Beekeeping in Australia

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Beekeeping at Curlwaa Public School, c. 1940 Curlwaa Public School - beekeeping, searching for Queen cells. The swarm can be seen in the left foreground.jpg
Beekeeping at Curlwaa Public School, c. 1940

Beekeeping in Australia is a commercial industry with around 25,000 registered beekeepers owning over 670,000 hives in 2018. [1] Most are found in the eastern states of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania as well as the south-west of Western Australia.

Contents

Beekeepers or apiarists, and their bees, produce honey, beeswax, package bees, queen bee pollen and royal jelly. They also provide pollination services for fruit trees and a variety of ground crops. These pollination services to agriculture are valued at between A$8–19 billion a year. [2] The approximately 30,000 tonnes (66 million pounds ) of honey produced each year is worth around $90 million.

Australia is the fourth largest honey exporting nation after China, Argentina and Mexico. [3] The high quality and unique flavours of Australian honey allows exporters to charge a premium price.

Urban bee hives, Avalon Beach NSW Bee hives on urban garage roof Avalon Beach NSW.jpg
Urban bee hives, Avalon Beach NSW

There are also beekeeping hobbyists in Australia who produce honey for home consumption or to be made into products, such as mead. A few are involved in domesticating native bees.

Scientist examining bees near Young, New South Wales CSIRO ScienceImage 6997 Dr Denis Anderson of CSIRO Entomology examining bees in a hive at a cherry farm near Young New South Wales.jpg
Scientist examining bees near Young, New South Wales

Each of the states and the territories have the responsibility to guide and police the beekeeping industry (including amateur beekeepers) within their own borders. However, the Federal Government has overall jurisdiction over biosecurity and it uses this power to enforce by law some beekeeping requirements under the Biosecurity Code of Practice. [4]

Pre-1788

Aboriginal Australians have consumed honey from native bees, such as the sugarbag bee, since before European settlement. [5] There are 1,600 described species of native bees in Australia. [6] Some fifteen of these are social species while the others are solitary bees that live alone. Most native bees are either stingless or their stings are not generally dangerous to humans. However, native bees generally don't produce large amounts of honey. [7]

Introduction of European bees

The ship Isabella at sea The Ship Isabella at Sea.jpg
The ship Isabella at sea

The first imported honey bees to be successfully acclimatized in Australia were brought in seven hives aboard the convict transport ship Isabella that reached Sydney in March 1822. [8] [9] The first honey bees brought to Tasmania came with surgeon-superintendent Thomas Braidwood Wilson on the convict transport John that reached Hobart on 28 January 1831. [10] [11]

Later, other species were introduced from Italy, Yugoslavia, and North America. [12] The milder climate in Australia means less honey has to be left in the hive to feed the bees through winter compared to Europe and North America.

Bee-farming develops

Clara Southern, "An old bee farm," c. 1900, Warrandyte, Victoria (National Gallery of Victoria) Old Bee Farm - Clara Southern.JPG
Clara Southern, “An old bee farm,” c. 1900, Warrandyte, Victoria (National Gallery of Victoria)

19th-century

Australian farmers wishing to diversify and develop additional sources of income in the nineteenth century sometimes turned to bee-keeping as a side-line. [13] A row of gin cases on a rural property was a sign that bee-farming was in progress as they were frequently reused as bee hives. Bee-keeping remained largely a part-time activity for farmers and people living on the outskirts of towns and cities until dedicated full-time beekeepers began to emerge.

The export of honey may have started in 1845 when an experimental shipment of honey and honeycomb was shipped from New South Wales to Britain in wooden casks. [14] In 1895, 92.7 tonnes (204,435 lb) of honey was exported from Victoria alone. [15] Some 90% of that went to the United Kingdom.

