Please note the new start time of our YVBG meetings is 2pm. This event will be held in person only.  Speaker - Jessica Locarnini - Honey Tasting Jess's love of Australian honey has driven her to carve out a career as Australia's foremost Honey Sommelier. But unlike a restaurant sommelier who recommends wine, Locarnini works in the field of honey. She has trained with – and received official certification from the world’s best – the American Honey Tasting Society and the Italian Honey Commission. She has now brought these skills home and is applying them to our unique Australian honey. Her obsession with honey and bees started at an early age and eventually led her to create Honey Merchant in 2018. She’s passionate to share her knowledge and is set to launch a honey tasting mentorship later this year to inspire a new wave of Australian honey connoisseurs. Currently she works with fellow beekeepers, chefs and foodies to draw attention to the unique and complex characteristics of Australian honeys through education, pairings and tastings.  As Jess says: "Australia is a land of extremes filled with many challenges our bees and beekeepers adapt to, including fire, drought and flood. This is reflected in the complex taste of our honeys. The unique and diverse flavour profiles we have here in Australia deserve to be celebrated". Please bring your own : 1 or 2 small wine glasses A spoon Drink bottle - water to drink between honeys We will provide the cheese and apple :) and some variety of honey samples. However, you are welcome to bring your own samples to try with the expert. Please do not attend if you are unwell or experiencing any cold or flue like symptoms; have been a close contact of someone with COVID-19; or are isolating.  Meetings are held at ECOSS, 711 Old Warburton Road, Wesburn, in the ‘Coop’ (past the old house, over the green, down the bottom). Everyone is welcome - gold coin donation appreciated. This event will be held in person only.

This event will be held in person with an option to attend online. If you are planning to attend online, please see below to purchase a free ticket.  Please note the new start time of our YVBG meetings is 2pm. Vanessa Hoo of Mademoiselle Bee - https://www.mademoisellebee.com/ Vanessa Hoo is a 2nd generation beekeeper, whose father used to be a French commercial apiarist, with a driving passion for bees. Vanessa is a fervid advocate for bees. She rescues our pollinators, by offering a diverse range of services around South Australia, and Australia. From mentoring, to education sessions, to live bee removal, and adoption/sponsorship programs.  ​Vanessa’s Visions is; “I see myself developing a better future for the bee population,  as well as scientifically improve our knowledge in the world of the Apis mellifera. Creating a better environment  and greener Australia“ ​Vanessa appeared multiple times of Tv shows, news, and guest public speaking, and love to share the important message about Bees! and this month she is joining us online to do just that!   If attending in person please do not attend if you are unwell or experiencing any cold or flue like symptoms; have been a close contact of someone with COVID-19; or are isolating.  Meetings are held at ECOSS, 711 Old Warburton Road, Wesburn, in the ‘Coop’ (past the old house, over the green, down the bottom). Everyone is welcome - gold coin donation appreciated. Attending online If you are planning on attending online, please see below to purchase a free ticket. The day before you will be sent a zoom link to join.  **Registrations for online tickets close Saturday 28th May at 2pm. If you've missed out please email yarravalleybeegroup@mail.tidyhq.com 

This event will be held in person with an option to attend online. If you are planning to attend online, please see below to purchase a free ticket.  Please note the new start time of our YVBG meetings is 2pm. Doug Purdie - Beehive Monitoring Doug Purdie, author of best-selling beekeeping book Backyard Bees and founder of the urban beehive, is joining us via zoom to talk about beehive monitoring with Broodminder and the Apisolis, the fire free bee smoker! If attending in person please do not attend if you are unwell or experiencing any cold or flue like symptoms; have been a close contact of someone with COVID-19; or are isolating.  Meetings are held at ECOSS, 711 Old Warburton Road, Wesburn, in the ‘Coop’ (past the old house, over the green, down the bottom). Everyone is welcome - gold coin donation appreciated. Attending online If you are planning on attending online, please see below to purchase a free ticket. The day before you will be sent a zoom link to join.  **Registrations for online tickets close Saturday 23rd April at 2pm. If you've missed out please email yarravalleybeegroup@mail.tidyhq.com 

