;!only!16!reports!since!August!2015!compared!to!about!75!reports!in!the!corresponding!period!

the!previous!year.!

!

• Furthermore,!many!of!these!‘AFB!reports’!in!the!current!season!have!turned!out!to!be!EFB,!which!has!been!

very!pronounced!in!the!past!six!months!in!the!Western!Cape.!

!

• As!such,!we!have!seen!relatively!few!confirmed,!clinical!AFB!colonies!over!the!past!season,!probably!fewer!

than!50!colonies.!Only!18!‘terminated’!AFB!colonies!have!been!delivered!to!the!ARC!for!burning!this!year.!

!

• There!have!also!been!no!‘new’!areas!in!the!Western!Cape!reporting!AFB!over!the!past!twelve!months,!and!

limited!investigations!in!areas!such!as!Oudtshoorn!and!George!failed!to!result!in!any!clinical!AFB!colonies.!

What!do!we!make!of!the!above?!!What!does!it!all!mean?!!Has!the!AFB!‘epidemic’!burned!itself!out?!Did!we!overreact!

in!2014/2015?!!Was!2014/2015!just!a!particularly!bad!year?!Are!we!seeing!hygieneMdriven!tolerance!in!our!bees?!!

Have!the!obviously!M!susceptible!colonies!now!all!been!eliminated?!Are!

beekeepers!not!reporting!losses,!and!just!dealing!with!infected!colonies!

themselves?!Is!antibiotic!usage!widespread,!and!is!this!the!reason!why!

we!are!not!seeing!more!AFB!colonies?!Has!the!past!season!in!the!

Western!Cape!been!so!peculiar!and!so!bad!that!there!wasn’t!enough!

brood!in!many!of!the!colonies!for!a!brood!disease!to!be!a!problem?!Will!

we!see!a!resurgence!of!AFB!symptoms!and!collapsing!colonies!when!

colonies!recover,!and!as!the!season!progresses?!!

In!the!absence!of!extensive!monitoring!and!reporting,!all!of!the!

above!are!possible,!and!your!guess!is!as!good!as!ours.!!But!hope!springs!eternal,!and!maybe!last!year!was!

the!worst!of!times!as!regards!AFB!in!the!Western!Cape,!and!maybe!the!AFB!infection!in!the!Cape!is!

beginning!to!peter!out?!We!can!but!hope,!and!the!next!six!months!should!be!interesting!indeed.!Allow!us!

to!renew!our!call!to!all!beekeepers!to!inspect!and!monitor!their!colonies!as!frequently!as!possible,!and!to!

please!to!report!their!findings!to!us,!!!good!or!bad.!

Happy!beekeeping.!

Mike!&!Riaan! ! ! ! ! ! ! (Photo:!Riaan!inspecting!hivesMRON!MOLLER)!

!

!

DIE!BYEBOER!SE!(KRUI)WA!:!Januarie!2016!

Dit!is!weer!hoog!somer!en!ons!hier!in!die!Paarl!omgewing!beleef!van!die!ergste!hittegolwe!in!jare.!Die!hoë!temperature!skep!nie!net!hoë!vlakke!van!ongemak!vir!

mens!en!dier!nie.!Dit!maak!ook!dat!bye,!of!beter,!byeswerms!hoë!vlakke!van!ongemak!moet!verwerk.!

Brande! langs!paaie! is! algemeen!die! tyd! van!die! jaar.! So!was!daar! verlede!week!en!Donderdag,!Vrydag!en! Saterdag!elke!dag! ‘n!brand! in!die!omgewing! van!

Klapmuts!en!Muldersvlei.!

Vrydagaand!15!Januarie!so!net!na!sononder!skakel!‘n!dame!van!Klapmuts.!Die!brand!het!‘n!klomp!bye!in!hul!huis!ingejaag.!Die!een!seun,!20!jaar!oud,!is!in!die!

hospital!en!die!Rodweiler!lê!dood!in!die!kamer!waar!die!bye!hom!ingejaag!het.!Die!bye!is!nou!almal!in!die!kamer!en!hulle!het!as!voorsorg!die!deur!toegemaak.!

Ek!moet!kom!help.!Sy!bied!aan!om!te!betaal!voordat!ek!kon!sê!daar!sal!koste!aan!verbonde!wees.!

Ek!onderneem!om!Saterdag!vroeg!te!kom!kyk.!

Saterdagoggend!sewe!uur!ry!ek!daarheen.!Alles!is!rustig.!Die!seun!is!terug!uit!die!hospital.!Die!oë!nog!rooi!en!geswel.!Die!Rodweiler!is!al!vroegoggend!begrawe.!

