Mead Making Workshop 2025 Cost $145 Cost includes: - Initial workshop, and 2 follow up sessions TBA. [Timing of later sessions for decanting and bottling depends on fermentation progress, but will be on Sundays @ 2pm] - 2 x 5 litre glass demijohns, with swing clip, silicone bung and airlock - 1.6 kg local honey, and all required yeast, fruit, spices, yeast nutrients, Ph adjustment, etc. - 12 x 375 ml clear glass bottles with stelvin closures. [Ideal for entering one into the Lilydale Show in November!] - Printed notes and recipe for "Joe's Ancient Orange Mead", so you can make your following batches at your leisure.   *This is a members only event Tickets are essential and only 10 spots are available. So hurry and purchase a ticket via our website - ticket sales end midday Monday 16th June. Enquiries - Greg Huggins president.yarravalleybeegroup@mail.tidyhq.com  

1.30 for a 2pm start 2pm - Whats happening in my hive?  Followed by our monthly Speaker - TBA Ben is an apiarist, environmentalist, father, food-lover and the owner of Ben’s Bees. Being exposed to nature and farming from an early age, and with three decades of experience behind him, Ben started Ben’s Bees in 2008. Since then, his company has expanded to include beekeeping, honey production, the safe rehoming of bee colonies, wasp nest removal, international mentoring, media and education. With a focus on ethical and natural beekeeping practices, Ben is committed to educating the community about bees and their vital connection to the environment and our everyday lives. Ben will be talking about Varroa and the safe use of Oxalic acid treatment; Varroa controller heat box and how its used; new wax moths treatments; winter jobs and some equipment show and tell! Join us and keep up to date with local conditions that effect your hive, connect with other beekeepers, share resources, improve your apiary skills and learn more about honeybee ecology. Non members are welcome too. Meetings are held at ECOSS, 711 Old Warburton Road, Wesburn, in the ‘Coop’ (past the old house, over the green, down the bottom). Gold coin donation appreciated. 

1.30 for a 2pm start (Join us early for a cuppa and chat) 2pm - Whats happening in my hive?  Followed by our monthly Speaker - Graham from Buzzbee Graham was a 10-year-old scout in Africa when he first became fascinated by bees. He then devoured every book he could find on bees and even joined beekeeping clubs. Through his journey, Graham observed a concerning amount of inaccurate and confusing information circulating online. Driven by this gap in the beekeeping industry, Graham embarked on a mission to create a brand that would serve as a trusted resource for beekeepers... Buzzbee. Join us on Sunday 27th as Graham shares with us his ideas on preparing your hives for winter, feeding and more. Graham will aslo be bringing a range of equipment for show and purchase. Join us and keep up to date with local conditions that effect your hive, connect with other beekeepers, share resources, improve your apiary skills and learn more about honeybee ecology. Non members are welcome too. Meetings are held at ECOSS, 711 Old Warburton Road, Wesburn, in the ‘Coop’ (past the old house, over the green, down the bottom). Gold coin donation appreciated. 

YVBG will be having a stall at the 2 day Crank Up Festival 5th and 6th April 10am-4pm. Volunteers are needed to man our bee group and honey sales stall. Please consider coming along and lending a hand for a few hours. Looks like a great day. Please email us at hello@yarravalleybeegroup.tidymail.co and let us know what times best suit you - Sat 5th or Sunday 6th - 7-9 / 9-12.30 / 12.30-4.  We'll then be in touch.  This is a great family outing in the beautiful Warburton Valley! Learn about heritage trades and vintage machines, browse through the Museum collections, and enjoy food and drinks while listening to some live music. ​Crank Up Heritage and Community Festival - organised since 1978 - takes place at the Upper Yarra Museum in Yarra Junction. This event showcases vintage machinery (moving and stationary) and vintage cars; live blacksmithing and heritage trades demonstrations; an exciting wood chop competition and working draught horses; live music and fun kids' activities as well as market and food stalls. ​Vintage car show takes place on Saturday and wood chop competition on Sunday. ​Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome! ​​​This is their biggest fundraising event of the year so do come along and support the museum!  Facebook  Website Flyer

