This is the August issue of Buzzwords, the monthly newsletter of the National
Beekeepers Assn of NZ.  As I'm a member of the executive and co-editor, I'll
be happy to try to provide any further information about issues contained in
the newsletter...
 
 
 
FROM THE PRESIDENT
 
The 1992 NBA Conference is now behind us, and what a conference it's been.
Your association has taken a number of important decisions and I look
forward to a positive approach from our industry in the coming year.
 
The marketing levy adopted by conference will I am sure give new heart to
the honey production part of our industry.  Honey is not just a breakfast
spread and I have no doubt the marketing programme will improve the sales
of our most important product.
 
MP Jeff Whittaker gave us some encouragement in our campaign to stop the
import of Australian honey.  Our belief is that undeclared, unheated
Australian honey poses a significant risk to our industry.  Your executive
will do everything in its power to see that our politicians are made aware
of that fact.
 
We can also take pride in the research work being carried out for our
industry, which makes such a positive contribution to all beekeeping.  In
particular I would like to mention Dr. Peter Molan's considerable work on
manuka honey.  Clinical trials are ready to begin, subject to the
availability of Honey Industry Trust funds.
 
And speaking of trust funds, I am sure beekeepers were pleased to see all
the trustees attending conference.  These people are responsible for the
care of funds which are vital to the future development of our industry.
 
Many members were rightly concerned at the small amount of time allocated
for the 33 remits at conference.  The fact that we managed to discuss all
remits and still make major decisions on marketing and disease control says
a lot for the professional approach taken by conference delegates.  I would
like to express my sincere thanks to everyone at conference for helping our
association achieve so much in such a short period of time. Dudley Ward,
president
 
THE MOST POSITIVE IN YEARS
 
Only a few weeks ago, beekeepers around the country were predicting that
this year's conference would be one of the least productive ever.  After
all, there were 33 remits, several rule changes, and a 21 point proposal to
restructure the association.  There was also a long-standing and
contentious proposal to fund the disease control programme and imports of
Australian honey were looming on the horizon.  The industry itself was
faced with another big honey crop and retail prices were beginning to
soften.  W ith all that to be discussed in little more than one and a half
days of scheduled conference debate, even people from outside the industry
could have been excused for suggesting that the Hastings conference would
be little more than a flop.
 
As it turned out, such predictions couldn't have been further from the
truth.  The seminar was one of the most informative and timely in recent
years, with excellent presentations on bee breeding, marketing, AFB
testing, and the antibiotic properties of honey.  Conference itself worked
its way through all the remits, and the debate was for the most part
reasoned and constructive.  Another unanimous call was made for executive
to set in place an effective (10% of apiaries) AFB inspection programme
using the services of MAF.  And against all odds, delegates also voted
unanimously to fund a $150,000 per year marketing programme for New Zealand
honey.
 
The New Zealand beekeeping industry has had its share of trials and
tribulations in recent years, much of it brought on by changes in
government policy.  We have lost tax payer support of our endemic disease
control programme while at the same time being denied an equitable funding
system using the government's own Commodity Levies Act.  CER marches on,
undeterred by the fact that beekeepers on both sides of the Tasman don't
want to see the opening up of the honey trade.  And the failure of the
Animal Healt h Board to incorporate oxalic acid into 1080 possum baits
means government funds continue to be used to poison our bees.  But in the
face of all this, our industry has decided at this conference to take a
more positive control of its own affairs.  The road ahead may continue to
be rough, but if we now get behind our association with our financial, as
well as our moral support, we can say in the future that beekeepers will at
least be in the driver's seat.
 
MARKETING LEVY GETS NOD
 
It shouldn't be any surprise to readers of Buzzwords that your executive
has been contemplating for some time the need for a marketing programme for
New Zealand honey.  Following the presentation by Bill Floyd at last year's
Blenheim conference, a honey promotions fund was established with donations
from beekeepers and industry suppliers.  The fund was used to finance the
highly successful manuka honey publicity.
 
The long-established Marketing Committee also formed a focus group to work
directly with Bill Floyd to determine a cost-effective marketing programme
for our industry.  As we mentioned in Buzzwords 41, the programme
incorporates the excellent work being carried out at Waikato University on
the medicinal uses of honey, and also concentrates on the use of honey as
an ingredient in the food manufacturing industry.  The idea is to increase
honey consumption in areas outside the traditional use of honey as a tab le
spread.
 
