Southern Highlands Bee Club

14/10/2026

🐝 BEE CLUB FIELD DAY – THIS SUNDAY! 🐝

Join us this Sunday 18 October, from 10am to 1pm, for a hands-on field day at the Southern Highlands Bee Club hives in Bowral.

We'll be inspecting the club hives, checking colony health and progress, and splitting colonies where conditions allow.

It's a great opportunity to get some practical experience, ask questions and learn alongside fellow beekeepers.

📅 Sunday 18 October
⏰ 10am – 1pm (meet at 9.30am)
📍 Tree Keepers entrance, 41 Oxley’s Hill Road, Bowral

Please bring your bee suit, gloves and enclosed footwear.

All members welcome, regardless of experience. 🐝

We look forward to seeing you there!

23/09/2026

🐝 Join us for the next Southern Highlands Bee Club Field Day!

Spring is here, and it’s the perfect time to get hands-on with your beekeeping skills!

This field day will focus on Demaree splits and swarm inspections, with practical demonstrations and plenty of opportunities to ask questions and learn from fellow beekeepers.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced beekeeper looking to brush up on your swarm management skills, everyone is welcome!

📅 Saturday 26 September
⏰ 9am
📍 Treekeepers Entrance, 41 Oxley’s Hill Road, Bowral

Meet at the Treekeepers entrance. Bring your bee suit and gloves if you have them.

🐝 Beginners welcome – you don’t need to be a club member to come along!

16/09/2026

This is a petition for the federal government to allow own use for oxalic acid products and provide compensation for colony loss due to varroa.

https://www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN10425/sign?fbclid=IwRlRTSAUVf-RwZG9mBWZkaWQWUOeGX6cLoHJVQyNkqpZVs21HbD1_0WV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR6bZVJqCxtfB_VI_uGmUUFtJfsQcPa1Qnk-6eo81vVQKPIiOd2ciZsc59TMNw_aem_Dm_Oq4UN0NGUKen-rJ96JQ

If you believe this is in error, please copy this code 20260819T120504Z-17d59cff5f9k8swmhC1PHXaxw80000000hrg000000006mb6 and contact us HERE

11/09/2026

🐝Swarm Management 🐝

Spring is here, and with it comes swarming season.

At our next Southern Highlands Bee Club meeting, David McKinley will talk through a range of practical ways to help prevent swarming in your apiary — from recognising the early signs to managing strong colonies before they decide to leave.

Whether you’re a new beekeeper or have a few seasons under your belt, this will be a useful session for getting ahead of one of the busiest parts of the beekeeping year.

📍 Mittagong RSL
📅 Wednesday 16 September at 7pm
🐝 All members welcome

07/09/2026

🐝 Join us for a practical spring apiary inspection, with a focus on swarm prevention and management as colonies build rapidly through the warmer weather.

We’ll inspect the hives together, look for signs of swarm preparation, discuss how to give colonies more space, check for pests and diseases, test for Varroa mites and talk through what to do next.

📍 Saturday 12 September at 10:30am – Treekeepers Entrance, 41 Oxley’s Hill Road, Bowral. We’ll then move as a group to the apiary.

🚗 Please park on Oxley’s Hill Road.

A great chance to learn, ask questions and build confidence around the hives — whether you’re just starting out or want some practical spring inspection experience.

More info: [email protected]

01/09/2026

Swarm season is already underway in the Southern Highlands 🐝

With the warm start to spring, colonies are building quickly, so now is the time to keep a close eye on your hives.

During inspections, look for signs of swarming such as queen cells, a crowded brood box, frames packed with brood and stores, and very little empty comb left for the queen to lay.

If a colony is getting congested, give the bees more space. You can move suitable brood frames up into the super and replace them with drawn comb or foundation, and very strong colonies may also benefit from being split.

It’s also a good time to check your Varroa levels and make sure they are being managed as part of your spring hive routine.

Our next Southern Highlands Bee Club meeting will focus on swarm prevention and management on Wednesday 16 September.

Stay tuned for more details! 🐝

01/09/2026

Our Warre Hive has been returned to the Apiary, complete with a good colony of bees. Memebers now can expeirnce working with Warre, Langstroth and Flowhive configurations.

31/08/2026

Last day in August in Moss Vale Southern Highlands and we have swarms reported via https://www.beekeepers.asn.au/swarms, this appears to be the new normal this season.
The bees have been saved and will be relocated to a member's apiary.

25/08/2026

What a night! 🐝🎉

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for the Southern Highlands Bee Club Trivia Night.

Across three rounds, the competition stayed incredibly close, with just one point separating 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the final standings!

Congratulations to our winning team, who took home some fantastic prizes generously donated by 🍯🏆

Plenty of laughs, a little friendly rivalry and a whole lot of bee knowledge. Thanks to everyone who helped make the night such a success!

20/08/2026

🐝 New to beekeeping? Come along and get hands-on!

Join us for a practical apiary session where beginners are encouraged to take part in hive inspections, check for pests and diseases, test for Varroa mites and discuss next steps.

📍 Saturday August 22 at 10:30am – Treekeepers Entrance, 41 Oxley’s Hill Road, Bowral. We’ll then move as a group to the apiary.

🚗 Please park on Oxley’s Hill Road.

A great chance to learn, ask questions and build confidence around the hives.

More info: [email protected]