Program
Our exciting program details are being locked in, now we know we can all meet – and we’re looking forward to seeing all our delegates in Sydney to learn about the latest approaches and science on keeping healthy honey bees, and discussing what the future might hold and how we can best plan to ensure we maintain a sustainable beekeeping industry.
Our plenary sessions will cover
- The history of beekeeping in Australia – Trevor Weatherhead, AHBIC Chair
- Medicinal honey – the history and the modern science – Dr Nural Cokcetin
- Honey bee science – Professor Ben Oldroyd
Some of the areas and topics that will be covered during our various presentation sessions and discussion panels include:
Bee biology
- Bee health and cognitive behaviour
- Five pillars of beekeeping
- Hive design and heat tolerance
Bee breeding
- Artificial insemination
- Breeding for varroa resistance
- Commercial queen breeding
- Plan Bee beekeeper survey
Business building and diversification
- Australian propolis – properties and potential
- Exploiting special honey types
- Honey sommelier
- Practical beekeeping
- Successful commercial beekeeping tips
- Venom collection
Education
- Apprenticeships and training
- Creative education
- Cert III Beekeeping course – challenges, development and delivery
- eXtensionAUS platform and commercial beekeepers
- Training apiaries
Future bees
- 21st Century trends in Agriculture
- Economics of honey vs pollination
- Hive design optimisation
- Mechanical pollination
- Miticides – new targets
- Tech space and beekeeping – mite tracker app, hive data
Honey
Medicinal activity
- Quality
- Traceability
Industry resilience
- Bee pastures and planting
- Lessons for 1st generation beekeepers
- Mental health
- Mentoring
- NSW Drought Innovation Hub
- Succession planning
- Selling a beekeeping business
- World honey price trends
Land use and the impact of climate change on beekeeping
- Bushfires – and industry recovery research
- Land management
- Remote sensing of eucalyptus flowering and bushfire
- Valuing apiary sites in the face of climate change
Plants and nutrition for bees
- Bee nutrition
- Bee friendly planting
- Bee friendly pastures
- Honey and pollen flora
- Pollinator plants and gardens
Pests, diseases and biosecurity
- AFB – barrier systems, e-nose
- Bee stress response
- Cerana
- Chalkbrood
- Hive monitoring
- Quarantine
- Viruses
Pollination
- Almond pollination – broker perspective, almond industry update
- Bee Friendly Farming initiative
- B-Qual auditing Pollination issues and research to address these
- CRC Pollination Security
- Pollination for commercial beekeepers
- Pesticides
- Precision ag spraying
- Transportation stress mitigation
Practical beekeeping
- Cool room design
- Tyre pressures
- Queen production basics
- Record keeping
- Pollination – small scale
- Pollination – large scale
Social enterprise
- Bees for development/international workers
- Sweet Justice: Youth detention education
Program Outline
Wednesday 8th June
Trade Exhibition set-up (all day)
Congress Registration Desk open (3.00pm – 7.30pm)
Welcome Reception (5.30pm – 7.30pm)
Thursday 9th June
Trade Exhibition open (all day)
Day One of Congress Program (all day)
Trade Show Evening (6.00pm – 8.00pm)
Friday 10th June
Beekeeper Breakfast
Trade Exhibition open (all day)
Day Two of Congress Program (all day)
Congress Dinner (7pm – 11pm)
Saturday 11th June
Trade Exhibition open (all day)
Day Three of Congress Program (all day)
Vivid Lights Harbour Cruise
Principal Congress Sponsor
