Country Journal, Week #68 - April 25, 2022

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CountryJournal Week commencing 25th April 2022

Hermitage history

Big winners in Sydney

Campdrafting’s changing face

A nursery with a difference

Krista Bjorn

krista@smallnewspaper.com.au

T

he dream of providing a local source for local plants is finally a reality with the opening of the Landcare Community Nursery.

“We really saw a need in the community for local provenance native plants, for local seed stock,” Condamine Headwaters Landcare Group Coordinator Tanya Jobling said. “People were doing regeneration projects and were buying in because they couldn’t find the plants locally. We didn’t have a local source for local plants and we felt that was a real need.”

The new Landcare Community Nursery is located at E block, Warwick TAFE, Dragon Street.

“I’ve seen the need for a couple of years,” Mrs Jobling

said, “but I started planning seriously when we had to move to a new office.”

She spent an entire year looking for office space for Landcare that included a little bit of land she could put a nursery on, and finally found it at TAFE. Then, during lockdown, she wrote the application for funding, finalising all the finicky details over the phone.

“I wrote the application in complete optimism and hope,” she said. “When it was accepted you could probably hear my woohoo’s. We got it and it’s wonderful.”

Landcare received funding through the ANZ Seeds of Renewal Program.

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COUNTRYJOURNAL

Robotic orchards APAL reports that robotic fruit picking robot is edging closer to orchard trials, as the fifth iteration of the "Ripe Robotic" has been developed further over the last few months. The robot has seen significant updates in this period. Hunter Jay, CEO of Ripe Robotics: "We've undergone some pretty massive design changes recently. We've changed the end-effector, previously we had big tubes which worked well on a small scale, when we were picking apples of up to a couple of hundred, there was no problem. But a stick might become lodged every couple of hundred, which is still far too often. A stick every 10,000 apples is still too frequent."

"So, we've made some changes, still using suctions but using a smaller suction cap that wraps around the fruit, and it's looking to be a lot more effective. We're still hoping to get it into orchard late this season, there's obviously only Pink Lady apples still to be picked but we're still aiming to get it out for testing, and then oranges after that and look to expand throughout next season."

Will Russians be able to pay?

Even four countries still exporting to Russia--and all countries exporting food products--a big quesiton remains.

Can they pay for what they buy?

Whispers have emerged in Israel of ag exporters expressed concerns about continued trading with either Ukraine or Russia, firstly facing as they do severe logistical difficulties and then the uncertainty about payment.

Russia is a major market for Israeli exports but like the rest of the world, they are desperately searching for alternative markets for produce such as citrus, avocados and carrots.

Michael Amar, of Kibbutz Alumim, says " Russia is so problematic, we have begun shipping carrots to other desti-

nations. Ordinarily, we would send produce to Russia on two to three ships per week, now there is only one. We still send produce to Ukraine, but not the same volume as before. We are looking at alternative markets such as England, Poland and other countries in the region. Embargoes on Russia do not include fresh food.

The head of another Israel based exporting company commented that while they are able to continue exporting to Russia, the market is not stable. "Officially it is not forbidden to export to Russia. We export mainly celery, carrots and peppers to retail chains there. Instability in the region has created financial risks. We are able to get our money, but it is not fully insured because the insurance companies are not supporting trade with Russia.

Chinese delay corn planting

Planting of corn in one of China’s major producing areas could be delayed as many of the region’s millions of farmers struggle to return home from temporary city jobs because of strict coronavirus lockdowns.

Any delay to planting could hit output in the world’s No. 2 corn producer, where corn prices are already hovering at record levels, and government support for soybeans also threatens to reduce growing of the grain.

China’s northeastern provinces, its bread basket, have endured weeks of restrictions on movement, with the toughest measures in Jilin province where COVID-19 cases soared in early March.

With the critical time for sowing grain fast approaching, some farmers remain stuck and are getting increasingly worried, despite recent government pledges to tackle the issue.

“I need to tend my land immediately, but I can’t go back. I am so anxious,” a farmer surnamed Wang told Reuters on Tuesday from Changchun, the capital of Jilin.