Bill Floyd gave several presentations at conference, and in particular was
asked by executive to speak on Remit 5, the remit supporting funding
proposals for a marketing programme.  As Bill sees it, with the problems
now facing our industry (and in particular the likelihood of imports of
Australian honey), we can either look to the government for protection (a
highly unlikely prospect!), or look at our market, find the opportunities
that exist, and realise that although the free market is here, it doesn't n
ecessarily have to lead to market collapse.
 
The problem, according to Bill, is that honey is a very unsophisticated
product, almost the same today as it was when it was first used as a food.
While all around us food products are being created at a truly phenomenal
rate, honey struggles to keep up with the competition.
 
But all is not lost, because as Bill says, "the essence of good marketing
is to turn faults into features."  What honey has got going for it, first
and foremost, is that it is a pure and natural food, unadulterated by
chemicals and industrial processes.  And New Zealand honeys have several
distinct advantages in this regard.  In the 1990's, according to market
analysts, the trend will be towards "functional foods"; that is, foods
which provide a positive, health-giving affect to the consumer.  Such foods
ar e already making news in Japan, and have a big future around the world.
The unique medicinal properties of native honeys such as manuka, kanuka,
and rewarewa make them ideal candidates for incorporation into functional
foods.
 
We also have the opportunity to capitalise on the developments being made
in honey marketing in the U.S.  There the Honey Board has increased honey
consumption by 10% by concentrating on the food service (restaurants, etc.)
and food ingredient industries.  Here again the "pure and natural" image of
honey has a great appeal.  By incorporating honey into their products, the
manufactured food giants can help to counteract the growing negative
perception of their processed foods.  The Americans have licensed a honey
logo for use on such products, and now find that manufacturers are actually
willing to pay a fee for its inclusion on their product packaging.
 
Bill Floyd presented a draft programme for honey marketing in New Zealand,
at a cost of $150,000 per year.  The plan is based on the "absorbtion" of
an additional 1500 tonnes of New Zealand honey on the local and overseas
market, with increases in prices for some honeys, and an overall increase
in demand for others.  For this year the programme will include the design
and licensing of a product logo, a folder to hold promotional material,
research into public perception of honey, general advertising and pub
licity, and a major (2 days per week) effort by Floyd Marketing on behalf
of the industry.  His work will involve publicity, product development,
market research, and developing and implementing the marketing plan.  The
programme will be for a one year contract with supervision by the Marketing
Committee.
 
FROM THE MARKETING COMMITTEE
 
The Marketing Committee is pleased to announce one of the most positive
decisions in the history of the New Zealand beekeeping industry.  At the
1992 Hastings Conference, branch delegates voted 13-0 to "give
(conference's) full support to the efforts of the Marketing Committee, and
support the funding proposal of 50 cents per hive increase on the 1993 hive
levy recommended by the Executive, to be reviewed in 12 months time."
 
The Marketing Committee looked at various ways of raising funds for the
marketing of New Zealand honey.  Our conclusion was that the easiest,
fairest, and cheapest way was to use the hive levy system already in place.
The 50 cent increase on the levy is based on a cost-effective budget
determined by the committee.  To determine whether this levy was in line
with other marketing levies overseas, we decided to calculate the levy on a
per kg figure based on the average New Zealand honey crop of 29 kg per
hive.  The 50 cent levy corresponds to 1.8 cents per kg, substantially less
than either the American (4.3 cent) or Australian (3.8 cent) honey industry
levies.  We believe the New Zealand programme represents excellent value
for money.
 
The 50 cent levy will establish a marketing fund which will be used to put
into affect the marketing programme Bill Floyd presented at conference.
The Marketing Committee looks forward to implementing this programme on
behalf of the industry. Sue Jenkins, Marketing Committee
 
AFB CONTRACT APPROVED
 
With a resounding (13-0) 'yes' to the Bay of Plenty's remit on industry
funding for disease control, and the defeat of Auckland's remit on branch
organisation of disease inspections, conference once again gave executive a
clear mandate to set in place an effective AFB control programme for this
coming season.  The decision comes just in time, because according to
Murray Reid, MAF's National Manager (Apiculture), the reduction in
inspection last year (from 9.4% of apiaries to 3%) led to the detection of
only 336 AFB hives.  Since the average over the previous four years of
fuller inspection was approximately 1000 per year, Murray speculates that
there could be as many as 600 more, undetected AFB hives spread throughout
New Zealand this year.
 
