Social Amateur Beekeeping Club For Hilltops

The first meeting of the social amateur beekeeping club met on Sunday, April 3 at the Cootamundra RSL Club.

There were seven people who came along to the inaugural meeting. Kenny Tanson said that the youngest person to attend on Sunday was a young chap just 13 years old. “He has a hive of his own,” Kenny said. “He was one of the nicest young blokes. We had two people there who already had bees.”

“I’m trying to get out to people who are interested in beekeeping or people that might have a few hives but don’t know what to do with them.” Kenny is a semi-retired commercial beekeeper who, at the height of his career, tended over 1500 hives. “Now I just play with about a hundred,” he said.

“I’m aiming towards people who may have three or five hives who want to learn a bit more about what to do. People who are just looking for someone to guide them.”

Kenny wants to steer clear of the need for presidents, secretaries and the taking of minutes and keep it as a social club where members can share ideas and learn more about the art of beekeeping.

“I just want to leave it that anyone who wants to come along can just come along,” he said. “We will cover Young, Boorowa, Cootamundra, Harden and everything in between. We might go and look at one person’s hive one month. If the weather isn’t cooperating, we might stay inside and learn how to wire frames.”

The next meeting is scheduled for Sunday, May 1 at the Cootamundra RSL Club. As more members join, meetings may rotate around the various towns where those members live.

• Topics:

• Agriculture
• Beekeeping