A Call to Arms for Topbar Hives

 The Management Agency, charged with  eliminating AFB from NZ managed hives, has stated that Top Bar Hives are against the spirit of the Biosecurity Strategy. They state that these sort of hives can not be 'easily inspected for AFB without cutting comb from the walls and without having multiple combs on a single bar." How many TB hives have they looked in and where is the data to even suggest this? With this latest ‘position Statement ‘from the Management Agency in the October beekeeper magazine we need to start to become more vocal against this propaganda that they are creating. If we all, as a concerned body of beekeepers, do some or all of these following suggestions we can all make a difference and allow Kiwi’s to continue to have a choice on how they keep their bees. It is extremely disappointing that it has come to this but we must do something for the sake of our bees and our choice as concerned citizens.

·         Email or write to Paul Bolger, Senior Policy Analyst, American Foulbrood Strategy, MAF Biosecurity, NZ P.O.Box 2526, Wellington.  paul.bolger@maf.govt.nz

I have not personally met Paul but from what I have heard and seen written by him he is a considered and realistic expert on bees. He is our contact at MAF who will  be part of the final decision making re. Top Bars. I have included my letter I wrote to him below. Feel free to use this as your template. MAf received 26 submissions on the NPMS, lets see if we can better that from concerned beekeepers.

·         Write to your local MP alerting them to what is happening. How the MA are trying to fast track changes to the law to make Top Bar Hives illegal without any proper public consultation and the propaganda they have already been spreading about how Top Bar Hives are illegal which is simply not the case. Bullying tactics such saying that authorities could come onto your land and burn your hive with your  bees in it.

·         Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper ( especially the  smaller community papers are really keen on local comment) to help inform the general public. Talk about these actions which could be seen as patch protection or simple lack of knowledge by a few of the senior level in the NBA.  Explain how it is so important for ‘NZ Inc’ that we have a healthy and robust population of honey bees and a flotilla of top bar hives, which are well managed by passionate beekeepers. Explain that hobby beekeepers make up the majority of beekeepers in NZ but appear to have no support or voice from the MA or NBA. Explain that it is not all commercial beekeepers who are calling for this just a small minority .

·         Sign the petition http://www.petitiononline.co.nz/petition/the-right-to-bee/1348 and get all your friends and contacts to as well. Talk about this issue with your coffee group, book club, rugby team, netball team, or just down at the pub! We have the moral high ground as we all know that our hives pose no greater risk than any other type and can they honestly show us how we can’t effectively check for disease? We all know that answer!

This is the  Summary of Submissions:

Report on the American Foulbrood National Pest Management Strategy

MAF Biosecurity New Zealand Information Paper No: 2010/03 http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/files/biosec/consult/ros-afnpm-strategy.pdf

My letter to Paul Bolger. I have emailed a copy to him and will also post a copy.

Dear Mr Bolger,

 I understand that submissions have closed on the American Foulbrood National Management Strategy but I have read in the latest Beekeeper magazine that the Management Agency are requesting a revised order to make Top Bar Hives, as they stand, illegal.  I have kept bees in my Top Bar Hive for nearly four years and do not understand their issues with this sort of hive. I, along with many other Top Bar Hive enthusiasts, have registered my hives, attended a AFB recognition course and hold a DECA

I believe that a TBH is well within the law of the PMS as the top bar constitutes a frame from which the bees build their own comb within and under. Certainly if you look at the intent of the strategy TBH’s are fully compliant as both sides of every comb can be inspected. I have made these two videos to show how this is done. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8kbZBl5ETw   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVWSPvN5bl8.  I believe that a TBH poses no greater risk to spreading AFB than any other sort of hive, and in fact maybe even less, for these reasons.

-Top Bar frames, once honey is cut off, are placed directly back into the same hive.

- As bees build their own comb in a top bar it is generally light in colour thus being easier to check for scale. Comb is continually replaced.


-As Top Bar Hives are so new in NZ and easy to build by oneself there is no trade in second hand hives thus avoiding all risk of infected gear spreading AFB


-A swarm hived in a Top Bar hive have to build all their comb from scratch so it could be argued that the risk of a swarm carrying AFB spores is reduced. By the time the bees have drawn comb and the queen has laid eggs many AFB spores they are carrying should have disappeared. (Goodwin, Mark)


-due to their difficulty in stacking TBH’s are not used for migratory pollination work thus avoiding spread of infected hives.

-A beekeeper who keeps a top bar hive will be a hobbyist beekeeper as this type of hive does not produce enough honey for commercial ventures. Most people keep bees in a TBH to increase pollination of their garden and will most often only have one hive thus avoiding all risk of drifting and some cases of robbing

Save Our Bees Charitable Trust has been set up as a reaction to the recent growth and interest in hobby beekeeping and the vacuum of information and support for alternative methods of beekeeping in New Zealand. The Trust provides free workshops, advice, a monthly newsletter, and a community forum. We have endeavoured on numerous occasions to form a constructive and working relationship with the Management Agency, through meetings and emails (none of which are ever returned) but it appears that they simply want to ban Top Bar hives, perhaps without even understanding how they work. I have personally invited some senior members of the NBA to came and look inside my hive to see how easy it is to inspect but have no one accept my invitation.

Where is the data to back up their claims that TBH’s are against the spirit of the PMS? The primary objective during the first ten year term of the American Foulbrood National Pest Management Strategy was to reduce the prevalence of AFB in managed colonies by an average of 10% each year. This has not been achieved. Perhaps these recent actions are a smoke screen to hide their obvious ineptitude

We believe that for the benefit of the whole of NZ and associated primary industries that the Management Agency should be supporting, and working with new hobby beekeepers to ensure that they feel supported and well advised in their new pursuit, not threatening to make potential criminals out of us. It appears to me that they are more concerned about patch protection and producing honey rather than protecting NZ’s population of honey bees.

Yours Sincerely,

Janet Luke,
Save Our Bees Charitable Trust.