Three laboratories are gearing up to provide testing this season.
Cawthron is now offering Tutin testing to honey producers in response to new NZFSA guidelines. Details are available at: http://www.cawthron.org.nz/news/news-2008/iso-accredited-tutin-test-now-available.html.

This Way Up Saturday
Hi guys, Well it's over for the year....nearly! Thanks for listening, and thanks to everyone who's contributed to the show. Have fun if you get the chance.

At around 12.25pm the final installment from the Backyard Bee Team - we've set up a beehive in my back garden and today the last check up of the year, I'll find out what my 50,000 bees will need over the holidays.
Until 09 - stay well.
Simon
Find out on Saturday or visit: http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thiswayup

Beekeepers around the country will be especially vigilant this summer to ensure no repeat of the food poisoning caused earlier this year by tutin-contaminated honey.

Twenty two people became ill in March after eating honey from one source that was contaminated with tutin. The tutu is a native plant on which bees feed when long hot summers make other food sources scarce.

New Zealand Food Safety Authority is introducing a new food safety standard which aims to prevent tutin contamination.

The standard, which applies to beekeepers, packers and exporters, sets a maximum level of tutin in honey sold for human consumption.

National Beekeepers Association chief executive, Dr Jim Edwards, said industry members have worked closely with the Food Safety Authority to help develop the new standard.

The bee products pages http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/animalproducts/subject/bee-products/index.htm have now been updated with links to both the standard http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/policy-law/legislation/food-standards/tutin-standard-final.pdf and the compliance guide http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/animalproducts/publications/manualsguides/tutin-standard-compliance-guide/index.htm.

This Way Up Saturday
After the news at 1.10pm a quick check of the Backyard Bee team - have the new swarm that we merged with my bee colony accepted the queen or have they cooked her to death in a ball of bees? It’s life and death in the beehive and then I'll speak to Nigel Raine - he's studied the bee’s brain. It's the size of a grass seed - with less than 1million neurons, we’ve 100 billion neurons in our brains, but I still can't do a dance that will accurately tell you where to get a good feed! Dancing bees at 1.30pm.

Find out on Saturday or visit: http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thiswayup

This Way Up Saturday

This week I have a go at merging a bee swarm I caught a few weeks ago with my own backyard bees - now the plan is they'll get along just fine and make me lots of honey, but they could get grumpy and have a crack at me! The backyard bee team at 12.10pm

Find out on Saturday or visit: http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thiswayup

Source:
Dear members of Apimondia,

The preparations for Apimondia 2009 are well underway. About 10,000 beekeepers are expected to visit the Congress and the ApiExpo. You should therefore prepare your tour and bookings as soon as possible to enable us to give you the best service.

Member associations wishing to book a stand at the ApiExpo will be entitled a 5% discount on one standard-size booth. It is therefore important to book as soon as possible as the exhibition area that is still available is becoming limited.

This Way Up Saturday 29th November 2008
This week, I put the bee-suit on and move the bees in to the hive that we've built and painted.

I'll meet my new queen - she's lovely! - and I get to use my smoker for the first time - gotta have those bee gadgets.

Find out on Saturday or visit: http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thiswayup

Biosecurity New Zealand has advised that the AFB PMS review submission deadline has been extended until 30th January 2009.

Please note that the deadline for submissions to the NZFSA on Tutin management options remains unchanged at Friday 28 November, 2008.

Additional meetings are being held in:

Whangarei 24th November at 7.00pm until about 9.30pm, at the Christ Church Anglican Hall, 28 Kamo Road, Whangarei. Tea and coffee will be available on completion.

Blenheim 25th of November from 10am until 1pm, at the Copthorne Hotel Marlborough,20 Nelson Street, Blenheim on Nelson Street.

The 3 documents that were mailed out for consultation are now available on the NZFSA website.

They are on the Bee products page at: http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/animalproducts/subject/bee-products/index.htm#P77_6944

and on the Policy & Law page at: http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/policy-law/consultation/index.htm).