The problem highlights the challenge for China in

Country briefs balancing its strict zero-COVID policy with its high priority on food security.

Fertilizer supplies to the region have also been disrupted by the transport curbs, and farmers are already facing record prices of the crop nutrient as well as diesel and other costs.

As thousands of farmers took to social media last week to vent their frustrations with the situation, the Jilin government stepped in to organize special transport.

Smallholder farmers in China typically take manual jobs in cities over the winter months when farming activity stops.

Nearly 100,000 stranded farmers had returned home by April 10, according to the local authorities.

Bushcare and biodiversity in Killarney For those passionate about maintaining biodiversity and health of the Killarney environment, Killarney Bushcare is open to new members.

Meeting the first Saturday morning of each month from February to December, Killarney Bushcare works on projects in and around Killarney, Queen Mary Falls and the Cambanoora Gorge.

From seed saving and propagation to planting, mulching and weeding, the projects are

myriad and varied.

Contact Killarney Bushcare for more information.

Grain Fact Grain growers manage about four per cent of the Australian continent covering an estimated 22.4 million hectares, and this year growers will contribute more than $20 billion to the national economy,

Inflation changes buying habits “Middle consumers” are expected to become more divided by a surge in inflation, now hitting the food and grocery sector. One reports says that pre-COVID, middle consumers readily switched between being budget and premium purchasers depending on the product, occasion and belief, but now it could be more about the “Haves and HaveNots” as consumers are pulled in one direction or another over the next 12 months. The budget category is going to become more critical to those people who have less discretionary spending because of inflation and things like fuel and the cost of living going up. Poorer people will have a larger portion of their budget impacted, and at the other end you will have premium consumers that have been traditionally about trading up, they will be polarised even more.

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Hermitage 125th a reminder of the power of science in agriculture

T

he official celebration of the 125th anniversary of the Hermitage Research Station east of Warwick occurred last week, with dignatories including the minister of agriculture, Mark Furner, the major Vic Pennisi and most councillors on hand for the big moment.

The full executive of Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) was there headed by Professor Matthew Morell spoke of the importance of Hermitage not just to Queensland research, but to the world, and that point was underlined by sorghum pioneers Dr David Hamilton and Dr Jan Stenton.

Dr Hamilton spoke of his reliance over half a century on detailed advice and support from the Hermitage, and described the long term work on zero tillage, which began with a chemical that now has a tinge of controversy associated with it, Roundup, as a “national treasure”.

On a more contemporary note, he spoke out directly to the minister, urging him to consider a better funding model for scientists, so that they were not always looking over their shoulder at short term projects funded in a timeline suspiciously similar to election cyclees. “Not one of the great developments in agronomy over the last half century was made overnight,” he remarked.

Dr Stenton spke of working in Hermitage sorghum trial fields from the age of three, bouncing along with her dad behind a seeder, doing pollination ‘bagging’...and some side-benefits of her work including a steady ‘wage’ of a $1 a day, and access to the first Barbie doll in Warwick East school (thanks to her father’s work at

poignant reminder of the power of science, with a couple of speakers noting that the work done in the Hermitage had changed yields of harvests across the globe. Photo shows some of the displays for a big crowd at the Hermitage on Wednesday.

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COUNTRYJOURNAL

A nursery with a difference continued from the front page... of the nursery,” Mrs Jobling (pictured

on the front page ) said, “and a project officer

to do the installation and get the nursery running. We had some additional funding from the SDRC Community Drought Recovery Program for nursery materials and equipment like pots and benches, that sort of thing.”

The Landcare Community Nursery project began in January 2022 with three working bees comprised of excited volunteers.

By February the nursery was built and March was spent building up nursery stock and getting the systems running.

They had planned the grand opening for 28

February but got rained out, and finally were able to hold the official opening on 21 March.

Now Landcare members and volunteers are working hard to make sure that the nursery meets the needs of the community.

“We’ve hit the ground flying,” Mrs Jobling said. “Members have been stocking the nursery with stuff that they’ve been germinating at home. We definitely plan to have a range of species for gardens, farm plantings, and local bush regeneration. It’s a moving feast. We’ll have different options at different times.”