The British author Anthony Trollope (1815–1882) visited Australia in 1871 and commented on the popularity of honey as a favourite food. [16]

The wild bee of the country is not nearly so common as the much more generous and busier bee from Europe,– with which the bush many miles from the coast is already so plentifully filled that honey is a customary delicacy with all the settlers.

The Langstroth hive was in use by 1872. [17] It led to greater honey production and less disease in hives. The smoker developed by Moses Quinby to pacify bees was known by at least 1895. [18]

The South Australian Beekeepers Society was established in 1884 and a beekeeper’s association was active in Victoria in the same year. [19] [20] The Queensland Beekeeper’s Association was meeting by 1886. [21] The Victorian Apiarists Association started in 1900. [22]

20th-century

Tasmanian Leatherwood (Eucryphia Lucida) trees provide a popular type of Australian honey Eucryphia lucida Leatherwood in flower.jpg
Tasmanian Leatherwood (Eucryphia Lucida) trees provide a popular type of Australian honey

In February 1903, Victorian bee-farmer Thomas Bolton (1863–1928) questioned the wisdom of clearing the forest in the Dunkeld area of the Western District. He said the blossom from the trees was annually converted by bees into honey worth £150 per 260 hectares (1 square mile) of forest. The land was being cleared to create grazing pastures for sheep which he claimed annually returned just £80 per 260 hectares (1 square mile). [23] Bolton sent a test shipment of honey to China early in the 20th century. He reported, “The ships company thought so highly of his honey that empty cases were they only part of the consignment left when the ship reached port.” [24]

In 1921–22, Australia produced 3,343.3 tonnes (7,370,790 lb) of honey. [25] Honey exports that year were worth £A  84,417. Beeswax was also exported.

Drawbacks to beekeeping in Australia include bushfires, frequent droughts and the tendency for beeswax to melt in very hot conditions. The distance from export markets is another issue. So too is the use of pesticides in agriculture.

The production of honey and bees-wax fluctuates greatly and is determined by the flow of nectar from flora, particularly from the eucalypts, which varies from year to year. Production in 1948–49 was 24,131.1 tonnes (53.2 million pounds), a record high. The average returns from productive hives in 1958–59 was 47 kilograms (103 lb) of honey per hive and the average quantity of wax was 590 grams (1.3 lb) per productive hive. [26] Australia had 451,000 hives in 1958–59 of which 315,000 were regarded as productive. Total production during that period from all hives was 14,735.9 tonnes (32.487 million pounds) with a gross value of £1,803,000. The amount of bees wax produced in 1958–59 was 189.1 tonnes (417 thousand pounds) worth £105,000. [27]

Victoria has long been one of the main honey producing states. In 1971, there were 1,278 registered beekeepers in the state with 103,454 hives that produced 4,447.0 tonnes (9.804 million pounds) of honey worth $984,000, plus 54.4 tonnes (120 thousand pounds) of beeswax valued at $68,000. [28]

21st-century

About 70% of Australian honey comes from nectar from native plants. Demand for pollination services for almonds and other crops is growing. Bee-brokers co-ordinate bee-keepers to provide pollination services for such crops.

The species most commonly used for beekeeping in Australia is the western honey bee (Apis mellifera). Most commercial beekeepers have between 400 and 800 hives, but some large operators have up to 10,000. [29]

The Australian Manuka Honey Association (AMHA), has established a set of standards for authentic Australian Manuka honey. Honey that carries the AMHA’s Mark of Authenticity must be pure, natural Manuka honey, produced entirely in Australia, and be tested by an independent, approved laboratory to ensure it meets minimum standards of naturally occurring methylglyoxal (MGO), dihydroxyacetone (DHA), and leptosperin. [30]

Australia produces 25,000 to 30,000 tonnes (55 to 66 million pounds) of honey annually. [31] Some is monofloral honey from a single flowering species while other honey is produced from multiple types of flowering plants. Popular types of honey include leatherwood, blue gum, yellow box and karri, each named after the trees that produce the pollen and nectar gathered by the bees. The purity, taste and variety of Australian honey makes it popular in Asia and elsewhere.

