Extracting honey from hives had the Bulahdelah Bee Club buzzing with activity at their final meeting for year recently held at the Men’s Shed.

Member Gary Haynes demonstrated how to remove honey from hive frames and deposit it into a manual centrifugal extractor.

The 20 bee enthusiasts in attendance assisted with drawing honey from the frames and each person received a jar of honey extracted from the hive.

Mr Haynes said spring and early summer are the best times for honey.

“All the coast beekeepers start to collect their honey when the spring flowers and different species of eucalypts come out,” he said.

“We do have honey in autumn, but quality-wise in this area the honey that’s coming now is the best quality that you can get.”

The evening concluded with an auction of beekeeping equipment which was made by members of the Men’s Shed including a hive box complete with frames and an electric embedder board.

Men’s Shed member John Renfrew thanked the Bee Club for their ongoing support and acknowledged Gary Haynes and Chris Harvey for their commitment to the hive and care of the bees.

Mr Haynes said interest in the club has grown during the year with the addition of many new members keen to learn about all aspects of beekeeping.

By Daniel SAHYOUN.