Latest news with #beekeeping
ABC News
10 hours ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Beekeepers' convoy of WA hives to help South Australia's almond growers
About 600 West Australian beehives are being loaded on trucks ready to head to South Australia to assist almond growers facing drought and a critical shortage of bees. The Bee Industry Council of Western Australia decided to set up the convoy after being approached for help to keep almond growers across the border in production. Almond trees depend heavily on honey bees for pollination, and without enough hives during their brief blooming period, the growers risk substantial yield losses. The hives were formally purchased by SA growers keen to boost local bee populations, with the new convoy set to follow 80 truckloads of WA hay recently sent across the border. Bee Industry Council WA director Brendon Fewster said producers in Western Australia were quick to come to the rescue. As well as being in drought, SA producers have been cut off from their usual east coast suppliers who are dealing with varroa mite outbreaks. "Seasonal conditions have been the main factor for them, but almond pollination usually requires bees coming in from the east coast, which, at the moment, there [are strict measures] in place because of varroa mite," Mr Fewster said. Beekeepers from across WA have delivered the hives to a property near Bindoon, 75 kilometres north of Perth. Ensuring full hives are ready for pollination can take months of careful preparation. He said the bees were expected to be transported via road train later this week, but sending bees across the Nullarbor came with its challenges. "The thing with bees is you can't leave them on the truck for very long. You want to get them on and off there as quickly as you can," he said. "They need around 2,000 beehives, but we are transporting around 600, so hopefully this will get some bees into their orchards." Mr Fewster said once the almond pollination season was over in South Australia, bees could not be returned west due to strict biosecurity protocols. Mr Fewster, a longtime beekeeper from the Gingin area, said the most recent season had also been one of the most challenging he could recall in Western Australia. "We've had a lot of long, dry summers. The trees and bush are struggling," he said. But despite the challenges, the director of the council did not rule out the cross-border collaboration becoming ongoing. "We've been in contact with the almond growers over there, and it looks like this could become something that WA supports ongoing," Mr Fewster said. "We've done it in such short notice, with only with about 10 days notice for our beekeepers. "Next time, if we can organise ourselves earlier, I'm sure we could do it again with more bees going into South Australia."
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Science
- South China Morning Post
As US beekeepers lose over half their colonies, experts fear for the future
Sweat covers Isaac Barnes's face under his beekeeper's veil as he hauls boxes of honeycomb from his hives to his truck. It is a workout in what feels like a sauna as the late-morning June temperature rises. Barnes was hot, but his bees were even hotter. Their body temperature can be up to 15 degrees Celsius higher than the air around them. As global temperatures rise under climate change, scientists are trying to better understand the effects on managed and wild bees as they pollinate crops, gather nectar, make honey and reproduce. They noticed that flying bees gathering nectar avoided overheating on the hottest days by using fewer but harder wing beats, according to a study published last year. Scientists also say that bees – like people – may cope by retreating to a cooler environment, such as the shade or their nest. 'Just like we go into the shade, or we sweat or we might work less hard, bees actually do the exact same thing so they can avoid the heat,' said Jon Harrison, an environmental physiologist at Arizona State University in the US and one of the study's authors.
RNZ News
4 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Country Life: Sweet success for Coromandel couple's organic honey
The hives are scattered across farmland, orchards and other areas in parts of the northern Coromandel peninsula Photo: Supplied A honey shed on a hill is buzzing with the sound of honey flowing into jars as the bees take a hard-earned rest from honey-making. Country Life meets Shayne and Elizabeth Mackenzie whose organic honey is produced from hives scattered over remote parts of the northern Coromandel Peninsula. Shayne Mackenzie has just wrapped up queen rearing for the season - a tricky job, but one that's vital to keep his organic honey operation humming in the far reaches of the Coromandel Peninsula. "Timing's everything. Big, long, sunny days is what you want when those queens come out." To keep moving ahead and to deal with all the stresses on hives these days, healthy queens for the next season are crucial, he said. Shayne rears queen bees to replace older queens in order to keep colony numbers up and maximise honey flow. He uses a grafting technique to collect and place the correct size larvae into special queen cell cups. Photo: Supplied "Often the queen will fail at a bad time, and then you'll end up with a drone-laying hive [...] pretty much it's a death sentence for them. "There's a whole lot of male bees just stuck in the cells, really, because if they get too weak and there's not enough help to get out, that's what happens." Follow Country Life on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , iHeart or wherever you get your podcasts. Pouring and packing honey Photo: RNZ/Sally Round It was early autumn when Country Life dropped into the Mackenzies' honey shed not far from Colville, and with the honey harvest and queen-rearing over, there was still plenty to do. Shayne and his wife and business partner Elizabeth were filling jars and packing them into boxes stamped with the Woodland's Organic Honey label, to be sent off to honey-lovers in New Zealand, Europe and Asia. This year the couple won another two gold medals and one silver at the Outstanding Food Producer Awards for their multifloral and mānuka honey varieties, and they have lately launched their rewarewa and kānuka labels. Woodland's organic honey is exported to Europe and Asia as well as sold online and in New Zealand Photo: RNZ/Sally Round Woodland's honey range includes kānuka and mānuka varieties Photo: Supplied The Mackenzies are one of New Zealand's few organic honey producers who must meet a multitude of requirements to ensure certified organic status. Shayne and his small team of beekeepers travel around northern parts of the Coromandel to tend the hives scattered over farmland, orchards and land owned by communities, ensuring distance from spraying, regular testing and also ensuring hives aren't taken out of the area, all subject to audit. "You have to be a long way from any heavy agriculture or even a large town. "Leaving honey on the