The locally invented flow hive for hobbyist and small scale beekeepers was launched in 2015.

The stingless native bee species Tetragonula carbonaria , Tetragonula hockingsi and Austroplebeia have been domesticated on a small scale for their honey. [32] [33]

Bushfires in the summer of 2019–20 caused massive losses of commercial honey bees, feral bees, native bees and other nectar-loving insects. Together they normally contribute about $14 billion to the Australian economy via the pollination of agricultural and broad-acre crops. [34] Canola and almonds are particularly dependant on honey bees. The fires also devastated some of the best nectar producing forests where bees forage. The reduced honey bee population is expected to take between three and twenty years to recover.

The Australian honeybee industry biosecurity code of practice requires beekeepers to inspect their hives at least twice a year and to keep accurate records. Hives must be inspected for the presence of pests and diseases and for hive strength, the inspection to include at least three full-depth brood frames in each hive. [35]

Diseases and parasites

Foul brood

In New South Wales in 1889 The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser uses a leaflet from the Beekeepers' Association of South Australia to outline how to recognise American foul brood (caused by Bacillus alvei ) in a hive and how to treat it. [36] In South Australia, by 1891 an article in the South Australian Chronicle indicates that there was already an act in that state to attempt to control the spread of American foul brood. [37]

Small hive beetle

The small hive beetle was detected in Australia by 2003. [38]

Varroa Mite

The Varroa destructor mite is a parasite that has caused significant deaths of colonies throughout the world, forcing beekeepers to treat their hives to keep the mites and their associated virus in check. In June of 2022 the parasite was detected near the port of Newcastle, authorities are attempting to contain and eradicate the mite. [39] However containment efforts appear to be failing, in part due to beekeepers moving their hives from the "red eradication zone" to the "surveillance, or purple zone". It is now believed that the port of Newcastle was not the point of entry, and that varroa had been in the country before detection. To date (the end of 2022) 103 hives have been detected with infestation, with over 17,000 being destroyed including 250 colonies at the world class bee research facility at Tocal Agricultural College, however 48 high value queen bees from Plan Bee, the National Honey Bee Genetic Improvement Program, were able to be securely removed and re-homed. [40] [41] In light of the large numbers of hives being destroyed with over 99% of them being varroa free, resulting in the destruction of hobbies, businesses and breeding projects, opposition is beginning to be voiced against the government policy of eradication, with calls for management of varroa instead, like elsewhere in the world. A petition supporting this alternative policy has amassed nearly 25,000 signatures. [42] [43]

Noted beekeepers

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bee</span> Clade of insects

Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea. They are currently considered a clade, called Anthophila. There are over 20,000 known species of bees in seven recognized biological families. Some species – including honey bees, bumblebees, and stingless bees – live socially in colonies while most species (>90%) – including mason bees, carpenter bees, leafcutter bees, and sweat bees – are solitary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beehive</span> Structure housing a honey bee colony

A beehive is an enclosed structure in which some honey bee species of the subgenus Apis live and raise their young. Though the word beehive is used to describe the nest of any bee colony, scientific and professional literature distinguishes nest from hive. Nest is used to discuss colonies that house themselves in natural or artificial cavities or are hanging and exposed. The term hive is used to describe an artificial/man-made structure to house a honey bee nest. Several species of Apis live in colonies. But for honey production, the western honey bee and the eastern honey bee are the main species kept in hives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beekeeper</span> Person who keeps honey bees

A beekeeper is a person who keeps honey bees, a profession known as beekeeping.

