2018 Bee Health Survey results

The Bee Health Survey 2018 was designed to provide a snapshot of bee health in the Australian honey bee industry, focusing on issues such as pests and diseases and pollination.

The survey examined the level of biosecurity awareness amongst Australian beekeepers, including knowledge of pest and disease symptoms, and the Australian Honey Bee Industry Biosecurity Code of Practice.

The survey was open for eight weeks between 2 November and 31 December 2018. The survey had 3927 participants representing ~15% of Australian beekeepers. Of these participants ~6% were defined being commercial beekeepers (50 or more hives) with ~94% being hobby beekeepers (less than 50 hives).

The results will help to decide where education and awareness activities are needed to keep Australia’s bees as healthy as they can be.


Survey highlights

2018 Bee Health Survey – video 1

2018 Bee Health Survey – video 2

2018 Bee Health Survey – video 3


Acknowledgement: The survey was supported by funding from AgriFutures Australia as part of the AgriFutures™ Honey Bee and Pollination Program as part of the project (PRJ-010226): ‘Improving Biosecurity Resources and Better Understanding Bee Health in Australia’ and delivered by Plant Health Australia.