Waar!is!die!bye?!Nee,!hulle!het!al!by!die!kamer,!dit!is!‘n!buitekamer,!ingeloer.!Die!bye!is!weg!en!alles!is!reg.!

Nou!verstaan!ek!niks!nie.!

Maar,!“oom!kom!kyk!hier”.!Hulle!neem!my!so!15!meter!van!die!huis!af.!Daar!onder!‘n!boom!staan!‘n!reuse!John!Deere!trekker.!Die!wag!al!so!20!jaar!om!herstel!

te!word.!En!hier!so!neffens!die!agterwiel!lê!‘n!ou!kruiwabak!onderstebo.!En!daar!by!die!gate,!eintlik!baie!klein,!waar!dit!aan!die!onderstel!geheg!was,!vlieg!die!

bye!in!en!uit.!

Die!hele!verhaal!gaan!voor!my!oop!soos!‘n!boek.!Ek!ken!dit.!

Ek!en!my!handlanger!kry!die!rookkan!aan!die!werk!en!trek!ons!beskermende!klere!aan.!Gee!rook!en!lig!die!kruiwabak!op.!Dit!is!swaar.!Die!bak!is!tjok!en!blok!vol!

bye!en!heuning.!Die!bye!moet!al!jare!daar!wees.!Die!grond!lyk!of!dit!geteer!is!soos!die!bye!al!die!sand!met!propolis!aan!mekaar!gewerk!het.!

Vra!eers!vir!‘n!bakkie!en!sny!die!beste!mooi!wit!heuning!uit!vir!die!huismense.!Bring!die!8!raam!bynes!nader!en!bind!vier!mooi!koeke!met!jongby!en!heuning!in!

die!rame!en!maak!vas!met!dun!stukkies!baaltou.!Sny!nog!heuning!uit!en!pak!dit!in!‘n!blik!

deksel.!

Probeer!nou!om!die!korf!op! ‘n!geskikte!plek!te!plaas!en!begin!die!bye!stadig!en!rustig!

met!rook!nader!na!die!korf!dryf.!Dit!werk.!Die!bye!begin!al!meer! in!die!korf! loop.!Toe!

daar!so!90%!van!die!bye!in!die!korf!is,!tel!ons!die!korf!op!en!sit!dit!boMop!die!trekker!se!

agterwiel!sodat!die!res!kan!invlieg.!

Dit!is!nou!al!twee!uur!van!dat!ons!stil!gehou!het.!Die!huismense!het!ons!nie!koffie!of!iets!

te!ete!aangebied!nie.!Dit!is!tyd!om!huistoe!te!gaan.!Ons!laai!alles!op,!ook!die!deksel!vol!

heuning.!Los!net!die!korf!met!bye!daar.!Bel!liefste!by!die!huis!om!haar!te!verwittig!ons!is!

op!pad.!!

Kom!by!die!huis!en!vroulief!het!die!ontbyt!gereed.!Net!gou!eers!die!heuning!weeg.!14!kg!

plus.!

Wat! het! gebeur?! Die! selfde! as!met!my! vorige! ondervindings! van! sulke! gevalle! sedert!

1963.! Die!bye!het!die!kruiwabak,!so!te!sê,!al!te!vol!gewerk.!Met!die!drie!klein!gaaitjies!

waar!die!bye!in!en!uit!gevlieg!het!is!daar!nie!genoeg,!of!groot!genoeg,!openinge!om!die!ruimte!behoorlik!te!ventuleer!nie.!Die!feit!dat!dit!onder!die!skadu!boom!

was!het!nie!die!situasie!beredder!nie.!Temperatuur!hier!was!die!voorafgaande!paar!dae!konstant!38!tot!40o!c!.!So!ook!die!binnekant!van!die!kruiwabak.!Dit!het!

gemaak!dat!die!bye!beserk!geraak!het.!Toe!het!hulle!alles!wat!leef!en!beef!begin!steek.!

Hierdie!geval!is!geen!uitsondering!nie.!Sou!wat!wou!gee!om!te!weet!hoeveel!keer!dit!al!hierdie!somer!gebeur!het.!Ek!sal!ook!voorspel!dat!dit!nog!‘n!paar!keer!sal!

gebeur!na!einde!Februarie!tot!middle!Maart.!En!dit!gebeur!elke!somer.!En!dit!sal!volgende!jaar!weer!gebeur.!Moet!ook!nie!dink!daardie!vredeliewende!swerm!

wat!al!‘n!paar!jaar!daar!in!die!werf,!of!erf,!staan!sal!dit!nooit!doen!nie.!