1.30 for a 2pm start 2pm - Whats happening in my hive Followed by our monthly Speaker - Simon Mildren Simon Mildren is the founder and CEO of HiveKeepers, an Australian company dedicated to making beekeeping simpler and more accessible. With a background in emergency management and a passion for innovation, Simon has spent years developing practical solutions that support beekeepers at all levels. His latest innovation, the Micro Honey Harvester, is designed to simplify honey extraction while preserving honey purity and reducing waste. About the HiveKeepers Micro Honey Harvester The HiveKeepers Micro Honey Harvester is a revolutionary, closed-system honey extraction device that removes the mess, hassle, and waste of traditional honey harvesting. Designed for hobbyist and small-scale beekeepers, it eliminates the need for cappings removal, filtering, and extensive cleanup—allowing beekeepers to harvest honey quickly, easily, and as needed. The harvester works seamlessly with standard Langstroth frames, making it a simple drop-in solution for beekeepers looking to extract high-quality honey with minimal effort. For more details, visit HiveKeepers.   Join us and keep up to date with local conditions that effect your hive, connect with other beekeepers, share resources, improve your apiary skills and learn more about honeybee ecology. Non members are welcome too. Meetings are held at ECOSS, 711 Old Warburton Road, Wesburn, in the ‘Coop’ (past the old house, over the green, down the bottom). Gold coin donation appreciated. 

Unfortunately tomorrows Bee Group meeting is cancelled due to the Central Total Fire Ban and Extreme fire rating.... Stay safe at home and see you next month instead.     1.30 for a 2pm start 2pm - Whats happening in my hive?  Followed by our monthly speaker - Simon Mildren from hivekeepers.com Simon has been keeping bees for 15 years.  He found extracting honey from the frames was slow and messy, and required a lot of bulky equipment, whether you have only one hive or fifty.  He thought there must be a better way.  Turns out there is.  He spent several years designing and refining it, and his new system will launch on March 5th.  It uses a small spinner about the size of the food scraps bin the council provides for your kitchen, no sieves, no tubs – you can pour the honey directly from the collecting canister into your jars.  It doesn’t disturb the wax caps over the honey so there is no mess (unless you drop the canister). Come along on Sunday 23rd Febraury to see this new system in action, and get yourself on the waiting list for when the Mirco Honey Harvester is released.   Join us and keep up to date with local conditions that effect your hive, connect with other beekeepers, share resources, improve your apiary skills and learn more about honeybee ecology. Non members are welcome too. Meetings are held at ECOSS, 711 Old Warburton Road, Wesburn, in the ‘Coop’ (past the old house, over the green, down the bottom). Gold coin donation appreciated. 

Unfortunately, the proposed Honey extraction day which was taking place on Sunday 26th Jan has been cancelled, due to lack of honey!  See you all instead at our usual club meeting on February 23rd.

ECOSS event Come and celebrate the end of another year and join us for an afternoon of locally produced food, live cooking demonstration with 5 star chef, Michael Lewis, using produce from local Artisan Agriculture farmers. Including our vey own members product - Cameron Walkers honey and Greg Huggins honey comb. Both winners at the 2024 Lilydale show. Talk to your farmers and find out where your food comes from. There will be a large market with-art, craft, produce stalls, food and more.. Live music, kids activities, Jigsaw Jumps & Costa's Book launch! Program includes: Welcome to Country, Awol Monks, Szara Fox & The Midnight Secrets, Formidable Vegetable & Smoke Stack Rino.  Further infomration can be found here - https://www.facebook.com/events/477001724797176

1.30 for a 2pm start Please join us for YVBG end of year celebration! In the spirit of giving and receiving; please bring: - a plate of food to share. (Bubbles and wine, and other drinks supplied). - any bee tools or equipment (no used wood items), cleaned, that you have never used or wont use again. You will get a raffle ticket at the door for each item you put on the table. Throughout the afternoon as tickets are drawn you get to select another member’s item to take home. - a tip or bee keeping hack that you have discovered, a piece of equipment, picture or video. It could be of your dream bee shed or workshop. Pic’s and videos on a memory stick please. Door prizes drawn over the afternoon and The Best Bee themed outfit wins a prize!   Join us and keep up to date with local conditions that effect your hive, connect with other beekeepers, share resources, improve your apiary skills and learn more about honeybee ecology. Non members are welcome too. Meetings are held at ECOSS, 711 Old Warburton Road, Wesburn, in the ‘Coop’ (past the old house, over the green, down the bottom). Gold coin donation appreciated. 

