Bee a good hobby

By Carol Saffer

When Jude Porteous retired as principal at Lal Lal Primary School in 2016, she knew she wanted to keep busy and engaged.

She chatted with a friend who kept bees and then attended a two-day beekeeping course.

“It was absolutely fascinating; I thought, I can do this.” Ms Porteous said.

“Bees are environmentally important, and that appealed to me.”

Ms Porteous is now a member/secretary of Ballarat Regional Beekeepers, which conducts two beekeeping classes in October, one for absolute beginners and another more detailed course for existing beekeepers.

The beginners class, which runs for two hours on Sunday, October 2, is for people considering whether beekeeping is for them?

Topics in the class range from PPE equipment, safety, start-up costs, and a Q & A session.

“It’s also a fantastic opportunity to observe bees in a hive and examine frames of brood and stores.” Ms Porteous said.

The second class is for those who have begun their beekeeping journey and need to know more, and for beginners as well. This class runs for four and a half hours.

The class will deliver information on bee biology, setting up and managing your first hive/s, biosecurity, dealing with bee diseases, seasonal beekeeping tasks, and much more.

Guided by two experienced beekeepers, attendees can observe and discuss live bees at work in open hive situations if the weather allows.

“This is a great foundation upon which to start or enrich your beekeeping journey with places still available on October 1, 22 and 23,” Ms Porteous said.

Gardening magazines and television programs spread the awareness that bees are vital to pollination in the garden and crop production, such as canola.

Ms Porteous has seen an increase of beehives in domestic settings, sometimes on rooftops or in the backyard.

She points out that each local Council has its regulations for beekeeping in residential areas, with restrictions on the number of hives per square meter of land as well as restrictions on the placement of hives in relation to neighbouring properties.

Ballarat Regional Beekeepers Inc. meet on the first Thursday of each month with the focus to share interests and knowledge, while supporting each other in beekeeping, education, and hands-on opportunities at the actual hives.

Members are a combination of professional and amateur backyard beekeepers.

For more information go to www.brb.org.au