Gaining best value for pollination hives; thermal auditing of beehives; effective industry advocacy; and even that damn hornet – the Bay of Plenty Commercial Beekeepers group met on April 17 at the Mount Manganui offices of Zespri where, stimulated by attendance from various interested parties, a wide range of topics relevant to beekeeping and kiwifruit pollination were explored.

With the Iran-US war still resulting in closure of the Strait of Hormuz, former GCSB head Ian Fletcher surveys the playing field from New Zealand's vantage point.

Mānuka Orchard owner Logan Bowyer might have grown up on an orchard of a different kind – kiwifruit – but his dedication to the cause of bettering New Zealand’s honey industry is now well proven through his Paengaroa business. Eight years in, Mānuka Orchard is calling on any beekeepers wanting to improve their honey quality, business profitability and industry representation to utilise their wide range of services.

As the days shorten and nights cool, the bees flight time shortens, diets reduce and cluster tightens, and it’s got Bay of Plenty beekeeper Aimz thinking while she works the last round of the season.

Previously PhD student Jane Pierce’s research has identified the most likely areas of musculoskeletal disorders among beekeepers, now she reports on a recently-developed, free resource which provides an assessment of common beekeeping tasks with the goal of lowering injury risk.

The journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step; How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time; How do you build varroa resistance into your honey bees? You have to start looking. That is the philosophy and practice of bee breeder Rae Butler who says the results of several seasons in her breeding programme demonstrates to others how progress can be made.

Why should beekeepers support the proposed new industry group? New Zealand’s looming diesel and petrol shortage, alongside a continuing major biosecurity incursion, is making it clear that beekeepers need effective leadership now, and will surely need it in the future too if their livelihoods are to be protected. ApiNZ chief executive Karin Kos has fronted apiculture’s advocacy for the 10 years of the industry-good group’s existence and stresses the need for sound representat

New Zealand’s export honey value per-kilogram dwarfs any other country in the world, thanks to mānuka’s proven antimicrobial abilities. So, why then have so many honey companies – both beekeepers, honey packers, and those who do a bit of both – gone out of business in the past two years? We pose that question to beekeepers whose families have ridden the highs and lows of the honey industry through numerous generations.

It’s a no thrills framework, but industry groups Apiculture New Zealand (ApiNZ) and New Zealand Beekeeping Inc (NZBI) want beekeepers to heartily weigh-in with their thoughts on their combined proposal for a new industry body to represent commercial beekeepers.

Three and half years on from first finding varroa in Australia, authorities have detected a gene mutation in the parasite which is resulting in lower susceptibility to several common treatments. Has this ‘resistance’ developed in such a short period? Is it the result of a separate, parallel, mite incursion? Or has it just been missed to this point? Australian beekeepers and scientists are searching for answers, while experts in New Zealand say the news should put Kiwi beekeep

With the future of national-level industry groups up in the air, a void remains for an event venue and date to host a major beekeeping conference this winter. However, there appears to be a desire from beekeepers to gather and preliminary planning is underway, while the cloud of skyrocketing travel prices lingers.

Auckland’s fight with yellow-legged hornets continues, with nests still being discovered as winter approaches. Despite ongoing eradication efforts and a strong public reporting effort, experts warn that even a single surviving queen could see the problem re-emerge next spring, making vigilance, now, more important than ever.