Bushcare volunteer Brenda Browne has been with the project since the beginning.

“It’s my greatest love,” she said, looking up from planting fragrant saltbush cuttings. “I

love propagating plants, and for the birds and the wildlife it’s essential because it’s their homes. It’s great being out in the bush.”

The Landcare Community Nursery is cash only and is open to everyone, not just Landcare members. Doors are open every Thursday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Stock includes gumbi gumbi, scrub wilga, crow’s ash, tea tree, red olive plum, she-oak, and more, with prices starting at $3 per forestry tube.

“You have to do something with life,” Mrs Jobling said. “You might as well do something as lovely as this. It’s absolutely perfect.” For a stock list, email officechlg@gmail.com Photo

by Krista Bjorn.

Lumpy skin update: watch and wait While Lumpy Skin disease has yet to appear in Australia, Queensland is taking no chances.

The State Government convened a meeting of industry leaders and other stakeholders in Brisbane today to ensure Queensland remains best pre-

pared to address the risk of Lumpy skin disease in cattle.

Minister for Agricultural and etc. Mark Furner said while the disease had been confirmed in livestock in Indonesia there was no sign of it in Australia. He says the government is coordinating with the Federal government and

other states and territories to put measures in place to manage risks. Veterinarians are also being consulted.

Lumpy Skin disease is a highly infectious skin disease of cattle and water buffalo which is transmitted by biting insects, of which Australia has many. Cattle with the disease develop large

growths over much of their body which sickens the animal and can cause death.

More information is available here https://www.business.qld. gov.au/industries/farms-fishing-forestry/agriculture/livestock/animal-welfare/pests-diseases-disorders/lumpy-skin-disease

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COUNTRYJOURNAL

Local farmers win big in Sydney Krista Bjorn krista@smallnewspaper.com.au

I

n spite of no planning whatsoever, two young Southern Down’s farmers joined a hastily assembled Queensland team a few hours before the 2022 Australian Young Farmer Challenge National Competition at the Sydney Royal Easter Show and beat out every other team to take first.

Although they’d never met before, electricians Mikyla Hogno and Joshua White from Greymare joined veterinarian Sarah Rose from Toogoolawah and truck driver Lawrence Sehmish-Lahey from near Goondiwindi to form a team at the last minute and competed against teams from Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia, and South Australia.

They put in their best efforts at answering academic questions, identifying grains, walking as one upon wobbly planks, blindly groping for ear tags in a dark bag, throwing a fleece, and fighting a

fire before finishing the competition by rolling a 200kg bale of wool along a sandy track to claim victory and the title of 2022 Australian Young Farmer Champions.

The Young Farmer Challenge was held in the Schmidt Arena at the Sydney Royal Easter Show and was jointly funded by Agricultural

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The event is organised by young people for young people excited to showcase the diverse skills required to make a living from the land.

“These competitions are a great experience for young farmers,”

ASA Chairman Dr. Rob Wilson said.

“They provide the opportunity to showcase their knowledge, think critically and expand their network with likeminded people.

Ultimately, the Australian Young Farmer Challenge is a great way for young r ural Australians from across the country to network and engage with each other. It’s also an entertaining way for city residents to get an insight into life on the land.”

Photo shows winners of the 2022 Young Farmer Challenge. The Queensland champions are pictured at top left. Photo from the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

COUNTRYJOURNAL

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COUNTRYJOURNAL

The changing face of campdrafts Leonie Fuge

leonie@smallnewspaper.com .au

For Warwick Gold Cup winner, Gwen Macmillan, age is irrelevant, and after 66 years of competitive campdrafting she 'knows a thing or two about the history of the sport' and how it has transformed over the years.

“My first draft was in Oaky in 1956, I was 10 years old... and I put the beast straight out over the fence," Gwen laughed as she reminisced her early days of campdrafting.

Not letting this experience dissuade her Gwen went on to place at the prestigious Warwick Gold Cup four times between 1968 and 1990.

"The cup has been going since way back and is the Melbourne Cup of campdraftring. I won four Ladies Drafts," said Gwen.

