News & Events

Fatal attraction: taking on small hive beetles

09/02/2016 – 3:38 pm Fermenting slime isn’t exactly attractive to us, but it’s one of the many odours being tested in lures aimed at keeping small hive beetles out of bee hives as the pests start to move around over summer. Small hive beetles are estimated to cause millions of dollars in losses to beekeepers in Australia each year […] Read more

Wanted: Bee biosecurity officers

27/01/2016 – 12:08 pm Healthier hives and better beekeepers will be the end result of the appointment of new extension staff across the country, tasked with improving the management of existing bee pests and diseases, and boosting surveillance for exotic pests such as Varroa mite. The Bee Biosecurity Officers will be funded by around $400,000 of industry funds through […] Read more

Healthy bee population proves good for exports

03/11/2015 – 3:18 pm Australia’s first national survey of honey bee viruses has found we have one of the healthiest honey bee (Apis mellifera) populations in the world – a key step in re-establishing and maintaining export markets for breeding stock. The last survey was conducted almost 30 years ago and only in eastern Australia, and the significant gaps […] Read more

Beekeepers to bolster productivity with new training videos

29/10/2015 – 12:39 pm With hundreds of beekeepers starting out in the industry each year, training is vital to ensure they learn and follow best practice when it comes to the basic skills. A series of new videos is now available online and will be provided to Registered Training Organisations offering relevant courses, with all of Australia’s estimated 12,400 […] Read more

Biosecurity award finalist breeds bees keen on housekeeping

07/09/2015 – 12:42 pm Beekeeper Lindsay Bourke, who owns and runs Australian Honey Products, has bred bees that clean out their brood nest at the whiff of a pest or disease. Lindsay is a finalist for the Plant Biosecurity Farmer of the Year Award, sponsored by Plant Health Australia. He manages 3,600 hives for honey production and the pollination […] Read more