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In this issue we have a report on the General Meeting and a presentation on Bees by Michael
Talk on Biodynamic Bee-keeping by Michael.
For those present at the meeting, we were most fortunate to hear an informative talk about biodynamic bee-keeping from a practising bee-keeper. Michael covered a lot of information in the night and with this summary we attempt to bring you the talk.
HISTORY
Firstly, a short history of bee-keeping which has been found in cave art in Valencia, Spain. The art has been dated to approximately 6000BC and shows a person robbing a native beehive. Other records also exist showing human attempts at building houses (hives) to 'tame' the bees to make honey extracting easier.
BIODYNAMIC BEE-KEEPING
In 1924, a group of farmers concerned about the future of agriculture, requested Dr Rudolf Steiner's assistance, to which Dr Steiner responded with a lecture series on agriculture.
These lectures formed the basis of biodynamic agriculture, which is now practised throughout Europe, North America and Australasia. Dr Steiner delivered 9 lectures in Dornach, Switzerland, and these lectures are printed in “BEES”.
In the lectures, Rudolf Steiner predicted the dire state of the honey bee today. He said that within 50 to 80 years, we would see the consequences of mechanizing the forces that had previously operated organically in the beehive. Such practices include breeding Queen Bees artificially.
Quotes from Dr Steiner's Lectures include:
“Bee-keeping therefore is something that greatly helps to advance our civilisation, for it makes men strong.”
“Indeed, in order that the Queen may remain in the sphere of the Sun, she may not dwell in an angular cell, but within a circular one. There she remains in the Sun-influence.”
“Here we touch on something that makes bee-keeping so extremely interesting for everyone. For you see, in reality, things go on in the hive in exactly the same way as in the human head, only with a slight difference.......”
“You see gentlemen, if you eat honey, you will take into yourselves a tremendously, strengthening force.
If you have been too weak to develop within yourself this six-sided force that must flow from your head to the rest of your body, if you don't have any longer the power within to give your blood a certain degree of solidity so that this six-sided force is continually present, then honey must step in to make up for the loss, or, in the case of children, milk will be necessary.
Children don't have this six-sided force yet – they still must obtain it through that which a woman produces in herself in the form of milk.”
SUMMARY of DEMETER STANDARDS OF BEEKEEPING
1. Hives of natural materials only (no synthetic wood preservatives)
2. Swarming the only permitted way to increase colonies
3. All combs should be natural combs (strips of beeswax foundation to guide comb building permitted) {It takes 5lb honey to build 1lb of wax}
4. No systematic queen replacement or wing clipping
5. Choose a locally adapted breed of bee for your land
6. Queen separation barriers are not allowed
7. A bee colony should be able to correct any occurring imbalances of its own natural resources.
8. The occasional loss of colonies particularly susceptible to certain pests and diseases should be accepted as a necessary part of natural selection.
REASONS FOR KEEPING BEES
There are a number of reasons that commercial and home gardeners should be interested in keeping bees.
Pollination which results in
• More fruit, vegetables and almonds
• Better shaped fruit
• Bigger fruit (strawberries and pumpkins)
• Nectar
• Honey
WHY ARE BEES BENEFICIAL
1. Bees need pollen and nectar – no pollen, no breeding
2. Bees need honey for energy
3. Bees gather different pollen from different types of flowers
4. Bees build a little sack on the bottom of the legs, using hairs and spit
5. Bees look for pollen at the start of spring which is why you see lots of bees around and they taper off at the end of summer
6. Bees are not about honey but are about colony, honey is the result of that.
7. Bees need the pollen (honey) to breed.
TODAY'S BOXES ORIGINATED FROM THE REV. LORENZO LANGSTROTH
Over the centuries, people have imaginatively created all types of vessels to encourage domestication of bees.
These include:
1. Suspending hollow logs in strategic locations
2. Making baskets for the bees to build in
3. Upright, tall boxes
4. Pottery barrels
5. The current boxes with frames
The Rev. Langstroth made a study of bees and concluded that bees need “bee space”. He found that bees need a certain amount of space. If the frames are too close, the bees make propolis to close the gaps to a gap of 4 to 6 millimetres. If the gap is too small, they glue it up completely with propolis. If there is too much gap to glue, the bees build honeycomb.
If the correct space exists around the frames, then the frames can be easily removed. It is illegal in Australia to have frames that don't move.
It is not known why the space is important but it is what the bees want and is considered to form part of the air flow in the hives. Bees have fantastic air flow management.
The job of some bees is to create air movement and this is crucial to the pollen turning into nectar (honey), which is why they glue up spaces, etc., to be able to direct air flow.
Once Rev. Langstroth developed the hive, he stopped. However, people started to develop various sizes in frames. All frames have the same width, but they differ in depth.
