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Bee on apple blossoms

Bee on apple blossoms. Photo: Apple and Pear Australia, www.apal.org.au

There are big benefits to be had from honey bee pollination, according to Plant Health Australia (PHA), and the best way to find out how is to check the crop-specific information on the BeeAware website and keep up-to-date by signing up for the monthly e-newsletter.

BeeAware is a hub of information for growers and beekeepers about honey bee biosecurity and pollination of a variety of horticultural and agricultural crops.

The BeeAware newsletter helps beekeepers and growers get the latest news and information about beekeeping and pollination. Subscribe before 3 July 2015 and you will go into the draw to win a range of honey bee and pollination manuals and publications.

According to PHA’s honey bee specialist, Sam Malfroy, BeeAware provides all of the information that growers need to know about pollination:  how it works, use of pesticides, pollination agreements, how to prepare for Varroa mite and how to promote a healthy pollinator ecosystem in a farm or orchard.

“It’s also a great place to learn more about honey bees, their biology, and the pests and diseases which affect them,” Mr Malfroy said.

A wide variety of crops including almonds, passionfruit, apples and pears, berries, cherries, stonefruit, melons, avocados and some vegetables are known to benefit from pollination by honey bees.

Broadacre crops such as faba beans, sunflowers and canola also receive major benefits from honey bee pollination.

BeeAware explains exactly how growers can gain maximum benefit from these helpful insects and receive valuable yield and quality improvements in the produce that they grow.

“Each crop has a page of its own,” added Mr Malfroy, “which details the pollination requirements of the crop as well as giving useful links and fact sheets from Australia and around the world.”

BooksHoney bee and pollination books up for grabs

StampSubscribers who sign up to the BeeAware newsletter before 3 July go into the draw to win a copy of the highly sought after Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation publications which cover major areas such as honey bee biology, pests and diseases and crop pollination in Australia.

“These books are a must-have resource for any beekeeper or grower in Australia,” Mr Malfroy said.

The site was developed by a partnership between the Australian Government, the honey bee industry and pollinator-reliant industries through the Pollination Program which is managed by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation and Horticulture Innovation Australia.

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