Sir Edmund Hillary, mountaineer, born July 20, 1919; died January 11, 2008

To most of us, Sir Edmund Hillary’s name is synonymous with the conquering of Mt. Everest — a beekeeper turned world-explorer, who climbed to the top of the world, trekked to both the North and South Pole, and made his way into the history books for his achievements.

“In some ways I believe I epitomise the average New Zealander: I have modest abilities, I combine these with a good deal of determination, and I rather like to succeed,” he later wrote.

“I don’t know if I particularly want to be remembered for anything … but there’s no doubt, either, that my most worthwhile things have been the building of schools and medical clinics. That has given me more satisfaction than a footprint on a mountain.”

Indeed, it was with his humanitarian work, particularly among the Sherpas in Nepal, that Hillary made his greatest mark in life — as this video clip from the
CBC National television news program explains:

Sir Edmund Hillary is survived by his wife, Lady June, by his son Peter, who has also climbed Everest, and by Sarah, a daughter from his first marriage. He was predeceased by his first wife, Louise Mary Rose, and their daughter Belinda.

See also:

• Sherpas shed tears for Sir Edmund Hillary, dead at 88
  Dan Box - The Australian News
• Mount Everest climber Sir Edmund Hillary dead at 88
  CBC News

This comical Bee Mine Valentine Candy Dish is an original crochet pattern designed by Carrie’s Clutter.

A whimsy decoration to hold Valentine’s sweets! She measures 9 inches head to tail and 4 inches tall (not including her wings and antennae). All you need is a plastic butter/ sour cream tub, yarn and basic craft supplies to create this sweetheart!

The crochet pattern is available for USD $4.99 via the designer’s shop on Etsy.com.

Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Central Beekeepers Alliance Meeting
Agricultural Research Centre, Fredericton, NB
7:30 p.m.

Want to learn more about Beekeeping? Central Beekeepers meet on the second Tuesday of the month. Visitors and new beekeepers are always welcome!

Most meetings include an educational session, group discussion, or hands-on demonstration for the benefit of beginning beekeepers in central New Brunswick. This month, Chris Maund will be showing a documentary video about Colony Collapse Disorder in the United States.

The Agricultural Research Centre (”Experimental Farm”) is located at 850 Lincoln Road, Fredericton, New Brunswick. Entry is from the parking lot at the back of the building. For a map, see our Next Meeting page.

A great dumping of snow in central New Brunswick through December almost buried the bee hives. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as snow helps to insulate the hives in extremely low temperatures such as most of Canada has been experiencing so far this winter.

The first week of January 2008, however, has brought the traditional January thaw — right on schedule — but with warmer temperatures than we would normally expect to see.

The shrinking snow lies under a layer of fog and all the roads and driveways are bare. Once again, the hives begin to emerge from the snow cover, and today — at least here in Keswick Ridge — there were a number of honeybees out on cleansing flights.

Scientists at HortResearch have successfully bred honeybees that are capable of fighting back against varroa mites by suppressing the reproduction of the pests. This welcome news for beekeepers was announced recently by the science company, a Crown Research Institute which is wholly owned by the New Zealand government:

Scientists breed varroa ‘resistant’ bees

Auckland, New Zealand, 16 December 2007 — A sustainable and cost-effective tool to control the varroa mite may soon be available to New Zealand beekeepers thanks to the efforts of scientists at the Crown Research Institute, HortResearch.

Scientists at HortResearch have successfully bred honeybees that fight back against varroa — by suppressing mite reproduction.

Since its arrival in New Zealand seven years ago varroa has become the number one enemy of bees and beekeepers across much of the country. Able to reproduce and spread rapidly, the mite lays its eggs inside the brood cells of a beehive, where the mites develop to maturity by feeding on bee larvae.

Uncontrolled, varroa will usually ‘kill’ a bee colony within a year — an expensive loss to beekeepers as well as a major threat to honey producers and New Zealand’s billion dollar fruit export industry, which relies on bees for pollination.

Varroa is currently controlled mostly through the use of chemical miticides — at an annual cost to industry of over $1.5 million. While such treatments are generally effective, their use is not sustainable says HortResearch honeybee scientist Dr Mark Goodwin.

“Overseas, varroa has quickly built up resistance to these miticides, resulting in large hive losses. In addition, while perfectly safe if used correctly, beekeepers and growers would prefer not to have these chemicals in our natural environment.”

With funding from the Sustainable Farming Fund, the National Beekeepers Association, individual beekeepers, and the kiwifruit industry through ZESPRI Limited, Dr Goodwin and his team have been searching for more sustainable ways of keeping varroa in check.

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