Committee Members

Name:

Andrew Turnbull

What year did you join NEAA: 

2008

Business Name/ or association to bees (hobby): 

The Pure Bee – Side line business

Contact details or region of beekeeping: 

Region: Leneva, Victoria 3691

Phone: 0417 440 963

Email: andrew@jtechsystems.com.au

Beekeeping experience (time, education, experiences, products, services) elaborate: 

We got our first hives in 2006. 10 Years of trial and error & so much more to learn. Every year is just so different. The Honey we produce we sell locally under our own label. We also target Pollination services.

Best memory in bee keeping? 

Summer by the river with the bees working river red gum, smelling & looking fantastic and ever so gentle.

Worst memory / experience in beekeeping? 

Finding AFB and going through the process of irradiating everything.

Favorite Queen: 

Italian

Why? 

They are gentle

Favorite Honey:

Red Gum

Favorite Bush Type:

Alpine

Favorite Quotes: 

Health Bee Health Honey

Name:

David Briggs

What year did you join NEAA: 

2006

Business Name/ or association to bees (hobby): 

Fifteen Mile Apiaries

Contact details or region of beekeeping: 

Phone: 0478 225 081

Email: dbriggs@skymesh.com.au

Beekeeping experience (time, education, experiences, products, services) elaborate: 

I started keeping bees in earnest in 2007, assisting my father in his queen rearing and breeding operation. He continues to advise and council my operation.   I learnt how to instrumentally inseminate queen bees with the late Gretchen Wheen, assisting Gretchen and Linton in their maintenance of their Italian breeding stock for a short while.  When Gretchen passed away I continued to maintain representatives of that stock.

I produce queen cells, open mated untested queens and instrumentally inseminated breeder queens for sale to beekeepers of all scales of operation.

Best memory in bee keeping? 

There are many but one that stands out is experiencing my first  narrow leaved peppermint (e. radiata) honey flow – that was an eye opener.   Others involve spending time with some exceptional beekeepers and observing the incredible industry and resourcefulness of these insects.

Worst memory / experience in beekeeping?

Again, there are quite a few contenders, but the worst would have to be realising that my poor preparation and inattention had resulted in almost half my breeding stock succumbing to nosema late one winter.

Favorite Queen: 

C1

Why? 

An impoverished emergency Caucasian virgin reared by a very weak colony in the aftermath of the above mentioned calamity hatched with only one good wing. I was able to find sufficient drones to instrumentally inseminate this queen and she went on to rapidly establish a very strong, productive and quiet hive. She is gone now but lived for well over two years and produced many daughter queens.  Though her pedigree is lost, her descendants are now referred to as Line C1

Favorite Honey:

Red Box

Favourite Bush Type:

Peppermint/Blue gum foothill country 

Favorite Quotes:

“If you cannot see yourself in the context of at least a two thousand year expanse of history you are all your life shackled to days and weeks”

Name: Don Whitehead

Business Name/ or association to bees (hobby):

Walkabout Apiaries Family own and run for over 40 years

Contact details or region of beekeeping: 

Region: Snow Rd, Milawa Vic 3678

Email: don.whitehead@gmail.com

Beekeeping experience (time, education, experiences, products, services) elaborate: 

Since the age of 15 I have taken a keen interest in bees from my father who has been beekeeping for much of his life.

We produce Honey, Candles, Mead and Pollination service through our business Walkabout Apiaries

Favorite Quotes:

Healthy bees make healthy honey!

You can’t force bees to do something that is natural!