Members, you are encouraged to read the email sent to you by the ABA on Friday, 22 September 2017. That email included communication in relation to October 2017 being AFB Awareness Month and advising Members of the availability of a
“Free AFB pack”
AFB packs are available for every Member. See below how you can secure your pack.
When you receive your pack you are expected to inspect your brood frames for AFB (and other diseases); send suspect samples for testing or notify the DPI if you discover problems and are treating any infected hives.
It is particularly important that everyone report their findings through the online ABA AFB Survey. That way a clear and comprehensive picture of the AFB problem can be determined. This helps all beekeepers, and it helps the ABA lobby on behalf of its members on important biosecurity controls in the future.
The ABA Executive Committee has invested considerable energy and resources in supplying to you the materials for AFB Awareness Month. Your support in conducting testing, sending samples and reporting the findings is crucial to the success of this initiative.
The “Free AFB pack”, in a ziploc bag, includes:
- AFB Field Guide documents:
- Prime Fact 209 (AFB diagnosis)
- Prime Fact 895 (slide preparation)
- a simplified form for sending samples to the DPI lab – stapled
- Slide Carrier
- Microscope slide
Following are the details on how to pick up your Free AFB pack:
| # | Day/Date | Contact | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunday, 1/10/2017 | P Clark | Outside the gate of JR | between 9 am–10 am |
| 2 | Sunday, 8/10/2017 | D Wilson | Outside the gate of JR | between 9 am–10 am |
| 3 | Wednesday, 11/10/2017 | D Wilson | At the Club Shop at JR | (prior to the meeting) |
| 4 | Sunday, 15/10/2017 | D Wilson | Outside the gate of JR | between 9 am–10 am |
| 5 | Sunday, 22/10/ 2017 | D Wilson | Outside the gate of JR | between 9 am–10 am |
Thank you, Robyn Alderton, Secretary, Parramatta Branch of the ABA