Die!rook!van!die!vorige!dag!het!niks!of!weinig!met!die!bye!se!agressiewiteit!te!doene,!inteendeel!dit!moes!hul!eerder!gekalmeer!het.!

Hoe!kry!ons!die!boodskap!by!Jan!Alleman!in!die!dorpe!en!stede?!Ja!selfs!die!plaasmense!en!die!kleinhoewe!bewoners.!Plaas!die!korwe!ver!genoeg!van!die!werf.!

Nico!langenhoven!

Keep!in!mind:!!

If!any!of!you!have!anything!of!interest!that!you!would!like!to!share!with!you!fellow!beekeepers,!please!mail!

it!to!info@simplybee.co.za!and!we!will!make!sure!to!share!it!for!you!in!the!Capensis.!!Photos!are!also!

Autumn!Beekeeping!

Information!Session!

Where:!!Simply!Bee!–!Hopefield!

When:!!Sat!M!9!April!2016,!9h00M13h00!

Guest!Speaker:!!Nico!Langenhoven!

!!

Bee!basics!for!Grade!5!learners!

Tlou!Masehela!

SANBI,!SU!&!WCBA!

!

The!4th!of!December!2015,!was!one!of!the!calendar!dates!earmarked!for!celebrating!100!years!of!existence!for!the!Jan!Marais!Nature!Reserve!in!

Stellenbosch.! As! part! of! the! centenary! celebrations,! various! activities!were! organised! and! freely! open! to! the! public.! Grade! 5! leaners! from!

various!schools!around!Stellenbosch!also!formed!part!of!the!festivities.!As!part!of!the!programmeMa!talk!on!honeybees!was!listed!of!which!I!was!

asked! to! share! a! few! things! about! honey! bees! with! the! youngsters.! A! very! energetic! bunch! I! must! say.! My! talk! started! off! with! a! brief!

introduction!on!bees:!what!honey!bees!are,!how!they!differ!from!other!bees!and!why!they!are!important.!Well,!I!soon!realised!that!they!were!

mostly!interested!in!how!bees!make!honey!and!why!they!sting…?!!

!

Luckily,! I! had! brought! four! different! types! of! honey!with!me! for! them! to! see! and! taste,!while! I! explained! that! honey! is!made! from!nectar!

collected!by!bees!from!different!flowers!–!that!it!occurs!in!different!colours!and!that!it!taste!different!depending!on!the!origin!of!the!nectar.!I!

also!explained!the!reason!behind!bee!stingsMstings!are!a!form!of!selfMdefence,!despite!the!sad!immediate!death!of!the!honey!bee!after!a!sting.!

What!was!exciting!and!interesting!for!the!learners!was!the!discovery!that!it!is!only!the!female!honey!bees!that!sting!(besides!the!queen)!–!but!

that!they!are!also!the!only!worker!bees!in!the!hive.!The!learners!found!it!rather!weird!and!somewhat!unfair!that!only!female!bees!work!hard!to!

gather!food!and!protect!the!drones!and!queen!amongst!other!duties.!

Tlou!Masehela!interacting!with!learners!during!the!exhibition.!Picture:!Sinikiwe!

Simakani!The!learnes!learnt!alot!of!new!information!about!honey!bees!that!they!were!not!aware!ofM!such!as!the!role!and!importance!of!honey!bees!for!

crop!pollination.!For!displayMvarious!bee!keepeeing!equipment,!hive!tools!and!parts!were!made!available!for!the!learners!to!see!and!touch.!One!

of!the!interesting!questions!I!got!from!one!of!the!learners!was:!“why!do!I!work!with!things!like!honey!bees!that!sting!people!all!the!time”.!The!

answer!was!not!that!straight!forward,!but!it!was!important!for!me!to!highlight!to!her!that!honey!bees!are!very!delicate!special! insects.!They!

provide!us!with!honey,!among!other!things,!and!ensure!that!most!of!our!food!crops!are!pollinated.!Also,!that!some!of!the!activities!we!humans!

engage!in!endager!these!little!insects.!And!that!it!is!our!duty!to!protect!their!nesting!sites!and!food.!So!I!am!in!a!way!playing!a!part!in!looking!

after!these!honey!bees.!She!still!had!this!“wondering”!look!on!her!face,!but!with!a!little!smile!this!time!around…and!I!could!tell!that!she!will!

possibly!do!her!bit!to!look!after!our!honey!bees.!

!

It!was!indeed!a!good!day!to!share!some!bee!knowledge!with!the!learners,!and!have!some!bit!of!fun!at!the!same!time!!

P: Bus/Box 1200, Bellville, 7535 T&F: (021) 865 2050 E: info@wkbv.co.za W: www.wkbv.co.za