Are you a Beekeeper in North Brisbane area? Join The NBKA Beekeeping Club today.
Visitors and members alike are welcome at the monthly General Meetings at Lawnton. These meetings are always on the last Thursday of the month. Doors open at 6:30pm for pre meeting activities and the general meeting start promptly at 7.30pm.
General meetings are held at:
Pine Rivers Showgrounds, 757 Gympie Rd, Lawnton Qld.
First building on the left through the main gate.
JULY MEETING WILL BE HELD AT: Lawnton State School Hall, 44-60 Todds Road, Lawnton
Below is a list of dates. BYO mug for a cup of tea
Club General Meetings
Thursday, 30th January 2025
Thursday, 27th February 2025
Thursday, 27th March 2025
Thursday, 24th April 2025
Thursday, 29th May 2025
Thursday, 19th June 2025 (Not the last Thursday of the month)
Thursday, 31st July 2025
JULY MEETING WILL BE HELD AT: Lawnton State School Hall, 44-60 Todds Road, Lawnton
Thursday, 28th August 2025
Thursday, 25th September 2025
Thursday, 30th October 2025 – AGM
Thursday, 27th November 2025
NBKA Christmas Party – 7th December (Members and their families Only),
Location: TBA
Time: TBA
Come along, we would love to see you there!
Special Events
– Bee Biosecurity Workshop -> TBC – Saturday, 31st May 2025 (25 PAX MAX)
-> Session 1 8:30am Geebung Special School
-> Session 2 10:30am Hands on Apiary inspection
– Redcliffe Show – 27th June -> 29th June 2025
– Dayboro Show – 5th July -> 6th July 2025
– Pine Rivers Show – 1st Aug -> 3rd of Aug
Come along, we would love to see you there!
General Meeting – Workshop of events
Before each General Meeting (@7pm) the club runs information sessions to provide additional skills and knowledge to members and visitors. Below is the proposed list (The topics may change on short notice and may not be reflected on this page):
- February – Making mead (Norma) and Queens/ progeny (John B)
- March – Honey and cut comb for competition (Norma)
- April – Wax for competition
- May – Box assembly, hive construction and components (John B)
- June- Frames- assembly, wiring and wax embedding (TBA)
- July- Uncapping, extracting honey from frames and cleaning (TBA)
- August- Nucleus hives to full depth hives, Hive location, site and position (TBA)
- September- Native Bees- Social and solitary Hotels/ houses (TBA)
- October- Pests, parasites and strategies (TBA)
- November- Swarms, feeding and watering (TBA)
The club would like members to get involved and help run a session. Please speak to the club secretary about nominating yourself for a session above or suggest a different session that you would like to run.
NBKA General Meeting Speakers
General Meetings 2025
August – General Meeting Guest Speaker
Speaker: Francesco Merola, PhD
Varroa destructor control in beehives by laser-based technology
You are not going to want to miss this presentation!!
Varroa destructor is a devastating parasite causing honeybee colonies collapse worldwide. Currently, Varroa management relies on regular use of chemical miticides that accumulate in hives, damaging bees and affecting honey quality. Further, reliance on chemical control has led to increased miticide resistance in Varroa.
In this talk I will present preliminary results from a collaboration between the University of Auckland’s Photon Factory and New Zealand’s Plant & Food Research. The ambitious project is to develop a deep-tech solution using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and photonics to eliminate Varroa mites at the beehive entrance before they infest the nest, and with little or no effect upon the bees themselves. The outcome will be a practical, effective, and economically viable photonic device that targets and disables Varroa without the need for chemical pesticides, thus protecting honeybee hives, health and productivity, alongside preserving the environment.
Francesco Merola got his PhD in Physics at “Federico II” University of Naples, Italy. He continued his research as a postdoctoral fellow at the National Council of Research of Italy. He moved to New Zealand in 2021, where he worked as a Senior Researcher in Engender Technology company based in Auckland. Always driven by the purpose of solving global problems and needs, Dr. Merola joined the University of Auckland as a Senior Research Fellow in 2022, and in 2023 obtained a New Zealand Government (MBIE) grant for the “Smart Idea” Photonic device for varroa control in New Zealand and beyond, where he proposes a pesticide-free technology to eradicate Varroa from beehives using AI and photonics.
July – General Meeting Guest Speaker
Speaker: Stu Anderson
PLEASE NOTE JULY MEETING WILL BE HELD AT: Lawnton State School Hall, 44-60 Todds Road, Lawnton
Another great presentation has been lined up with Stu from Flow Hive.