Though the competition was stiff, there were fewer horses and riders.

“Back then there were only 30 competitors, now there are 800.

The horses and riders are not better today, there are just more of

them,” said Gwen.

Not only has the Wawrick Gold Cup become far more competitive, but it has also become far more lucrative.

"In 1968 I won a trophy and $50, now winners get around $30,000."

Gwen had lived through the many faces of campdrafting from its earliest days unitil present.

"It started with two cattle stations arguing over who had the best horses. I remember those days, I

was there. You just had a little patch out in the scrub and when you got off course you were in the bushes and cracked off," said Gwen."It used to be honest stockmen riding their own horses.

Nowadays it’s anything from professional riders to people just having fun."

"There are people who don't have access to cattle and are learning campdraft skills in schools," and according to Gwen, the South East corner has many riding schools with students vying for entrance into local campdraft competitions.

"People like the sense of community at the drafts, and it provides a weekend away for riders. However, with the growing popularity of campdrafts, and a broader range of competitors, many events are unable to accept all nominations and turn eager riders away.

One of the biggest differences that Gwen has noticed since earlier years is the cattle, "In the early days' cattle were all worked on horseback, and were tailed out.

But now they are chased by helicopters and motorbikes, most of

them would never have seen a horse. So when they come into a campdraft environment, they are shocked."

The Gold Cup medalist said that what she most loved about campdrafting was "the thrill of having a good horse, picking the right beast and having a beer at the end of the day. Or if you are like me… one at 6 am in morning," she joked.

And what was the biggest influence on Gwen's campdrafting?

She puts it down to Kenny Rogers, “You gotta know when to hold them, know when to fold them, know when to walk away, know when to run."

After 66 years, Gwen's love for campdrafting has not wained and hopes the sport continues for another 100 years.”

Gwen continues to be heavily involved in the sport, sits on two campdraft committees and though she no longer rides at 76 years of age, is still entering horses into drafts. Photo shows Gwen Macmillan from Jondaryan and Angie Hart from Nobby at Allora Campdraft.

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Weird new varieties Planet Earth has been keeping a little secret. We have been working on a special and unique product that encapsulates the sweetness of our tomatoes, the crunchiness of our peppers and the tastiness of our cucumbers to produce the world's first 'Topember' - the new way to have all your favourite salad items in one bite.

Chris Butler, Managing Director of Thanet Earth (that’s the name of the company) said, "after years of development we have finally got this product ready to be sold and believe me, it tastes amazing."

Topember will be on sale today for one day only. So, make sure you get it whilst stocks last, as you'd be a fool to miss this great new product.

Square tomato?

Yesterday, Den Berk Délice from Hoogstraten announced the development of a square tomato under the brand 'Square Délice'. Market research showed that consumers are looking for innovation on the shelf and Den Berk Délice wanted to respond to this demand with the

'Square Délice'.

Den Berk Délice from Hoogstraten is the first company in Europe to abandon the traditional, round tomato. It took a year for the tomato grower to perfect the new product, but the first tomatoes were harvested this week.

The idea behind this new shape comes from the consumer. Several surveys in cooperation with leading market research agencies showed that consumers are looking for innovation in the tomato segment, and not only in terms of colour. 39% of the respondents to one of the studies indicated that there should also be innovation in terms of shape.

Logistically, there are also many advantages. Thanks to the square shape, the tomatoes fit more easily into the packaging, and they can also be stacked. It also has an extra advantage for the consumer, because when you cut the tomato into slices, all the slices are the same size.

The square tomato is not only special in terms of shape, but it will also improve your quality of life.

Because it contains more than 50% lycopene, it will protect you from many diseases.

Lycopene is an antioxidant that is related to beta-carotene in carrots. When tomatoes are cooked and/or processed in sauces or juices, the lycopene can be absorbed even better. The tomatoes were genetically manipulated using the

From Tin to Town Sunday 15 May 2022 3:00pm - 5:30pm

Stanthorpe Little Theatre.

Connor Street, Stanthorpe

Southern Downs online 1300 MY SDRC

9

'CRISPR' technique.