Executive members met throughout conference to discuss the $120,000
proposal and the contract with MAF Quality Management is now in its final
negotiation stage.  Since the industry's current target is 10% of the
nation's 25,000 apiaries inspected each year, the contract to inspect 1050
apiaries will mean that MAF personnel will be responsible for 42% of the
total.  Branches, through diseaseathons, will be responsible for the other
58% (1450 apiaries).  The contract also specifies a range of other MAF
servic es which will be performed, including supervision of temporary
inspectors, diseaseathon services, disease control education, and beekeeper
counselling.  The contract will be funded by a 41 cent per hive increase on
the 1993 hive levy.
 
Executive will also be drawing up a plan for future disease control
services, based on submissions to the position paper prepared by Executive
Officer Ted Roberts which was circulated to all levy payers in April.  The
plan will likely include provisions for the use of the more cost-effective
adult bee AFB test developed by Dr. Mark Goodwin and his team at Ruakura.
The plan will form the basis for subsequent contracts with MAF Quality
Management after the 1992-93 production year.
 
HEARD AT CONFERENCE
 
"There must be a limit to how much you can increase queen weights;
otherwise we'll produce queens the size of rats."  (From the audience) "Oh
well, there goes the bee space!"
 
"I'd suggest through the president that you tell the meeting what you're
telling the meeting."
 
"If you're sitting on the fence you have to be careful what type of fence
you're sitting on."
 
"Mr. President, can I say any more?  Mind you, I don't think I know any
more."
 
AFB TEST MAY REDUCE COSTS
 
We mentioned in Buzzwords 43 that a lab course will soon be offered around
the country showing beekeepers how they can carry out AFB tests on adult
bees.  The test is a major breakthrough in AFB control because it allows
beekeepers for the first time to detect potential AFB infections in their
hives before there are any visual signs of the disease.
 
Dr. Mark Goodwin, who has used the test extensively, gave an excellent
presentation on his work at conference.  Mark and his team tested samples
of bees for the presence of AFB spores from a number of sources, including
hives from hobbyist and commercial beekeepers, feral hives, and retail
honey packs.  Interestingly, retail packs taken at random from supermarket
shelves had the highest rate of positive spore tests, at 25%.  This would
tend to indicate, according to Mark, that in at least some cases honey i s
being extracted from AFB colonies before they are destroyed.  Hobbyist
hives were second highest at 11%, while feral colonies, often blamed for
AFB outbreaks, were the lowest at 6%.  The positive testing feral colonies
also had the lowest levels of spores of the four groups.
 
Mark is quick to point out, however, that the high rate of positive spore
tests doesn't necessarily mean that beekeepers are simply failing to find
all those brown, ropy objects in their hives.  To date, inspections have
revealed visual signs of the disease in only 26% of the hives testing
positive for B. larvae spores.  The possible reasons for this discrepancy
are many, according to Mark, and include drifting bees, hygienic behaviour,
and perhaps even a physiological resistance in some bee stocks.  There is
no doubt that nurse bees can detect AFB infected larvae before they show
any visual signs of the disease, and they can clean out infected cells so
well that over 80% of the cells will rear heathy brood in the next brood
cycle.
 
The power of the adult bee test, according to Mark, is that it gives us a
chance to use a tool in our war with AFB which is more cost-effective and
efficient than simply carrying out inspections alone.  For the same cost,
samples can be analyzed from a larger number of New Zealand's hives than
are inspected currently.  The tests can then be used to more effectively
target follow-up visual inspections by inspectors and diseaseathon teams.
Beekeepers could also use the tests to determine "at risk" hiv es earl y in
the season.  If the hives are then quarantined, there is much less chance
of transferring undetected infections during normal beekeeping management.
 
A manual and lab course teaching the adult bee test has been developed
jointly between Dr. Goodwin and Cliff Van Eaton, MAF Quality Management,
Tauranga.  The course has been given a test run with two branches and a
number of conference delegates were keen to ensure that their branches had
a chance to take the course before the beginning of this season.  All
branch secretaries should soon receive a letter from Mark and Cliff giving
their branch members the opportunity to book in for the course.
 
In case you're wondering, MAF Quality Management's official policy is that
only colonies showing clinical (visual) signs of American foulbrood will be
considered to be infected for the purposes of the Apiaries Act, 1969.
Colonies will not be ordered to be destroyed based on a positive adult bee
test.
 
