Tocal College has been a hive of activity with its successful Foundation Day and a Beekeepers’ Field day which attracted 600 people, held within weeks of each other.
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The 37th annual Tocal Beekeepers’ Field Day attracted hobbyist and commercial bee keepers.
The event is the longest running Beekeepers’ Field Day in Australia and now the largest in NSW. It is jointly co-ordinated by the Hunter branches of the NSW Amateur Beekeepers’ Association and NSW Apiarists’ Association with support from NSW Department of Primary Industries.
Principal of Tocal College Darren Bayley said it was great to see the growing interest in beekeeping.
“Bee biosecurity, monitoring for pests and diseases of honey bees, honey quality assurance, Certificate III in Beekeeping, basic beekeeping skills, the Flow Hive, and the newly released AgGuide on Australian Native Bees were standout presentations on the day delivered by industry experts,” Mr Bayley said.
There were plenty of practical demonstrations with hives opened, bee broods inspected for disease, queen bees spotted, honey extracted, and a native stingless bee hive split.”
Mr Bayley said another successful element of the Field Day was the Industry trade show encompassing many of NSW’s beekeeping equipment suppliers.
“The Tocal Beekeepers’ Field Day has been the pinnacle of Tocal College’s ‘2016 Year of the Bees’ and plans are unfolding for a super Beekeepers’ Field Day in October 2017,” he said.
Foundation Day commemorates the establishment of the College and saw Seaham’s Margo Duncan awarded the Cameron Archer Medal for her outstanding contribution to agricultural education in Australia.