Stu will be talking to our members and guests about the amazing Flow Hive that many of us have in our back yards. Come and listen to Stu’s story and bring in your questions!
June – General Meeting Guest Speaker
Speaker: Dr Anna Carrucan
Dr Carrucan is back in June to talk about botany. 🐝
Botany is crucial for beekeeping because bees rely on flowering plants for their food (nectar and pollen) and to produce honey. Understanding which plants bees prefer, where they are located, and when they flower is essential for beekeepers to manage their bees for optimal honey production and overall bee health.
January – General Meeting Guest Speaker
Speaker: TBA
Join us for the first NBKA general meeting for 2025
Also meet the new committee members and discuss how this season is going for your bees. Bring along your questions and there will be a Q&A session to get all the answers that you need and more. 🐝
General Meetings 2024 – History
November- General Meeting Guest Speaker
Speaker: Tonia Johnson | Varroa Development Officer (NVMMP)
Join us for the last NBKA general meeting for 2024 to engage with Tonia from The National Varroa Mite Management Program. This presentation will focus on a couple of key areas from the national presentation:
• Introduction of Varroa development officers, what we do and how we can help beekeepers
• Monitoring
• Bee123
• QLD heat map
Also meet the new committee members and discuss how this season is going for your bees. Bring along your questions and there will be a Q&A session to get all the answers that you need and more. 🐝
October – General Meeting
Northside Beekeepers Annual General Meeting
October will see the current committee step down from the roles they have held over the last 12 months and the new committee voted in.
The club needs members to fill these committee roles and calls on all members to get involved. Get nominated or nominate people you feel would do a great job and make sure your vote counts.
Nomination forms and Role descriptions can be found here: 2024 AGM Information
Nomination forms can be found here: AGM Nomination Form
Guest Speaker
Speaker: Lea Hannah, PhD | Farm Technical Liaison Officer & Project Manager Powerful Pollinators
Join us in October to listen to Lea who is a PhD candidate at Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment at Western Sydney University talking about her background and work in pollination. The main aim of her research is to quantify the potential benefits of supplementary floral resources on honey bee health.
September – General Meeting Guest Speaker
Speaker: Charles Agar | Charlie Bee Company
CHARLIE is back. We loved having Charles chatting to us last time we had to get him back. This time he is going to chat to us about “Success with Splits“.
Who is Charles Agar? When dragged against his will to a beekeeping class given by Kirk Tubbs of Tubbs Berry Farm in Twin Falls, Idaho, Charlie caught “bee fever” and got his first hive of honeybees in 2013. He moved to Texas in 2014 and started doing nuisance hive removals and his bee obsession has just snowballed, spawning a bee removal business (the aptly-named “Charlie Bee Company”) and a reality TV series.
Charlie is a past area director of the Texas Beekeepers Association. He is a volunteer mentor with the non-profit Hives for Heroes, and a regular guest speaker and presenter to groups and organizations all across Central Texas.
Get ready for another Texan Adventure!
August – General Meeting Guest Speaker
Speaker: Sarah Hamilton | https://www.beeyourself.com.au/
Sarah Hamilton from Bee Yourself, a native bee enthusiast will be speaking at our August General Meeting.
Sarah, who is based in Brisbane, runs beekeeping, consulting and educational services all over the east coast of Australia.
Come along to hear about our native bees giving new beekeepers an introduction into the world of Natives and how to keep them. If you are thinking about keeping Natives or already have them and want to learn more this general meeting is not to be missed.
July – General Meeting Guest Speaker
Speaker: TBC | TBC
Details to be confirmed.
June – General Meeting Guest Speaker
Speaker: Dr Jamie Ellis, PhD | University of Florida USA
Dr. Ellis is the Gahan Endowed Professor of Entomology in the Department of Entomology and Nematology at the University of Florida. At the University of Florida, Dr. Ellis has responsibilities in extension, instruction and research related to honey bees. Regarding his extension work, Dr. Ellis created the UF, South Florida, and Caribbean Bee Colleges, and the UF Master Beekeeper Program. As an instructor, Dr. Ellis supervises Ph.D. and masters students in addition to offering an online course in apiculture. Dr. Ellis and his team conduct research projects in the fields of honey bee husbandry, conservation and ecology, and integrated crop pollination.