BEEKEEPER MP SAYS WE'RE RIGHT
 
Our association has been fortunate in recent years to be addressed by
leading members of the government cabinet.  And while their attendance
hasn't usually translated into supportive government action for our
industry, we can at least say that we've been able to make our views heard.
 
This year's conference was to be addressed by Mr. Denis Marshall, Associate
Minister of Agriculture, and the cabinet member directly involved in the
on-again, off-again negotiations over disease control funding and the
Commodity Levies Act.  Unfortunately, however, Mr. Marshall contracted an
ear infection in Australia (I told you Bondi was polluted - ed.) and was
unable to fly home to make his speech.  His place was taken by Mr. Jeff
Whittaker, local government MP, and a man not unfamiliar with the beekeepi
ng industry.
 
Mr. Whittaker, it turns out, was for many years a hobbyist and then
part-time commercial beekeeper in Hawkes Bay.  For over ten years he owned
100 hives and dabbled in queen rearing, pollen production, and export
marketing of comb honey.  He was even asked to be an observer for Percy
Berry in 1978 when Arataki shipped barrels of crushed ling heather honey
comb overseas.  So with a history like that, there was no point trying to
say that this politician was out of touch!
 
Watched over carefully by the Minister's secretary, Mr. Whittaker began his
talk following along closely the notes prepared for Mr. Marshall.  Yes, the
government was going ahead with Australian honey imports, because "we can't
have quarantines which are really trade barriers."  And no, the government
wouldn't pay loss-of-earnings compensation to beekeepers caught up in the
Nelson EFB scare, because there was no statutory provision and "the
government couldn't be seen to set a precedent when every two weeks or so
there's a suspect case of animal disease investigated somewhere in New
Zealand."
 
The notes also included some interesting, if unintentionally embarrassing,
comments about how many of our industry's problems (AFB control programmes,
Commodity Levy, export certification) are inter-related.  What was obvious,
but not stated, was that they were all problems caused, rather than solved,
by government.
 
The fun began, however, during question time.  With the speech notes put
away, Mr. Whittaker was able to speak more as the fairly independent
National Party MP that he really is.  First he was asked, in light of the
Minister of Agriculture's decision not to allow an NBA levy using the
Commodity Levies Act (unless, of course, we get a 75% response rate from a
ballot and a 60% majority of ballot recipients in favour of the levy),
whether the government would be applying those same requirements in
deciding whether to collect its own income tax!
 
That question brought the house down, and with the mood definitely lighter,
someone asked Mr. Whittaker what his opinion was concerning honey imports
from Australia.  According to Mr. Whittaker, "I personally don't think that
honey with the potential of spreading disease should be allowed into New
Zealand.  The question is, can the minister be convinced?"  He suggested
that the decision wasn't yet set in concrete and that if the industry was
serious about its disease concerns then it should provide every me mber of
Parliament with the factual information necessary to force a change.  The
same thing should be done with the oxalic acid in 1080 issue, since it was
obvious that parliamentarians didn't know that the issue was of concern.
 
These comments were a bit of a revelation to many in the audience, and
especially to your executive.  They have been lobbying hard on both issues,
but in this case with the Associate Minister.  But before readers begin to
imagine that Mr. Whittaker's comments mark some great shift in government
policy relating to beekeeping, think again.  Remember, Mr. Whittaker is a
back-bencher, and we all know how much influence back-benchers have.
 
HEARD AT CONFERENCE (II)
 
"The old boy network in MAF doesn't work any more because most of the old
boys aren't there any more."
 
"My business is not in trouble because I was on executive.  There must be
some other reason!"
 
"I'm going to speak against your remit, but not in a nasty way."
 
"Where's Gisborne?" - the question that plagued Steve Olds of TecPak
Plastics all during conference.  It seems he must have slept through the
school geography lesson long ago where he would have learned the
fundamental difference between flying to Gisborne and flying to Hastings
for the 1992 NBA conference.
 
"There's a lot of meat in these remits."  (From the audience) "And a fair
amount of grizzle, too!"
 
MANUKA CLINICAL TRIALS SOON
 
Another very interesting presentation at this year's conference seminar was
made by Dr. Peter Molan of Waikato University.  All our readers probably
already know about Dr. Molan and his team and the fantastic work they are
doing investigating the antibiotic properties of manuka and other honeys
(see Buzzwords 38).  The seminar gave Dr. Molan the opportunity to
summarize both his work and the substantial scientific literature on the
medicinal properties of honey.
 