The gene "AUCSIA1", which normally ensures the round shape, was cut from the DNA, so that the tomatoes spontaneously took on a square shape.

A Living History of Stanthorpe

INTERACTIVE PERFORMANCES HISTORICAL DISPLAYS TRADITIONAL FOOD Step back in time and celebrate Stanthorpe’s 150th birthday. This open air living museum will transport you back 150 years as you experience the unique stories of those who made Stanthorpe home in 1872.

S TA N T H O R P E

sdrc.qld.gov.au

COUNTRYJOURNAL

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COUNTRYJOURNAL GENERAL KNOWLEDGE CROSSWORD

ACROSS 1 Name a bushy-tailed, 8 9 10 11 13 16 19 22 24 25 26

thickset rodent such as the common woodchuck (6) What is the nickname of the Sydney NRL club (8) Name a card game for four players (6) What is sharpness or severity of temper (8) Which simple narrative poem is adapted for singing (6) Name a popular soft drink (8) What was the profession of Johannes Brahms (8) What is an indicator on a VDU screen called (6) To leave a person something in one’s will, is to do what (8) William Dobell was a renowned what (6) How many lines are there in a sonnet (8) Name some game fishes, introduced into Australia (6)

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Art Deep Den Fished Foods

24 25 26

6 Name the pollen-bearing

organ of a flower (6) 7 To have pressed something, is to have done what (6) the arterial system (5) 12 Which loose soil is composed 3 What is a decoration of clay and sand (4) of honour (5) 14 What do we call one 4 Name the levers, worked who buys and sells by the feet, to impart commodities for profit (8) motion to machines (8) 15 What is the line about which 5 Which war took place Letters have a number value a rotating body turns (4) 1899-1902 (4) Some values are in the right hand cells.

E-QUATIONS 7 Create remaining values using clues in centre cells.

E-QUATIONS

L÷H L-H TxB K-Y Y÷B H+O BxO

O U I E Y A

Kept Kiss Lake Lip Pan

17 Who was the Shakespearean

D S P P R I

S E A T M L

A W N P U T

Paw Pea Put Rail Seat

Sky Use

king of the fairies (6)

CURIO

of a swearword (6) 20 What is the quotient of two numbers (5) 21 Which term implies a beginning, or a start (5) 23 What is the summit of anything (4)

The cracking sound of a stockwhip is actually a sonic boom – the tip of the whip travels faster than the speed of sound.

The whip is the first man-made device to produce a sonic boom. Stagecoach drivers used ‘signature’ whipcrack sequences to signal ahead their arrival.

18 Which word is an alteration

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BIYWORD

054

Letters A to Z have a number value. Some are shown in the right-hand cells. Create remaining values using clues in centre cells.

B H K L O T Y

O L A K E R

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Find the following words in the grid. They may be read in any direction, even diagonally.

Some letters are used more than once.

21

23

DOWN 2 What is the main trunk of

MINI WORD FIND

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Build it yourself using the clues and each of the twenty-four letters once only to form ten words: five across and five down. A key word (bold clue) builds on the letter set in the grid.

CLUES: Alcohol service area (3) Ball stand (3) Casualty assessments (7) Floor show (7) Provided food (3) Satellite’s path (5) Stiff (5) Succinct (5) Valuable rock (3) weird (5)

E

20

6

E E E E F G

A A B B C D

I I I O R R

R R S T T T

© Auspac Media - meq0054

implies a beginning, or a start (5) summit of anything (4)

7

CROSSWORD

6

B O O E C R

S I S T E R S A O I M O N Y E E O N A D E X I U R S O R A N R T I S T I E R O U T S

5

E M E E R C T H A E N T

4

M A R M O T O E R B R I D G E T A A B A L L A D O L A E C O M P O S B L B E Q U E A R R P F O U R T E N Y X

BIYWORD

SUDOKU

2 10 26 20 3 13 6

QUICK THINK ACROSS: 1 Ship,

Y

GS

L O T

3

R I T G E S I E D

B H K

2

c16-044

1

DOWN 1 Union foe 2 Burrow 3 Greek letter 4 Connive

C A B A R E T

B:2, H:10, K:26, L:20, O:3, T:13, Y:6

ACROSS 1 Craft 5 Hip 6 Middle part 7 Exhausted

5 Cool, 6 Alto, 7 Beat.

B DOWN: 1 Scab, O R 2 Hole, 3 Iota, 4 Plot. © T R I E E F

Solve the crossword.