More information about Dr Jamie Ellis
Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab
May – General Meeting Guest Speaker
Speaker: Dr David Schlipalius
Bee Biosecurity Officer
Biosecurity Queensland, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
David graduated with a PhD from the University of Queensland and has been a research entomologist for over 20 years. He has worked on the genetics of honey bee behaviour and contributed to the Honey Bee Genome Project, which mapped and sequenced all the genes in the honey bee. David has also led research projects on other important agricultural insect pests, especially grain pests.
Honey bee biosecurity: pests and diseases
Honey bees can be affected by a wide variety of pests and diseases. The National Bee Biosecurity Program has Biosecurity Officers in all states dedicated to protecting Australia’s honey bees from exotic pests, and to preserve the pollination benefits they bring to many crops. The Australian Honey Bee Industry Biosecurity Code of Practice was developed to provide clear, straightforward advice to beekeepers on best practice in managing pests and diseases.
Learn more about the Biosecurity Code of Practice, how to look for pests and diseases and maintain healthy hives.
April – General Meeting
Guest Speaker
Speaker: Dr Kit Prendergast | Native bee scientist, conservation biologist and zoologist Curtin University and Forrest Scholar
We are excited to have Dr Kit Prendergast back with us at the NBKA to do a presentation on Native Bees and pollinating plants suitable for suburban and semi-rural environments. Her unique presenting style, knowledge and personality will keep you engaged and wanting to know more. Come and join us at the April General Meeting.
Find out more about the Bee Babette here: https://www.facebook.com/CreatingaHavenforNativeBeesBook
March – General Meeting
Guest Speaker
Speaker: Ray Goldsworthy | QBA Brisbane – Honey Court Judge
Ray has a wealth of experience and knowledge when it comes to judging the best honey, creamed honey, comb, beeswax, sculptured beeswax and mead. He will be providing us guidance, techniques and ideas on how to hopefully secure the much coveted first place in the many classes.
You will not want to miss this meeting if you are entering this year’s competitions.
February – General Meeting
Guest Speaker
Speaker: Bianca Giggins | Varroa Coordinator Aus Honey Bee Industry Council
Bianca will be on the stage for our February General Meeting. If you want to know what the latest and most up to date information is in relation to the Varroa mite and the transition to management, beekeeping with varroa, treatments and a little on her experiences in New Zealand last year, you will not want to miss this session. Come along to learn about Bianca’s role and have your questions ready!
January – General Meeting
Guest Speaker
Speaker: Peter Sedgwick | Member spotlight.
Join us to hear about Peter’s 10 year journey as a beekeeper. He will be sure to provide new beekeepers and old some insights on his activities over the years.
General Meetings 2023 – History
November – General Meeting Guest Speaker
Speaker: Charlie Agar | Charlie Bee Company
When dragged against his will to a beekeeping class given by Kirk Tubbs of Tubbs Berry Farm in Twin Falls, Idaho, Charlie caught “bee fever” and got his first hive of honeybees in 2013. He moved to Texas in 2014 and started doing nuisance hive removals and his bee obsession has just snowballed, spawning a bee removal business (the aptly-named “Charlie Bee Company”) and a reality TV series now in development.
Charlie is a past area director of the Texas Beekeepers Association. He is a volunteer mentor with the non-profit Hives for Heroes, and a regular guest speaker and presenter to groups and organizations all across Central Texas and now he is coming to down under via a live feed to NBKA!
Don’t miss this one, it’s going to bee a Texan experience!
October – General Meeting
Northside Beekeepers Annual General Meeting October will see the current committee step down from the roles they have held over the last 12 months and the new committee voted in. The club needs members to fill these committee roles and calls on all members to get involved. Get nominated or nominate people you feel would do a great job and make sure your vote counts. Nomination forms and Role descriptions can be found here: 2023 AGM Information Nomination forms can be found here: AGM Nomination Form September – General Meeting Guest Speaker
Speaker: Harold Gothorp | NBKA Member
Background: Retired with background in Construction Moulds, Cabinet maker, and heavy engineering.
Lived in the Whiteside area for 48 years, created his own mini rainforest on their property which is adjacent to North Pine Dam. Harold has kept Native bees for 20 years and European bees for 12 years. Being an early Member of NBKA in early 80s, Harold recommends getting a good mentor, rather than using Facebook and YouTube.
Harold specialises in making your own boxes and has a special method of extracting the sugar bag honey.
Join us as Harold takes us on his bee keeping journey.
