EPISODE 99: Barry Roberts, Backyard Beekeeping Australia Facebook Page, Victoria, Australia

As Ben observes, there are so many ways in which beekeepers can no learn about the hobby: books, clubs, mentoring, and of course the internet. And a good source of online information for beekeepers in this country is the Facebook group ‘Backyard Beekeeping Australia’. Barry Roberts, the founder of the group, is the special guest on episode 99 of the Bees with Ben podcast. The group was founded in 2018 and now boasts more than 19,500 members, making it the largest Australian Facebook group supporting backyard beekeepers. It is focussed upon educating beekeepers and assisting them to improve their beekeeping techniques. Barry says that he originally created the group because the existing local Facebook pages were dominated by commercial apiarists and he wanted to provide a hobbyist perspective. Initially, he spent a lot of time putting together a library of resources and materials. Membership is open to anyone; currently about 90% are local beekeepers, but overseas members are also encouraged, particularly since they are able to provide valuable insights into the management of pests and diseases with which we have comparatively little experience. Barry believes the identification and control of pests and diseases is something that many hobbyists struggle with. He details the effectiveness of ripe bananas (which give off the gas ethylene) in eliminating European foul brood and chalkbrood, and the lack of clear direction provided by the authorities. Ben brings up the bee vaccine developed in the US - this will be the subject of a forthcoming article. Ben and Barry discuss a range of topics, from the upcoming honey season to the divide between commercial and hobbyist beekeepers, and the decline of honey on the supermarket shelves. But the current varroa outbreak in NSW is never far from the surface, and this is the basis of a fascinating discourse. Comparisons to Covid have become commonplace, and Barry tells Ben that living with varroa will be similar to living with Covid, in that if it is not quickly eradicated, it is here for good and you will never get rid of it. If that happens, then beekeepers will be forced to absorb additional workload to implement a range of ongoing control methods. Barry’s best guess, based upon the limited information supplied by officials, is that they have ‘already thrown in the towel’ given the removal of the standstill order in NSW. He notes that the impending almond pollination could well be a ‘super spreader’ event, and that the almond industry is putting a lot of pressure on Victoria to open up to the importation of bees from NSW. Barry says that varroa may be contained, due to an ‘absolute fluke’, but that he is concerned that there are queen breeders in the contaminated zones, and that queens are routinely posted hundreds of kilometres away. Given the lack of real compensation available, he finds it highly doubtful that a commercial apiarist with hundreds or perhaps thousands of hives, is going to admit to purchasing queens from someone in the ‘red’ zones. https://www.facebook.com/groups/BackyardBeekeepingAustralia/