This event will be held in person with an option to attend online. If you are planning to attend online, please see below to purchase a free ticket.  Please note change of Speaker for our March Meeting Speaker - Don Muir - B-Trace B-QUAL, as the industry owned QA and Food Safety program, has been asked by various stakeholders to implement a low-cost program that offers small producers assistance with their record keeping obligations, and to give consumers confidence in their products and product traceability. Consumers and Government departments are increasingly becoming aware of where food comes from and how it is produced. It is recognised in the honey industry that quality standards, in relation to food safety are demanded by customers, and governments.  B-TRACE is designed for smaller enterprises to maintain readily available hive record information that satisfies the requirements of the National Biosecurity Code of Practice, including Extracting and Product records that are also required by legislation. A specially designed hive management web app has been developed to assist members with this record keeping.  The B-TRACE program is intended for small semi commercial and recreational beekeepers who sell to: Farmers Markets Direct to consumers Food stalls Boutique shops, such as Bakeries, Fruit and Vegetable, Delicatessens, Restaurants and similar Or, any other outlets   If attending in person please do not attend if you are unwell or experiencing any cold or flue like symptoms; have been a close contact of someone with COVID-19; or are isolating.  Meetings are held at ECOSS, 711 Old Warburton Road, Wesburn, in the ‘Coop’ (past the old house, over the green, down the bottom). Everyone is welcome - gold coin donation appreciated. Attending online If you are planning on attending online, please see below to purchase a free ticket. The day before you will be sent a zoom link to join.  **Registrations for online tickets close Saturday 26th March at 2pm. If, after this time, you've missed out please email yarravalleybeegroup@mail.tidyhq.com 

We're back at ECOSS! This event will be held in person with an option to attend online. If you are planning to attend online, please see below to purchase a free ticket.  Speaker - Beekeeping with a Flow Hive Growth in beekeeping interest during COVID and the continued strong up take of Flow Hives are considered important reasons for the escalating numbers of Victorian Beekeeper registrations. We’ve recently topped 13,000! This source of information will be critical if we locate the Varroa Mite in our country. While it seems that not everyone can report success with their Flow Hive its introduction has created welcome new exposure and interest in beekeeping. This meeting will be devoted entirely to this topic with an experienced guest speaker.  Michael Johnson from The Basin Backyard The Basin Backyard runs 250 hives throughout the Dandenong Ranges and other parts of rural Victoria. What started out as one hive has expanded to become our small family business. We are passionate about bees and this passion has led us to open a retail outlet at our warehouse, where we stock basic bee keeping supplies at our Knoxfield shop. We are now the Melbourne/Gippsland region Authorised Flow Reseller and stock the Flow Hive at our shop in Knoxfield. We offer bee mentoring at the beehive location and have been very successful in helping new Flow Hive owners not only understand the Flow Hive concept but most importantly how to be a beekeeper and not just a keeper of bees. If attending in person, COVID regulations require you to be fully vaccinated, check in using the QR code or sign in sheet, wear a face mask at all times inside and adhere to social distancing. Please do not attend if you are unwell or experiencing any cold or flue like symptoms; have been a close contact of someone with COVID-19; or are isolating.  Meetings are held at ECOSS, 711 Old Warburton Road, Wesburn, in the ‘Coop’ (past the old house, over the green, down the bottom). Everyone is welcome - gold coin donation appreciated. Attending online If you are planning on attending online, please see below to purchase a free ticket. The day before you will be sent a zoom link to join. Please note, this is the first time we will be attempting to zoom from ECOSS. So, please be patient. **Registrations for online tickets close Saturday 26th February at 2pm. If you've missed out please email yarravalleybeegroup@mail.tidyhq.com 

Due to the current covid environment, the YVBG Committee has decided to continue with online meetings until further notice.  On Sunday January 30th we'll be having an interactive Q&A session from 1.30. For those who are new to beekeeping, this is your chance to have your questions answered by the group. For those with more experience, this is a chance to share your knowledge :). In preparation, we would welcome questions sent to yarravalleybeegroup@mail.tidyhq.com or just bring them along on the day. Join us online to 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. Grab yourself a ticket and the day before the meeting, we'll send you a link via email. On Sunday its as simple as clicking the link to join using your computer, ipad or phone. With your link we'll also send you some further details on "how to" Zoom.  **Registrations close Saturday 29th January at 2pm. If you've missed out please email yarravalleybeegroup@mail.tidyhq.com 

Annual General Meeting of the Yarra Valley Bee Group will be held online November 28th, 2021 at 1.30pm   Followed by our monthly meeting and guest speakers:  Alex Van Veen and Greg Huggins - Building a Long Langstroth Hive Alex Van Veen has been very busy refining his Long Langstroth design and has kindly agreed to come along and share his learnings with us all. Joined by Greg Huggins, they will talk about the pros and cons (mainly pros) of these horizontal hives and what to consider when building one yourself. You wont want to miss this.   In preparation for the AGM meeting, please view the following: AGM Minutes 2020 Agenda Committee Nomination Form Proxy form Presidents Report Treasurers Report All are welcome to attend the AGM. However, only financial members are entitled to vote.  If you are unsure of your financial status, please email us to check at yarravalleybeegroup@mail.tidyhq.com   Do you love your Bee Group? Do you want it to continue? Then we need your help! To allow this great club of ours to continue, we need nominations for the Office Bearers for the YVBG Committee. These include President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. You don't need to be an experienced beekeeper to nominate for these roles. Whether you're a Newbee or an Oldie, we'll look after you!  Like any club, there is a lot going on behind the scenes. However, the more help we have, the more we can grow. Please join our friendly and focused committee so that together we can help our YVBG group thrive. Did I mention that there are only four meetings a year! Click here for position descriptions or go ahead and fill out a Committee Nomination Form. Please return to us no later than the 26th November. Grab yourself a ticket and the day before the meeting, we'll send you a link via email. On Sunday its as simple as clicking the link to join using your computer, ipad or phone. With your link we'll also send you some further details on "how to" Zoom.  **Registrations close Saturday 27th November at 2pm. If you've missed out booking before Saturday 27th at 2pm please email yarravalleybeegroup@mail.tidyhq.com   