**Entries close Monday 11th November Honey Competition YVBG will be running the honey competition in conjunction with the show. Click here for the schedule and to find out how to enter your jarred honey, frame of honey, wax block, honeycomb and mead! CLASSES 1. Jar of Liquid Honey (H) 2. Jar of Creamed Honey (HCR) 3. Jar of Crystalised Honey (HCRY) 4. Capped Frame of Honey (F) 5. Wax Block (W) 6. Cut Honeycomb Block (CHB) 7. Home Made Mead (M)-Sub classes M1A Dry Mead, M1B Semi-sweet Mead and M1C Sweet Mead  Download the schedule for all the details To enter you need to purchase tickets https://shop.lilydaleyarravalleyshow.com.au/ and drop off your entries Monday between 2-8pm. Details are in the schedule. Visit the Lilydale Show Website to find out whats on this year Volunteers needed We also need volunteers to man our YVBG stall. Each year we have a stall to sell our honey, educate the community about beekeeping and the joys of beekeeping clubs. You don't have to be an expert on beekeeping, Newbees will be rostered on with more experienced people. 2 hour timeslots. All volunteers will now need a Working with Childrens Check. However, this is free and easy to complete online.  Please email your interest to volunteer to yarravalleybeegroup@mail.tidyhq.com.   

The National Varroa Mite Management Program is hosting training workshops to provide beekeepers with the latest information on Varroa mite and managing Varroa mite in your hives. This FREE ONE DAY WORKSHOP will provide information on:  Understanding Varroa mite and its impacts  The importance of monitoring and treatment thresholds  Integrated pest management and Varroa  Chemical treatment options including organic options  Brood location, frame rotation and management  Best practice record keeping  Time: 9:00am - 3:00pm (Check in from 8:30am) Venue: Gembrook Community Hall Trainers: Tony Wilsmore, Andrew Wootton. You can find out more about your trainers here. Morning tea and lunch provided. Dietary requirements will be met where possible.  Registration is required as places per session are limited.  If you have already attended a National Varroa Mite Management Training Workshop in another location, please consider leaving space for beekeepers who have not yet completed this training. Click here to register YVBG is promoting this event via our website. For all enquiries, please contact National Varroa Mite Management Program via the Humantix registration page. (Link above)

Our October meeting will be hosted on Friday 25th October (instead of Sunday 27th) 6.30 - 8.30 Ashton Edgley is the Senior Varroa Development Officer | Plants, Chemicals & Invasives | Biosecurity and Agricultural Services for Ag Vic, who is coming to talk about all things Varroa Management. Ashton will have all the treatment products and information available to look at and discuss, and explain how and when to use them. He has also invited members to submit any questions by 18th October. You can do this by emailing your questions to Lyn  secretary.yarravalleybeegroup@mail.tidyhq.com for collation and forwarding to Ashton prior to the meeting. This will give Ashton time to ensure he covers exactly what you want. Bio: Almost as soon as I began my working life, I had a great passion for both Agriculture and bees, so it wasn’t long after that I joined the huge world of the Apiculture. I have been extremely lucky to be involved in this space over the last several years and enjoy beekeeping without the impact of Varroa mite. For me, it’s the constant changes in beekeeping with the seasons and challenges that we are faced with on the day to day. Each colony that bit different and each day unlike the last. Something I have been closely following is the impact of Varroa globally and the diverse technologies and treatments that have evolved throughout the years. I know that beekeepers as a collective are resilient and I look forward to sharing my passion for learning with you as we face the greatest battle yet for Australian beekeepers. Join us and keep up to date with local conditions that effect your hive, connect with other beekeepers, share resources, improve your apiary skills and learn more about honeybee ecology. Non members are welcome too. Meetings are held at ECOSS, 711 Old Warburton Road, Wesburn, in the ‘Coop’ (past the old house, over the green, down the bottom). Gold coin donation appreciated.