Each answer has four letters.

SOLUTIONS

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E-QUATIONS B:2, H:10, K:26, L:20, O:3, T:13, Y:6

QUICK THINK

A W N P U T

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MINI WORD FIND F O O D S I L U S E S A I P A H K E P T E E Y R M D R A I L

SUDOKU

COUNTRYJOURNAL

L

ast week, I wrote about all of our trucks and utes down the years and came to the conclusion that we should have borrowed some money way back and bought a better truck or ute.

In fact, two of our trucks are now in sheds with equipment, motors and the like on the back.

In more than 50 years, we have gone through five tractors and it is only in the last 10 years we have ended up with a tractor of 100HP. Our first tractor was a Ferguson TEA20 which my Dad bought around the time I was born and we had a two-furrow plough, tiller, planting box, carryall and later a mower to match. The Fergey was a petrol tractor.

Then it was a kero Fordson we bought from the O’Mara family at Mt Colliery, a tractor we still have on the farm and would go again with a bit of work from someone

while ploughing, but haven’t had a worrying incident.

Know of one farmer with frontage to the Condamine River who dozed off and drove the tractor straight into the river and survived.

The Long Paddock with Gerard Walsh

more handy than me on the tools.

Our third tractor was a bright blue Fordson Major, our first diesel, and it was big enough to pull a 12 tyne scarifier.

A few years later, we headed to Ainsworth Motors in Chinchilla to buy a Fiat 615 and it pulled a 20-tyne scarifier. The tractor salesman drove the Fiat to a paddock on the edge of town so show us the tractor working in a melon paddock.

Finally we bought a Chamberlain 4090 from Ray Bunch Machinery which was originally from Elbow Valley and now have a 1.8m slash-

er to match, our other slasher is just under 1.5m.

What do I remember about all the tractors?

I was told to cover the radiator of tractors during winter, especially if they were in open sheds, but should have also been covering the motor.

One day, we put water in the radiator of the Ferguson and it gushed out the side of the motor.

The motor had frozen, not the radiator. Luckily, the motor was due for a rebuild.

I have hit plenty of stumps, especially slashing, and rocks

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Cattle on feedlot

We bought six tonnes of feedlot mix this week for 25 steers and 5 heifers.

Our cattle are fed in a small paddock rather than a feedlot (yard) environment.

While there is plenty of grass in the paddock, we still put a bale of barley straw in a hay feeder in the paddock, they call it roughage, a bit like bread in a human’s diet.

I have said to my wife Margaret that the cattle will need at least two months in the feedlot paddock to be ready to sell.

You can fatten sheep in a month or so but not cattle.

Community dinner at Eukey Hall The next Friendly Friday Dinner at Eukey Hall is coming up on 29 April.

The event is a time for locals and strangers alike to eat together and connect over good food.

Friendly Friday Dinner begins at 5 p.m. and includes a main meal and dessert with BYO drinks.

Tickets are $12 for

an adult and $30 for a family.

Anyone is welcome but bookings are essential to enable volunteers to prepare the right amount of food.

Contact Eukey Hall by 27 April to book a place at the table.

Photo shows the front of Eukey Hall. Photo by Krista Bjorn.

POSITIONS VACANT

AUTOMOTIVE SPRAY PAINTER FULL TIME POSITION, WARWICK

We are seeking an experienced qualified automotive spray painter to join our team.

We use a PPG Envirobase OEM paint system and have 2 x Spray Booths. We specialise in all insurance smash repairs & private jobs.

Must have a great atittude and work ethic, high attention to detail, ability to work as a team, be self motivated and have good time management skills. Immediate start. Award wages.