August – General Meeting Guest Speaker
Speaker: Nadine Chapman | Research Fellow
University of Sydney
School of Life and Environmental Sciences
Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution Laboratory (BEElab)
Nadine Chapman is a bee researcher at the University of Sydney. Nadine’s research is primarily industry focused. She co-leads the Plan Bee honey bee genetic improvement program, which aims to increase honey production, pollination and bee health. She is also leading the AgriFutures Australia funded Resilient beekeeping in the face of Varroa project, which aims to identify the best strategies for Australia if the Varroa eradication program is unsuccessful.
Nadine enjoys the satisfaction of working on projects of intrinsic value to society; we need our bees to secure our food. She relishes working with different stakeholders and trying to understand their needs and find ways to meet them. She has a passion for communication; science should not be kept in the ‘ivory tower’.
Plan Bee is Australia’s honey bee breeding program. The program aims to implement standards and a database for the use of modern animal breeding techniques. These techniques have had a huge impact in other animal industries both overseas and in Australia, and have also been applied in bees overseas with huge gains above that seen with previous methods. This talk will detail why we need a national breeding program, the systems we have put in place, and how you’d go about implementing them to your business.
June – General Meeting Guest Speaker
Speaker: Dr Kit Prendergast
Bee Babette
Dr Kit Prendergast, known as the Bee Babette, is a native bee ecologist, taxonomist and science communicator. Her PhD , conducted in Western Australia as a Forrest Research Scholar, explored how to conserve bees in urban areas, and the impacts of the introduced European honeybee on native bees and plant-pollinator interactions. She has since investigated bee hotel design and using bee hotels as a recovery tool for bees after bushfires, and conducted native bee biodiversity surveys for local councils. In 2022 she published a description of a new species of bee, Leioproctus zephyr.
Dr Kit is the author of the book ‘Creating a Haven for Native Bees’, and managed the facebook group ‘The Buzz on Wild Bees.’
Native pollinators
Australia has an incredible diversity of native bees, but these unsung heroes of biodiversity are overshadowed by the honeybee. Learn about our precious native pollinators – who they are, their diversity, evolutionary history and ecology, and how we can conserve them through appropriate flower plantings and creating nesting habitat.
May – General Meeting
Speaker: Dr Trong Tran
Senior Lecturer in Organic Chemistry, School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast
Dr Trong Tran completed his PhD study in Organic Chemistry from Griffith University in 2015 and then obtained a two-year NIH postdoctoral fellowship in the National Cancer Institute in USA. His previous research resulted in the discovery of several novel anticancer compounds from plant, marine and microbial organisms. After achieving the SIEF STEM+ Business Fellowship from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Dr Tran returned to Australia in 2017 and has started working in the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) since then.
Australian propolis study outcomes
Bees incorporate plant resins into beeswax to produce propolis (bee glue) for constructing and repairing their hives, and preventing intruders. Propolis was identified as one of the good sources of bioactive drug-like molecules to improve human immunity and prevent various diseases such as microbial infections, cancer, diabetes, heart, inflammation, Alzheimer, Parkinson, early aging, and atherosclerosis.
My presentation will show the quality and chemical diversity of Australian honey bee propolis and the identification of a new anti-scarring compound from Australian native stingless bee propolis.
April – General Meeting Guest Speaker
Speaker: Dr David Schlipalius
Bee Biosecurity Officer
Biosecurity Queensland, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
David graduated with a PhD from the University of Queensland and has been a research entomologist for over 20 years. He has worked on the genetics of honey bee behaviour and contributed to the Honey Bee Genome Project, which mapped and sequenced all the genes in the honey bee. David has also led research projects on other important agricultural insect pests, especially grain pests.
Honey bee biosecurity: pests and diseases
Honey bees can be affected by a wide variety of pests and diseases. The National Bee Biosecurity Program has Biosecurity Officers in all states dedicated to protecting Australia’s honey bees from exotic pests, and to preserve the pollination benefits they bring to many crops. The Australian Honey Bee Industry Biosecurity Code of Practice was developed to provide clear, straightforward advice to beekeepers on best practice in managing pests and diseases.
Learn more about the Biosecurity Code of Practice, how to look for pests and diseases and maintain healthy hives.
March – General Meeting
Speaker: Steven Chenery
NBKA Visitor Liaison Officer
Steven will present to members a segment on Autumn Hive Management. Each region has different needs regarding the timing of activities for their Autumn Hive Management, we will look at why this is the case and also look at what type of activities beekeepers need to perform in Autumn in preparation for winter.