It is important to use standardised boxes because your bee business will always be saleable. You can make boxes and frames, but for the materials to be purchased and the time it takes, it really isn't worth it.
THE MELISSA GARDEN
The Melissa Garden is a honeybee sanctuary in the USA which now follow Biodynamic principles and is a commercial enterprise which has calm and happy bees because the bees seem to know that they are not under threat.
The sanctuary has been set up to increase bee population and in the process of creating the sanctuary, the keepers discovered biodynamic principles. To read more about The Melissa Garden, visit their website at http://www.themelissagarden.com.
CHALLENGES MICHAEL HAS HAD WITH FOLLOWING FULL BIODYNAMIC PRINCIPLES
Firstly, Michael considers that the current commercial bee husbandry is:
1. A process of husbandry that serves the beekeeper only
2. Is mechanised, standardised and bastardised.
3. Small scale bee-keeping is relatively easy, however, on a small scale, biodynamic bee-keeping is just as easy.
Secondly, good husbandry is crucial and consideration, for instance:
1. Bees build their cells at 7o angle to stop the honey running out of the hive
2. Bees work to keep the colony inside the box at 38oC around the Queen.
3. Always have 1 brood box, 1 food box (to put back at the end of Autumn to keep the bees going) and a collection box
4. Make sure that you always put the right box back to the right hive
Biodynamic Bee-keeping will always struggle to make money commercially.
1. Michael doesn't follow all standards because of the impracticality of some of the Steiner recommendations.
• No Queen excluders
• No Wax Foundation
• Top Bar Extraction
• Feeding Rules
2. My honey is the flavour and standard that I want.
3. Michael can help members put a brood box together for $100. Just contact him to make a time.
BOOKS TO READ
“Bees” – Lectures by Dr Rudolf Steiner (in HBG library)
“Wisdom of the Bees” – Erik Berrevoets (in HBG library)
“ABC & XYZ of Bee Culture”
“The Buzz about Bees” by Prof. Dr. Juergen Tautz
“Toward Saving the Honey Bee” by Guenther Hauk
“Bees and Honey: From Flower to Jar” by Michael Weiler
“Honeybee Democracy” by Thomas Seeley
“Die Biene, Haltung & Plefege” by Matthias Thun (available in the German edition only)
“Bees” by Rose-Lynn Fisher
“The Sacred Bee” by Hilda M. Ransome
“Fruitless Fall” by Rowan Jacobsen
“The Shamanic Way of Bees” by Simon Buxton
“The Lost Language of Plants” by Stephen Harrod Buhner
“The Wayfinders” by Wade Davis
“Nature Spirits and Elemental Beings” by Marko Pogacnik
“Wesensbilder der Tiere” by Ernst-Michael Kranich (available in the German edition only)
WEB PAGES
www.themelissagarden.com
www.beesfordevelopment.org
www.biobees.com
www.vimeo.com/9926876
Volunteers to man our display at Tocal
We need help for 2 hour shifts on Friday 29th, and Saturday 30th April and Sunday 1st May. We need help to set up on Thursday 28th April from 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm.
Could members reply to Susanna O’Brien on
Ph 65 745 185 or susannafobrien@bigpond.com
Minutes of General Meeting 4th February 2011
Tocal Agricultural College
Apologies: Derice McDonald, Alison Newman, Fred and Sue Fetherston,
Minutes of the Previous Meeting:
The minutes of the last meeting will be presented in the next newsletter along with the minutes of tonight’s meeting.
Treasurers Report: Everything OK
Preps Report:
Very good valerian made this year, along with the yarrow.
Simon commented on David Marks auditing of Fosterton Farm and looking at the HBG 500 saying it had good colloidal state but there is too much fibre.
Shane brought along samples of his BD500 … one very dark and colloidal and a sample from 500 made with manure from a conventional farm which was dry. Mark suggested it is best to get manure from your own pasture to make your own BD500 as that has the benefit of belonging to your own pasture along with the influence from your own land.
Library Report: Nothing new.
Tocal: Mark to contact Wendy and discuss the coordination of the HBG display and stand
General Business:
2011 Calendar to be placed on the website.
Biodynamic Education Centre Foundation Course will be held at Purple Pear, information also on the website.
Shane let us know about talks by Barbara O’Neill from Misty Mountain. Danny will zip the info
Australian Land Share website:
Mercurio’s Kitchen coming to Bertoli’s vineyard and asked
Margie: Barley Water … alkaline quenches your thirst 0.5 cup pearl barley boiled in water 5-6 litres water, then simmer for an hour. Then add lemon and lime or lemongrass, honey and mint. Let it cool.
Meeting closed at 9.30pm
Hunter Biodynamic Group PO Box 68 East Maitland 2323
www.hunterbiodynamic.org.au
Chair: Danny Woodland 49965500 Preps: Margaret Bruvel 4938 5435