EPISOSE 100!!! Bob Binnie, Blue Ridge Honey Company, Georgia, USA and Co-Hosted with Dan Curless, Curless Aussie Apiaries, QLD.

We’re celebrating! The Bees with Ben podcast has reached 100 episodes. And the 100 th episode is
very special, being co-hosted Dan Curless from Curless Aussie Apiaries. Our distinguished guest is
Bob Binnie of the Blue Ridge Honey Company from Northeast Georgia in the US. Bob has been a
commercial beekeeper since 1981; after reading a book on bees he was introduced to a commercial
beekeeper and pollinator in Oregon and the rest is history. He is a past President of the Georgia
State Beekeepers Association as well as the Northeast GA. Mountain Beekeepers Association and the
Macon County Beekeepers Club. In 2003, he was voted the Georgia State Beekeeper of the Year. Bob
runs over 2,000 colonies; he also teaches beekeeping and is a popular guest speaker, as well as
having a popular YouTube channel.
The Blue Ridge Honey Company is a family business; Bob manages the apiary while his wife Suzette
handles shipping and administration. Honey, pollen and beeswax products are offered for sale; the
honey is pure, natural and raw and is not pasteurised or micro-filtered. Varieties include Sourwood,
Tupelo, Orange Blossom, Gallberry, Tulip Poplar, Purple Starthistle and Wildflower.
Obviously, the recent varroa incursion in Newcastle is foremost in the minds of Australian
beekeepers at the moment, and although no-one would wish the varroa mite on their worst enemy,
it is appropriate in one sense that this constitutes our 100 th episode, as Bob’s experience and advice
makes for essential listening. Combatting varroa is a complex, expensive and labour intensive
process, as demonstrated by the excerpts that follow, but to get the most out of this podcast, you
really need to listen to the whole thing.
Bob starts with some sobering comments about the varroa invasion in the US. He says that initial
attempts to eradicate the mites were ‘absolutely unsuccessful’ and that colonies were killed, and
beekeepers forced out of business before the authorities threw up their hands and said, ‘You’re on
your own.’ Bob doesn’t think we can stop varroa here in Australia, but is certainly of the opinion that
it is a good idea to get educated ‘ahead of the game’ and be prepared before it turns up In our
apiaries.
It is immediately apparent that Bob’s integrated pest management programme has been the result
of a lot of research, thought and experimentation. For example, varroa often wipes out colonies in
winter, but he treats his hives well beforehand around August 1, the idea being that he is treating
the bees that will raise the winter bees. Oxalic acid vaporisation only kills mites that are on bees, not
brood, so this is applied twice in early to mid-winter during the broodless period.
Bob has used Apivar (active ingredient is amitraz) and Apiguard (active ingredient is thymol)
effectively for his early August treatments, but the latter is temperature sensitive. Apivar in
particular is very expensive (Bob’s bill three years ago was $18,000 US) and some colonies are now
starting to show resistance to amitraz. Bob is not a fan of Apistan; its active ingredient, fluvalinate,
proved very effective early on, but the mites quickly became resistant. Fluvalinate has a very long
half life and will persist in comb for many years; it can also pose problems when mixed with other
chemicals. This is an extremely informative podcast that should be listened to in its entirely. And it’s not all
doom and gloom. Bob says that beekeepers in the US had to learn the hard way, but we need not
‘go down fast’ as there is now so much information available to help.