hives, it's part of the gig, you know, we have to leave food for the bees. That's a big deal." Shayne started in the bee business as a teenager on summer jobs, eventually taking on the company which started out with one truck, and "some pretty old equipment." "It's pretty much 30 years since I first went out with Don Sutherland harvesting, who was the original owner of the bees around here. "He had some quite vicious bees and I was quite young, and it didn't really go that well getting stung. I swelled up pretty bad. "I'd like to think we've tamed the bees a little bit by breeding some slightly kinder ones," he said, laughing. Woodland's Organic Honey beekeepers in the field Photo: Supplied The landscape has changed too. The Mackenzies are contributing to the diminishing gorse, which the bees have a taste for, planting 1500 mainly mānuka trees. Elizabeth met Shayne while working as a shepherd near Port Jackson further north. "I've, you know, sort of taken over all the marketing, exports, sales, the books, social media. "When you own your own business, you fill all of those roles." Woodland's Organic Honey beekeepers in the field Photo: Supplied So how have the pair weathered turbulent times in the honey industry, with oversupply a particular problem in recent years? "Well, fortunately, when times were good, we didn't just buy a Ferrari," Shayne said. They have made strategic investments and adapted to market conditions. "Because I do know that the business can be up and down enormous amounts, like I used to think it could be plus or minus 60 percent but after the other year (after Cyclone Gabrielle) and we got eight percent of the crop, I guess that means you can be plus or minus 92 percent. "We just found ways to raise capital and keep going." Things are looking more positive though, Elizabeth added. "It's still going to be slow like the hive numbers have about halved in the last few years, and this year's national crop is just below average. "There has not been as much honey produced so that helps even out the supply and demand, so I guess we just have to get back to a place where there's more of a level playing field."
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Live beehive project at Heslington primary school creates buzz
A new school project is creating a real buzz. Lord Deramore's Primary School in Heslington is one of the first schools to take part in Little Bee Keepers, a fun and hands-on programme from school meals provider Mellors. The programme introduces live beehives to school grounds and aims to teach children about sustainability, biodiversity, and bees' role in the food system. Mellors team members Sarah, Nikki, and Emma helped Little Bee Keepers to take flight; and the scheme is supported by York's Minster Lions, who - acting on their core belief, "community is what we make it" - helped fund the hive and bees. Helen Smith, Year 6 teacher, said: "Our school grounds are extensive and we have been improving them during the past few years to include a hedgehog sanctuary, orchard, and allotment area. "A beehive, we feel, is the next logical project to continue our environmental work." More information is available at
ABC News
5 days ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Struggling South Australian beekeepers anxious about varroa mite risk
After struggling through drought and low prices, South Australia's beekeepers are heading into a key pollination season anxious about the potential spread of the bee-killing varroa mite. There has been little to no honey production this season in SA after drought reduced nectar and pollen availability. Hives are now moving into the state from around the country for critical pollination of crops such as almonds, with strict measures in place to prevent varroa mite from hitching a ride and adding to beekeepers' woes. Australian Honey Bee Industry Council chief executive Danny Le Feuvre said beekeepers "can't catch a break" after floods in the country's north and drought in the south hammered bee populations. "There's been some rain in SA, but where beekeepers make their honey from is from a lot of the native scrub and bush around the country, and it's very slow to react to rainfall," Mr Le Feuvre said. "Farm-gate honey prices are very low … so you add other impacts like drought, where they don't make a lot of production for the year, it's really pushing a lot of guys up against the wall. "We're seeing beekeepers stepping out of the industry. "We're seeing a lot of bunkering down to just get through this drought and hopefully come out the other side next year with a better season, but it's really tough at the moment." Heading into pollination season, the varroa threat adds to beekeepers' worries. Varroa destructor was first discovered in Australia in Newcastle in mid-2022 and has slowly spread to areas of Queensland and Victoria. It is yet to be detected in SA. Nationally, the plan is to manage the mite's spread, rather than attempt to eradicate it. Mr Le Feuvre said hives needed to be moved, but under careful management to slow varroa's spread. "Absolutely, it creates anxiety amongst beekeepers — no-one wants to get varroa mite — but we've got some good risk mitigation in place." SA Apiarist Association president Brenton Davis urged the state's beekeepers to be prepared. "The risk has never been higher, and it's pretty much inevitable that varroa would come into South Australia anytime in the near future," Mr Davis said. "I think it's up to individual beekeepers to prepare and be ready with plans, and attend the training sessions that are available, learn from people that are already doing it. "Start taking the steps now. Be as prepared as we possibly can so we can keep moving forward." Almond Board of Australia executive Tim Jackson said, despite the challenges, there were enough hives available for pollination this year. "If there's one good thing that has come out of varroa, it's that it has brought parties together to recognise that pollination shouldn't be taken for granted and that measures should be put in place to ensure that effective pollination occurs across all industries." Department of Primary Industries and Regions director of animal biosecurity Con Poulos said he understood people's concerns, but SA had strict permit conditions for bringing in hives from states where varroa was present. "We know that the risk has increased in Victoria and Queensland, but we've got some pretty strict movement restrictions in place for people applying to bring hives in from those two states this year," Mr Poulos said. "We're comfortable that they find the balance between slowing the spread of varroa as much as we can, as well as keeping pollination going for the industries that rely on it. "This season, the number of hives that we think might come in industry are telling us would be reliant on about $100 million worth of almonds, and then later on we've got lucerne and other crops that also need pollination, so it's critical to get that balance between biosecurity and keeping business afloat."