Email your resume: panelp@bigpond.com

Ph: 07 4661 3631

History of hives Ben Boland

editor@thedailyjournal.ink Humans have both wild harvested and actively farmed honey and other bees since ancient times. Bees began as wasps then to focus on flowers. Bee fossils have been found in the Eocene epoch fossils from 45 mission years ago so it is safe to assume that bees stung dinosaurs.

The earliest record of human bee interactions is stone age cave art found in Spain. This depicts people climbing down a rope ladder to harvest honey and wax from cliff face hives. This type of harvesting is still practiced in Southern India, despite the obvious hazards.

Hunting hives was practiced globally, but today is more of a hobby.

The next development was creating hives and either attracting or catching swarms. These early hives were made from pottery, tree bark or baskets. In Mexico through to Argentina, people still keep stingless bees in clay hives. In Europe, from medieval times to the 19th century, bees were primarily kept in baskets which are called "skeps". While this type of hive in not used in Australia, the conical hive is still a familiar image in popular culture.

Skeps are not without problems since it is hard to change the size of the basket and it is impossible to inspect the hive for pests without destroying it.

Until the advent of paraffin wax in the middle of the 19th century, the best light was provided by bee's wax candles. Honey was the primary source of sweetening until 1801, when the fist sugar factory, extracting from sugar beets, began operations. Bee products were valuable commodities and skeps proved to be underwhelming technology.

Skeps, or hives that cannot be inspected, are not legal in Australia.

The next development was the invention of hives with removable frames which allowed beekeepers to both

monitor hive health and extract honey and wax without killing the hive. This allowed humans to avoid genocide and become hive robbers, the terminology of which is still used. We speak of "robbing" a hive for honey and wax.

The new type of hive was invented by Rev L.L Langstroth and is common in Australia. Langstroth's research found that bees naturally build their comb 9.5 mm apart, the space needed for worker bees to work back-to-back. Langstroth hives have a base board which allows the bees access, a brood box at the base where the queen is encouraged to lay eggs, and supers stacked on top capped with a hive cover. Beekeepers can expand or contract the hive based on the number of supers.

Langstroth hives were a huge innovation and are now used by beekeepers across the world and

they can be transported quite easily.

Mobility led to 'migratory beekeeping' to follow flowering. This evolved to becoming a pollinator

Each year bees from the Southern Downs are trucked down to Victoria to provide pollination services...

service. Each year bees from the Southern Downs are trucked down to Victoria to provide pollination services.

American beekeepers typically make more income from providing pollination services than from honey and wax. Beekeepers move their hives from overwintering in Florida northwards as the weather warms to pollination a range of crops across several states and thousands of miles before migrating back to Florida for the winter.

The next major innovation was the Warre hive which was inspired by making the hive more bee friendly while still allowing inspections.

Warre hives have the brood box at the top of the hive with supers being inserted underneath. In the wild, bees build down not up. Warre hives have a chamber above the brood box with either dry leaves or scrunched paper to provide additional insulation and to help with moisture management.

One problem with both Langstroth and Waree hives is

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COUNTRYJOURNAL

they are not cheap. The Long Bar hive was developed in Africa where the importance of keeping costs down was paramount. While the Langstroth and Waree hives are vertical, top bar hives are horizontal.

The design significantly reduces the amount of lifting required of the beekeepers. Long bar hives are typically homemade which keeps the price down but they are not without issues including incompatibility with migratory bee keeping, cooler temperatures and some wax destruction.

The most recent innovation is both Australian and quite controversial - the flow hive. Flow hives are very similar to Langstroth hives in that the brood box on both is identical in location and function but the supers are revolutionary. Instead of each frame extracted for harvesting, flow hives have frames which are split in the centre so a beekeeper can 'crack' the comb and allow the honey to flow through a tube.

Proponents argue this minimised disturbance to the bees and makes harvesting significantly easier.

Cracking the comb can be hard and cracking vigorously can result in honey spilling through the hive.

Flow hives are expensive which is somewhat offset by avoiding the purchase of extracting equipment.

Beekeeping will continue to undergo innovation and currently beekeepers have a range of options.

Next week we will be continuing our series on bees by looking at how we can help bees.