Honey has long been used as a wound dressing, and according to Dr. Molan,
it is probably the perfect substance for such a use.  Not only is it
antibiotic (killing almost all bacteria), it also keeps the wound from
dehydrating.  Almost all other wound dressings either keep the wound dry
(avoiding infection, but leading to scarring), or moist (avoiding the
severe effects of dehydration, but making a great medium for bacteria to
grow).
 
Honey is also better than man-made antibiotics because such antibiotics
actually slow down the rate of cell growth.  The moisture-attracting nature
of honey, on the other hand, actually pulls body fluids and nutrients to
the wound surface where they help speed skin growth and healing.
 
According to Dr. Molan, honey has got everything going for it except the
acceptance of the medical fraternity.  But the recent discoveries about a
second antibiotic substance in manuka may help to change all that.
 
All honey gives off hydrogen peroxide, a known antibiotic.  The hydrogen
peroxide is produced when the glucose in honey reacts with oxygen.  The
problem with hydrogen peroxide as an antibiotic, however, is that in large
concentrations it breaks down in the presence of a common enzyme
(catalase), producing the characteristic fizz we see when we put it on a
cut.  Honey, because it produces hydrogen peroxide slowly, at a low level,
doesn't loose it's effectiveness.  Provided honey is kept away from light,
the enzyme which breaks down the hydrogen peroxide won't even activate.
 
Dr. Molan and his students tested the hydrogen peroxide in honey on a range
of bacteria and as a control removed the hydrogen peroxide with catalase.
That's when they discovered the second antibacterial property in manuka.
While not present in all samples of manuka, some samples showed a high
level of non-peroxide inhibition over a whole range of bacteria, even at
honey dilutions of as low as 1.8%.
 
The exciting thing about the manuka discovery is that this non-peroxide
antibiotic substance works against even highly resistant bacteria such as
the MSRA bacteria which is gaining a reputation for closing down hospital
wards.  According to Dr. Molan, doctors may soon be looking back at the
last 20 years as the golden age of antibiotics.  In the near future we may
have a host of bacteria resistant to synthetic antibiotics, and the need
for naturally occurring antibiotics like the one found in bioactive manu ka
will be all that more important.
 
Manuka has been shown to be effective against Helicobater pylori, which is
now thought to be the major cause of stomach ulcers.  And this is where the
honey is finally to be tested in a clinical trial.  A large number of
patients will be given 1 tablespoon of bioactive manuka or another honey
before meal times, five times a day.  The patients will then be examined
for the reduction in H. pylori bacteria.  The trials are set to begin
around New Zealand once the Otago University Hospital ethics committee appr
oves the trial.  The trial will hopefully be funded by a grant from the
Honey Industry Trust Fund.
 
BUGLOSS SAMPLES SOUGHT
 
Dr. Molan mentioned that the one honey other than manuka that might have
the non-peroxide bioactive ingredient is vipers bugloss, also known blue
borage (Echium vulgare).  The plant grows in many parts of the country, and
is an important honey producer in parts of Central Otago and the MacKenzie
Country.
 
The only problem is that Dr. Molan has only ever tested one sample (it was
positive), and despite all his efforts has been unable to get any more.
Now there's bound to be more samples of borage honey kicking around the
South Island, especially after this year's big honey crop, so if you can
supply Dr. Molan with a sample, please help him out.  Send a 50 gm sample,
together with as much information as possible on where the honey was
produced, to Dr. Peter Molan, Department of Biological Sciences, University
of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, HAMILTON, ph (07) 856 2889
 
And by the way, a lot of people don't know that Dr. Molan's real job
actually involves teaching, supervising graduate students, and working with
the dairy industry.  Believe it or not, his work on manuka honey is just a
side-line interest, and he hasn't received any government research funds to
carry out the work.  Our whole industry should be thankful for the interest
and enthusiasm he has shown toward our main beekeeping product.  Good on
ya, Peter!  Keep up the good work!
 
MoU NEEDED ON CERTIFICATION
 
The problems facing the industry over export certification were highlighted
in the passing of Remit 13 (Waikato).  The remit seeks changes to the
proposed export certification procedures for honey products, a draft copy
of which has been prepared and circulated to beekeepers by MAF Quality
Management.
 