Beekeeping is the maintenance of bee colonies, commonly in man-made beehives. Honey bees in the genus Apis are the most commonly kept species but other honey producing bees such as Melipona stingless bees are also kept. Beekeepers keep bees to collect honey and other products of the hive: beeswax, propolis, bee pollen, and royal jelly. Other sources of beekeeping income include pollination of crops, raising queens, and production of package bees for sale. Bee hives are kept in an apiary or "bee yard".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apiary</span> Place containing beehives of honey bees

An apiary is a location where beehives of honey bees are kept. Apiaries come in many sizes and can be rural or urban depending on the honey production operation. Furthermore, an apiary may refer to a hobbyist's hives or those used for commercial or educational usage. It can also be a wall-less, roofed structure, similar to a gazebo which houses hives, or an enclosed structure with an opening that directs the flight path of the bees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Langstroth hive</span> Vertically modular beehive with hung brood and honey frames

In beekeeping, a Langstroth hive is any vertically modular beehive that has the key features of vertically hung frames, a bottom board with entrance for the bees, boxes containing frames for brood and honey and an inner cover and top cap to provide weather protection. In a Langstroth hive, the bees build honeycomb into frames, which can be moved with ease. The frames are designed to prevent bees from attaching honeycombs where they would either connect adjacent frames, or connect frames to the walls of the hive. The movable frames allow the beekeeper to manage the bees in a way which was formerly impossible.

<i>Varroa destructor</i> Species of mite

Varroa destructor, the Varroa mite, is an external parasitic mite that attacks and feeds on honey bees and is one of the most damaging honey bee pests in the world. A significant mite infestation leads to the death of a honey bee colony, usually in the late autumn through early spring. Without management for Varroa mite, honey bee colonies typically collapse within 2 to 3 years in temperate climates. These mites can infest Apis mellifera, the western honey bee, and Apis cerana, the Asian honey bee. Due to very similar physical characteristics, this species was thought to be the closely related Varroa jacobsoni prior to 2000, but they were found to be two separate species after DNA analysis.

Hive management in beekeeping refers to intervention techniques that a beekeeper may perform to ensure hive survival and to maximize hive production. Hive management techniques vary widely depending on the objectives.

This page is a glossary of beekeeping.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stingless bee</span> Bee tribe, reduced stingers, strong bites

Stingless bees (SB), sometimes called stingless honey bees or simply meliponines, are a large group of bees (from about 462 to 552 described species), comprising the tribe Meliponini (or subtribe Meliponina according to other authors). They belong in the family Apidae (subfamily Apinae), and are closely related to common honey bees (HB, tribe Apini), orchid bees (tribe Euglossini), and bumblebees (tribe Bombini). These four bee tribes belong to the corbiculate bees monophyletic group. Meliponines have stingers, but they are highly reduced and cannot be used for defense, though these bees exhibit other defensive behaviors and mechanisms. Meliponines are not the only type of bee incapable of stinging: all male bees and many female bees of several other families, such as Andrenidae and Megachilidae (tribe Dioxyini), also cannot sting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western honey bee</span> European honey bee

The western honey bee or European honey bee is the most common of the 7–12 species of honey bees worldwide. The genus name Apis is Latin for "bee", and mellifera is the Latin for "honey-bearing" or "honey carrying", referring to the species' production of honey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beekeeping in the United States</span> Commercial beekeeping in the United States

Commercial Beekeeping in the United States dates back to the 1860s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beekeeping in New Zealand</span>

Beekeeping in New Zealand is reported to have commenced in 1839 with the importing of two skep hives by Mary Bumby, a missionary. It has since become an established industry as well a hobby activity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colony collapse disorder</span> Aspect of apiculture

Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is an abnormal phenomenon that occurs when the majority of worker bees in a honey bee colony disappear, leaving behind a queen, plenty of food, and a few nurse bees to care for the remaining immature bees. While such disappearances have occurred sporadically throughout the history of apiculture, and have been known by various names, the syndrome was renamed colony collapse disorder in early 2007 in conjunction with a drastic rise in reports of disappearances of western honey bee colonies in North America. Beekeepers in most European countries had observed a similar phenomenon since 1998, especially in Southern and Western Europe; the Northern Ireland Assembly received reports of a decline greater than 50%. The phenomenon became more global when it affected some Asian and African countries as well. From 1990 to 2021, the United Nation’s FAO calculated that the worldwide number of honeybee colonies increased 47%, reaching 102 million.