Ally Driessen is a Bee Biosecurity Officer at Agriculture Victoria. She was an amateur beekeeper and permaculture enthusiast during the Varroa scare in Victoria mid-2018. This drove her to swap a corporate career for a ‘bee-change’ and become part of the driving force in reducing the risks of exotic and established honey bee pests. At our October meeting she will be speaking about: BeeMAX – Agriculture Victoria’s bees online digital platform; Priorities for Apiary Inspectors at the moment; The Apiary Code of Practice; and The Australian Honey Bee Industry - Biosecurity Code of Practice and the Victorian Legislation Division 5—Bees.  Join us online to 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. Grab yourself a ticket and the day before the meeting, we'll send you a link via email. On Sunday its as simple as clicking the link to join using your computer, ipad or phone. With your link we'll also send you some further details on "how to" Zoom.  **Registrations close Saturday 30th October at 2pm. If you've missed out please email yarravalleybeegroup@mail.tidyhq.com 

Dr Joe-Anthony Rotella - Beekeeping and Toxicology  Whilst bees are of great significance to humans and the environment, they must be treated with care. Anaphylaxis (a severe form of allergic reaction) is a significant concern and for the beekeeping industry, one that cannot be ignored.  Dr Joe-Anthony Rotella (Twitter @toxofthenorth) is a Clinical Toxicologist and Emergency Physician at Northern Health and leads the SPECTRE (Substance dependence, Psychiatry, Envenomation, Clinical Toxicology and Recreational substances) Unit there.  He will be discussing bees and some of the other creatures that beekeepers need to be mindful of. Join us online to 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. The day before the meeting, we'll send you a link via email. On Sunday its as simple as clicking the link to join using your computer, ipad or phone. With your link we'll also send you some further details on "how to" Zoom.  **Registrations close Saturday 25th September at 2pm. If you've missed out please email yarravalleybeegroup@mail.tidyhq.com   

Speaker - Getting ready for Spring - Phil Godman Phil Godman, past club President, will be talking about what we should be looking for in our first inspections after Winter as well as what we should be doing in preparation for Spring. Come along 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. The day before the meeting, we'll send you a link via email. On Sunday its as simple as clicking the link to join using your computer, ipad or phone. With your link we'll also send you some further details on "how to" Zoom.  **Registrations close Saturday 28th August at 2pm. If you've missed out please email yarravalleybeegroup@mail.tidyhq.com 

COVID has once again disrupted our plans to meet in person this Sunday 25th July for our usual meeting. However, we can all meet via zoom. To join us you will need to get a Free Ticket by clicking the link below. We've had to have a change of speakers due to lockdown. Rest assured that Michael Johnson from the Basin Backyard will be presenting as soon as we can arrange a face to face meeting. Janis from Beewise in Kallista will be our guest speaker this Sunday and will be talking about what we should be doing now and leading up to Spring. Join us to 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. The day before the meeting, we'll send you a link via email. On Sunday its as simple as clicking the link to join using your computer, ipad or phone. With your link we'll also send you some further details on "how to" Zoom. If you are unable to join us, we intend to put the recorded version on our website for you to view. **Registrations close Saturday 24th July at 2pm. If you've missed out please email yarravalleybeegroup@mail.tidyhq.com 

YVBG is holding a Hive Building day for its members on Saturday 3rd July 10-3pm  Ben's shed will kindly provide us the space, tools and a few volunteers to help. Bec from Bec's Beehive supplies has partnered with us and developed some Hive Kits for you to purchase at a very special Club price.  Bec has also offered to deliver these to the venue so they will be waiting for you on the day.  To see details and to order from Bec, please click here Get in quick though, as orders close 20th June. On the day you can build your boxes, bases and lids as well as wire your frames and embed your wax. Great opportunity for new beekeepers to build their hives ready for Spring! Cost: $10 cash on the day Registrations essential. Please register your interest below.  Not sure if you're a member or cant log in?? please email membership.yarravalleybeegroup@mail.tidyhq.com