Betta Bees Research Ltd.

Betta Bees are running a Honey Bee livestock improvement program based around improving the Italian strain of Apis Mellifera. With the goal of producing the best commercial Italian Honeybee livestock.

Concerned about the deteriorating quality of their honeybee stock, Betta Bees was formed by fourteen Otago and Southland beekeepers who realized that collectively they would have better resources to establish and maintain a scientifically based, closed population honeybee-livestock improvement program. The company now has 25 beekeeper shareholders spread throughout New Zealand.

Each year the best 25 queens are selected as breeders, in accordance with strict selection criteria. From these breeders, 200 daughter queens are raised and instrumentally inseminated with pooled, homogenized semen from the drones of all 25 breeder queens.

The selection criteria follows traits which are measured to select the next breeder queens.
1. Honey Production
2. Brood viability
3. Temperament
4.  Hygienic behavior
5. Absence of brood disease
6. Over wintering ability
7. Spring build up
8. Varroa Sensitive Hygiene ( VSH ) has been introduced with the arrival of varroa
Further to this selection criteria Betta Bees use a recently developed molecular technique for screening   sex alleles to ensure that they do not lose any of these alleles from the population and thus avoid inbreeding.

Varroa Sensitive Hygiene ( VSH ) has been assisted with funding from the Honey Industry Trust. Betta Bees has set up a 3 year VSH trial to assist in this trial semen has been acquired from 3 colonies that showed a high level of the VSH trait, and used this semen to inseminate selected daughter queens from their breeding queen stock. The best 25 of these have been selected and are currently undergoing evaluation and selection with a view of using this stock to boost the VSH trait in their main breeding line and accelerate the development of this trait in the wider honeybee population.

Betta Bees has a close working relationship with the Otago University, specifically   with Associate Professor Peter Dearden, Director of Genetics Otago Department of Biochemistry. There is on going work  using the resources of Professor Deardon’s lab. Peter Deardon is an independant director of Betta Bees.

Funding is in part provide by the sale of breeder queens and honey , but the majority of income comes from yearly research contributions from shareholders.

The manager of the Breeding Program is Frans Laas who has a masters degree  in wildlife management.

David McMillan is the general Manager. David has a Bachelor of Science degree and has worked as an apiary adviser for MAF and AgriQuality Limited for 13 years.  He is an accomplished beekeeper and honey marketer.

You may contact David on: 03.489.8960 or E mail on davidmcmillan@bettabees.co.nz .

Breeder queens are available should you wish to purchase.

Betta Bees Research Ltd.
P.O. Box 2291
South Dunedin
Dunedin 9044 – New Zealand

inquires@bettabees.co.nz
Web site: http://www.bettabees.co.nz

A picture of Stu known as the Hive Doctor working his bees. Note the use of his Base Board and the height of his hives. – RBC have recently purchased several of these bases for use on the club hives – without doubt the best hive base on the market. – We have a couple for sale at $25 – please enquire at the next club meeting – 9 April 2014 at the old Paraki Pub.

Come slowly Eden.

Lips unused to thee – bashful sip thy Jasmine’s as the loving bee.

Reaching late her flower, round her chamber hums, counts her nectar –

Enters and is lost in Balms.

Enjoy

There is a legal requirement for all apiaries whether small or large to be registered with Assure Quality. Register or be fined.

This requirement was bought into force to help control  the spread of American Foul Brood – a highly contagious disease of the brood. Don’t be guilty of being the beekeeper who has not registered your apiary and have your hive contract and spread AFB to surrounding apiaries. Be a good beekeeper and a good neighbour. 

Love’s Labour is not lost and this was clearly shown today when four members of the RBC spent about 1 1/2 hours preparing sites for 4 hives and two nucs. The hive locations were dug out and  covered with weed cloth to assist in keeping weeds away from the hive entrance. The club is considering using a new design of base board from the Hive Doctor – who kindly donated one to the club – this will be shown to members at the  next meeting and we suggest that members may wish to purchase same.

If so we could place a bulk order and receive the best possible price.  The apiary has easy car access and good facilities for a social time after the field day activities.  See pictures of apiary preparation – with Peter McNab, Bruce Burgess, Noel Smith and Claude Bee.

Not to forget the lovely coffee and biscuits provided by Jo Bee (  Burgess ).

All’s well that ends well.

Claude and girls observing a frame of bees

Two pupils from Helensville Primary School – Devon and Danielle, aged 11 and 12 respectively spent a few hours looking at the internal workings of a beehive. We were able to see capped and uncapped brood, observe worker bees at work and drones scurrying around the hive.

The girls both picked up a drone, and ran their fingers gently over the worker bees. We were able to see a newly hatched queen cell in one hive. All great fun and a new adventure for the girls, helping them to have a start on their way to respecting and understanding Apis Mellifera – The Honey Bee. See pictures

Claude and girls observing a frame of bees

Devon smoking the hive

Danielle with drone on hand

Danielle holding a frame of bees

Devon holding a frame of bees

Both girls – showing hive tool and smoker