<i>Tetragonula carbonaria</i> Species of bee

Tetragonula carbonaria is a stingless bee, endemic to the north-east coast of Australia. Its common name is sugarbag bee. They are also occasionally referred to as bush bees. The bee is known to pollinate orchid species, such as Dendrobium lichenastrum, D. toressae, and D. speciosum. It has been identified as an insect that collects pollen from the cycad Cycas media. They are also known for their small body size, reduced wing venation, and highly developed social structure comparable to honey bees.

Beekeeping is first recorded in Ireland in the seventh century. It has seen a surge in popularity in modern times, with the membership of beekeeping associations exceeding 4,500. The median average number of hives per beekeeper is three hives, while the average honey output per hive is 11.4 kg. The growth in the practice has occurred despite increased pressures on bees and beekeepers due to parasites, diseases and habitat loss.

Beekeeping in the United Kingdom is the maintenance of bee colonies by humans within the United Kingdom. It is a significant commercial activity that provides those involved with honey, beeswax, royal jelly, queen bees, propolis, flower pollen and bee pollen. Honeybees also provide pollination services to orchards and a variety of seed crops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wax foundation</span>

Wax foundation or honeycomb base is a plate made of wax forming the base of one honeycomb. It is used in beekeeping to give the bees a foundation on which they can build the honeycomb. Wax foundation is considered one of the most important inventions in modern beekeeping.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beekeeping in India</span> Project

Beekeeping in India has been mentioned in ancient Vedas and Buddhist scriptures. Rock paintings of Mesolithic era found in Madhya Pradesh depict honey collection activities. Scientific methods of beekeeping, however, started only in the late 19th century, although records of taming honeybees and using in warfare are seen in the early 19th century. After Indian independence, beekeeping was promoted through various rural developmental programs. Five species of bees that are commercially important for natural honey and beeswax production are found in India.

Honey bee starvation is a problem for bees and beekeepers. Starvation may be caused by unfavorable weather, disease, long distance transportation or depleting food reserve. Over-harvesting of honey is the foremost cause for scarcity as bees are not left with enough of a honey store, though weather, disease, and disturbance can also cause problems. Backyard beekeepers face more colony losses in the winter than in the summer, but for commercial beekeepers there is not much variation in loss by season. Starvation may be avoided by effective monitoring of hives and disease prevention measures. Starvation can amplify the toxic effect of pesticides bees are exposed to.