Many beekeepers see the requirements for conformity certification,
especially for those markets requiring AFB freedom in areas surrounding the
production area, as both unworkable and overly costly to achieve.  While
the AFB requirement is only stipulated by a handful of generally
insignificant honey importing countries (eg. France, Cyprus, Spain), the
requirement is also causing concern for exporters of live bees.  Canada,
our largest market, requires AFB freedom within 8 km of all production
apiaries for b oth queens and package bees.
 
Just as disconcerting for exporters, however, is the fact that MAF Policy,
the real government decision maker in this matter, hasn't provided MAF
Quality Management with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for carrying
out export certification for either bee products or live bees.  MAF Quality
Management no longer carries out country-to-country negotiations in
relation to export certification.  It instead only works under contract to
MAF Policy to conduct export certification.  MAF Policy sets the standards
and specifications for certification, so without MoU's for live bees and
bee products, MAF Quality Management does not have authority to certify
exports.
 
The New Zealand Queen Bee Producers Association is urgently seeking
clarification of the situation from MAF Policy.  At the same time, MAF
Quality Management will be seeking a directive from the DirectorGeneral of
Agriculture regarding export certification for the coming season.  There is
no time to lose, since queen exports are set to get under way again
sometime in September.
 
1080 ACTION ANNOUNCED
 
With 1080 possum bait poisoning continuing to plague beekeepers (see
Buzzwords 43), conference once again discussed the 1991 remits on 1080 and
possum control.  Conference unanimously passed a remit calling for
effective action on the problem.
 
At the same time, Mr. John Bassett of Te Kuiti, mover of the original
remits, announced to conference that he was beginning proceedings for a
court order to stop 1080 use in the King Country.  The Manawatu-Wanganui
Regional Council recently informed Mr. Bassett and other beekeepers that it
would this year carry out poisoning operations not just in the winter
period, but from August to February.  Mr. Bassett contends that this
renders much of the King Country unfit for beekeeping and honey production.
 
Ted Roberts, the NBA Executive Officer, is set to head a delegation of
concerned beekeepers in talks with the Regional Council during the last
week of July.  According to NBA president Dudley Ward, "this is a serious
problem for both parties and we look forward to a reasonable compromise
being reached.  Possums must be controlled and beekeepers are not opposed
to that."  What's needed, of course, is for the Animal Health Board to
sooner, rather than later, instruct Pest Control Officers to use oxalic
acid a s a bee repellant in the 1080 baits.
 
FROM THE BRANCHES
 
The Auckland branch will be holding a seminar/field day on Sunday, August
9, at 24 Andromeda Crescent, East Tamaki (next to Ceracell), beginning with
a barbecue lunch at 12 noon.  The programme includes Trevor Cullen of
Ceracell on wax processing, Dr. Mark Goodwin on adult bee testing for AFB,
and Mr. Brian Sherriff (of bee gear fame) with one of his very entertaining
talks on international beekeeping.  This is a chance for both hobbyist and
commercial beekeepers to hear some very interesting and informativ e
speakers, so make sure you attend.  The next Auckland branch meeting will
be on August 20, at 7.30 pm at the Anglican Church Hall, Coles Crescent,
Papakura.  Topic will be the conference report.
 
The Marlborough branch will be having a St. Bartholomews (patron saint of
beekeeping - ed.) and post-conference get together at the Jenkin's
residence, Old Renwick Rd., Blenheim, on Saturday, August 22, beginning at
7.30 pm.   Bring a plate and some mead (BYOG will do!)
 
The Waikato branch will be holding its post-conference meeting on Friday,
August 7, at 10 am, at the Homestead's Green Room, Ruakura Agriculture
Centre, Hamilton.
 
ON THE MOVE
 
The head office of the National Beekeepers Association has now moved to
Walsh Wrightson Tower, 94-96 Dixon Street, Wellington.  Their new numbers
are 04-385-4229 (phone) and 04-385-8522 (fax).  The Post Office box (4048)
remains unchanged.
 
Stephen Ogden, MAF's South Island Apiculture Services Manager, has changed
premises at MAF Lincoln.  He can now be found across the street in the
Animal Health Lab.  As from 1 August his new numbers will be:
 
phone   (03) 325-3900
fax     (03) 325-3919
 
The mailing address remains the same - PO Box 24, Lincoln.
 
 
Nick Wallingford
Voice     64 7 544 0920 ext 6848    Home  64 7 578 1422
Fax       64 7 544 2386
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