This phenomenon occurs due to the migration of some of the components within the wax to the surface. Beeswax is composed of a mixture of long-chain fatty acids, esters, and hydrocarbons, arranging themselves in a crystalline structure. Exposure to temperature variations, especially cooling and then warming, prompts some constituents of the wax to migrate to the surface.
The result is a hazy or powdery coating on the surface of the beeswax, often comprised of tiny crystals adjusting to temperature changes.
Bloom can form on your beeswax foundation sheets, candles, and any stored beeswax for that matter. If you have a frosty-looking frame of foundation or drawn-out honeycomb, they are perfectly healthy and natural to be given back to your bees.
Some people prefer to remove the bloom for aesthetic reasons, which is easily done with the application of heat (from a hair dryer, for example) or by gently rubbing with a soft cloth. Once removed, the bloom will eventually return if stored again for a new period of time.
So, enjoy the beauty of the bloom! It's a natural occurrence that appears on the purest beeswax, and its presence is exactly as nature intended.
]]>Australia remained the only country in the world without Varroa until now. On Wednesday 22nd June 2022, Varroa Destructor was discovered in sentinel hives located at the Port of Newcastle. Situated near major Australian Ports, sentinel hives are owned and closely monitored by State Government Agriculture Teams, to detect exotic pests or disease that may arrive by boat on the back of a stow-away honeybee. If a swarm of bees enters Australia via an incoming ship, they first seek refuge and food via the nearest local hive.
A Varroa Destructor infestation in Texas, USA, 2021. Photo courtesy of Texan backyard beekeeper, Kim Powers.
From this point on for NSW, it’s all systems go. In their bid to eradicate any potential incursion to both kept and feral honeybee hives, the DPI NSW are at the forefront of a major detection and eradication program. They have set up a biosecurity zone within 50klm of the Port of Newcastle and every beekeeper within that zone is now part of a team that no one ever wished to join.
Enter the backyard beekeeper. Most “Beeks” (as they are sometimes affectionately known), keep their bees in small apiaries of one to five hives, beautifully and strategically placed in sunny positions. Some apiaries sit proudly beside flower beds and vegetable gardens, others placed brilliantly on rooftops or carefully on balconies with chimney’s redirecting their flight path. Almost all apiaries are time wasters, when distracted beekeepers watch their bees with cups of tea or a glass of wine - suddenly half an hour has disappeared. Backyard beekeepers typically have bees because they love them, their delicious sweet by-product and their pollination skills.
Allison & our good friend Neil - Checking their apiary in 2017
Not many people realise that our backyard beekeepers are Superhero's in disguise. If it wasn’t for the backyard beekeeper, regular inspections of so many densely situated urban bee colonies would be impossible. Feral hives and swarms would not be highly sought after, collected and managed and disease would be even more difficult to detect and eradicate.
Working alongside the efforts of our experienced commercial beekeeping community, are thousands of backyard beekeepers Australia wide, who are all essentially our countries mini-bee biosecurity officers.
Through regular inspections, honey culture testing, sugar shake testing, drone uncapping or even alcohol washing, backyard beekeepers are constantly checking for exotic pests and disease. They are at the forefront of our detection efforts - and never before in the history of agriculture in Australia, have we relied so heavily on the humble hobbyist.
Finding Varroa Destructor now and eradication, is much better than living with it. As we work together as a community, early detection and eradication will be key in protecting our important pollinators and our apiculture industry in general.
Next time you bump into your local beekeeper, whether they operate commercially or as a hobbyist, don’t forget to give them a nod and thank them for their efforts. And if your Superhero happens to keep bees within the 50klm radius of Newcastle, it might be nice to take a moment and ask if they’re ok.
A time wasted moment, 2021
Drone Bee Uncapping Forks can be purchased here.
For information on Varroa visit the “Bee Aware” website here.
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