News & Events

Beekeepers urged to adopt Biosecurity Code of Practice

01/08/2018 – 2:40 pm Beekeepers nationally, commercial and hobby, are being urged to adopt the Australian Honey Bee Industry Biosecurity Code of Practice to keep their bees healthy and to safeguard honey bee and pollination dependent industries. Honey production is worth more than $100 million annually, along with sales of beeswax, queen and packaged bees. This is dwarfed by […] Read more

Port surveillance system targets exotic bee pests

17/07/2018 – 1:09 pm Australia has one of the strongest honey bee surveillance program in the world, with 170 closely monitored beehives at 32 ports across Australia providing an early warning system for exotic bee pests and diseases. In the wake of a recent varroa mite detection in an incoming ship to the Port of Melbourne there is a […] Read more

Help us stop varroa mite in its tracks

09/07/2018 – 4:07 pm Agriculture Victoria is urging anyone with unregistered or feral bee hives within a surveillance zone around the Port of Melbourne to contact them. The surveillance zone was established following a detection of varroa mite at the Port last week. Acting Chief Plant Health Officer Nigel Ainsworth said Agriculture Victoria is currently undertaking precautionary surveillance of […] Read more

Science throws honey researchers a curve ball on hunt for bioactivity secrets

30/05/2018 – 12:33 pm A research project screening Western Australian honey for bioactivity traits that could support health products is uncovering some surprising results. As part of an AgriFutures™ Honey Bee and Pollination Program supported project, researchers from the University of Western Australia, together with the Cooperative Research Centre for Honey Bee Products, are analysing honeys that are native […] Read more

Wet summer could deliver multi-million dollar bee hive loss

30/04/2018 – 4:39 pm Apiarists are on high alert following a surge in small hive beetle populations due to dry spring conditions and a wet, humid end to summer. First detected in Australia in 2002, small hive beetle (SHB) is now the largest and leading apiary pest in warm, moist locations of eastern Australia. The pest feeds on bee […] Read more