References

  1. ↑ Frost, Liz (28 March 2019). "670,000+ registered honey bee hives in Australia". ExtensionAUS. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  2. ↑ Australian Honey Bee Industry Council, Monthly News, March 2018, honeybee.org.au
  3. ↑ vff.org.au
  4. ↑ The Australian Honey Bee Industry Biosecurity Code of Practice (PDF). 1. Deakin, ACT: Plant Health Australia. July 2016.
  5. ↑ Aussie Bee website Australian Stingless Bees Retrieved May 13, 2016
  6. ↑ Owen, p.228
  7. ↑ Aussie Bee website Common Questions about Australian Native Bees Retrieved May 13, 2016
  8. ↑ Cumpston, J.S., (1977), Shipping arrivals & departures Sydney, 1788-1825, Canberra, Roebuck, p.132. ISBN   0909434158
  9. ↑ "Sydney Gazette". 12 April 1822. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  10. ↑ Nicholson, Ian Hawkins (1983), Shipping arrivals and departures Tasmania Vol 1, 1803-1833, Canberra, Roebuck, p.180. ISBN   0909434220
  11. ↑ The Hobart Town Courier, 10 August 1832, p.2
  12. ↑ Honeybee.org.au "The Wonderful Story of Australian Honey" Retrieved May 13, 2016
  13. ↑ Peel, Lynette (1974), Rural industry in the Port Phillip Region 1835-1880, Melbourne University Press, p.117. ISBN   0522840647
  14. ↑ “The Honey Trade,” Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, 29 August 1846, p.2
  15. ↑ The Government Handbook of Victoria. Melbourne: Government Printer. 1898. p. 118.
  16. ↑ Trollope, Anthony (1873), Australia and New Zealand, London, Tapman and Hall, p.190
  17. ↑ Carroll, J. (7 December 1872). "The Honey Bee - improved hives". The Queenslander. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  18. ↑ “The Beehive - Smoke in Bee Management,” Adelaide Observer, 9 November 1895, p.5.
  19. ↑ The South Australian Advertiser, 3 October 1884, p.9
  20. ↑ Leader, 13 December 1884, p.13.
  21. ↑ Brisbane Courier, 13 September 1886, p.1
  22. ↑ Bolton (1976), p.296
  23. ↑ "The Beekeper - Forest Destruction," The Australasian (Melbourne), 21 February 1903, p.10
  24. ↑ Bolton (1976), p.299
  25. ↑ The Illustrated Australian Encyclopaedia, vol 1, (1925) Sydney, Angus & Robertson, p.148
  26. ↑ Official year book of the Commonwealth of Australia, No.46, 1960, Canberra, Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics, p.1,001
  27. ↑ Commonwealth year book, 1960, p.1,002
  28. ↑ Victorian year book 1973, No.87, Melbourne, Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics, Victorian Office, p.902. ISBN   0642952965
  29. ↑ agrifutures.com.au, accessed 17 September 2019
  30. ↑ "Australian Manuka Honey Association - Our Quality Standards". Australian Manuka Honey Association. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  31. ↑ agrifutures.com.au, accessed 16 September 2019
  32. ↑ Halcroft, Megan T.; et al. (2013). "The Australian Stingless Bee Industry: A Follow-up Survey, One Decade on". Journal of Apicultural Research. 52 (2): 1–7. doi:10.3896/ibra.1.52.2.01. S2CID   86326633.
  33. ↑ Owen, pp.228-9
  34. ↑ “Croppers to feel the yield sting from devastating bee losses,” The Land, 5 March 2020
  35. ↑ Chapman, Nadine. "Hive inspections". extensionaus.com.au. New South Wales Department of Primary Industries. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  36. ↑ "Foul Brood" The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1871 - 1912) Sat 14 Dec 1889 Page 1305. Trove: National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 March 2019
  37. ↑ "Foul Brood in Bees Deputation to the Commissioner of Crown Lands" South Australian Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1895) Sat 18 Apr 1891 Page 13. Trove: National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 March 2019
  38. ↑ Harman, Alan, “Small hive beetle in Australia,” Bee Culture, 131 (1) January 2003, p.59
  39. ↑ Paulina Vidal, Alexandra Jones and Ursula Malone. "Emergency orders in place across NSW to protect bee industry from deadly varroa mite parasite". abc.net.au. ABC NEWS. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  40. ↑ Bridget Murphy. "Varroa mite detection in Hunter Valley raises questions about origin of deadly bee parasite". abc.net.au. ABC News. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  41. ↑ Kim Honan and Joshua Becker. "Varroa mite detection forces the destruction of research hives in NSW's Hunter region". abc.net.au. ABC News. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  42. ↑ Keely Johnson. "Beekeeper calls on NSW government to stop destroying hives to control varroa mite". abc.net.au. ABC News. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  43. ↑ David Claughton. "NSW queen bee breeders struggle with varroa mite control measures". abc.net.au. ABC News. Retrieved 27 December 2022.

Other published sources

New South Wales Department of Primary Industries
Northern Territory Department of Agriculture
Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
South Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regions
Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania
Agriculture Victoria, Honey Bees
Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
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