February – General Meeting Guest Speaker
Speaker: Dr Cooper Schouten
Lecturer and Project Leader
Bees for Sustainable Livelihoods
Faculty of Science and Engineering – Souther Cross University
Dr Cooper’s Profile
Dr Cooper Schouten is the project manager for the Bees for Sustainable Livelihoods Research Group and Lecturer at Southern Cross University. Cooper specialises in international agricultural research and has extensive beekeeping research, capacity building, training and extension experience working throughout of the Indo-Pacific region with local government, private sector and NGO’s.
Working with overseas beekeepers and Biosecurity
The determinants underpinning the success of international beekeeping for development programs are not always clear, and their effectiveness is varied. This variation in success highlights a need to improve the knowledge, approaches and capacity of those engaged in such programs to enable their sustainable implementation and optimise potentials for success.
This presentation will use beekeeping industries in the Indo-Pacific as a case study and will present research investigating factors found to significantly influence net income from beekeeping, honey yields and numbers of hives owned by beekeepers.
We will also talk about Varroa and Tropilaelaps mites and the five pillars for apicultural development for guiding future initiatives seeking to improve livelihoods through beekeeping.
This meeting is not to be missed. Dr Cooper has a passion for beekeeping that will keep everyone on the edge of their seats wanting to know more.
January – General Meeting
Speaker: Norma Bouveng
Show Steward
Norma will present to members a segment on Small Hive Bettles and Wax Moth. We have all seen an increase in SHB this season so this information will be of benefit to anyone that wants to find out more information about these pests.
General Meetings 2022 – History
November – General Meeting
Speaker: Caz O’Niell (NBKA Vice President)
and Katrina Wortel-Roberts (Hives & Honey)
October – Annual Meeting
Speaker: Shamus Leathart NBKA librarian All Executive and Management Committee roles will be declared vacant and an election held to appoint our new management committee. Our usual General Meeting will be held at the conclusion of the AGM, and will include a presentation on “Why Bee Clubs!”, given by Shamus Leathart. Continuing our series of short educational workshops, Norma Bouveng will conduct a short presentation prior to the meeting, starting at 1900hrs on “How to Produce Creamed Honey”. Please arrive promptly if you wish to attend this workshop. September – General Meeting Guest Speaker
Dr. Anna Carrucan
Editor, The Australasian Beekeeper
Dr. Anna Carrucan, is a second-generation beekeeper, with a scientific background, having attained a PhD in botany, and have worked in fields of ecology, carbon science and landscape restoration, as well as teaching at the University of Melbourne.
I have a niche enterprise called BUUKAAR WAARUUNG Boutique Apiary and Artisan Honey, located on the windswept volcanic plain of the western district of Victoria, near Camperdown, about 2 hours drive west of Melbourne. My focus is on small-batch, single-hive honey, beekeeper education, ecology and pollinator projects and now also as the editor at The Australasian Beekeeper.
August – General Meeting Guest Speaker
Dr Nural Cokcetin Research Fellow, ithree institute, University of Technology Sydney Nural is a microbiologist at the ithree institute, University of Technology Sydney. Nural’s research interest is in understanding the relationship between bees, the environment and medicinal honey with the aim of supporting the apiary industry, pollination, and human health. She works closely with the Australian beekeeping and wider agricultural industries and has acquired a deeper understanding of these industries in food security and biodiversity. She leads research on the bioactive properties of honey, specifically as a novel approach to combat the antimicrobial resistance crisis and as a prebiotic food to promote a healthy gut microbiome. Nural is equally passionate about doing research that has direct positive impacts for society, as she is about communicating her research as broadly as possible. She is a frequent public speaker on topics around bees, medicinal honey, gut health and antibiotic resistance. Nural has received many awards for her research excellence and impact, as well as her dedication to the promotion of science. She was named the best young science communicator in Australia and the international runner-up in the FameLab science communication competition and one of the TEDxSydney Top Five Young Change-Makers. She appears regularly in the media as a thought leader in her research area
July – General Meeting
The July meeting has been cancelled as the hall is unavailable due to the Pine Rivers Show that is running on the 29th – 31st of July. We look forward to having Dr Cooper Schouten hopefully attend during a future meeting.
June – General Meeting Guest Speaker
Mr Greg Coonan
Gregs Native Bees
Our guest speaker is Greg Coonan a local area Native bee enthusiast who has recently published his own book to help educate folks in the wonders of all things native bees.
Greg has generously donated a copy of his book to our Club library so all can enjoy it. However if you would like your own copy bring along your money to buy one on the night.
