Thread: Honey bees are under threat

I heard on the wireless the other day that Beechworth Honey were asking supermarkets to remove their jars of bees vomit from the shelves due to a shortage.

Australia gripped by honey shortage - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Interesting thread this has turned into about bee keeping.

Originally Posted by bacicat

Hive is registered and meets all regulations. No Council permits required to eep it on the yard, so all good. I will be going along to some meetings as it seems the biggest meeting of beekeepers around here takes place in the next town - 5 minutes away. I want to learn as much as I can and start to build up my own hives soon.

You are on the right track by going to an association meeting. There is a lot more to bee keeping than getting a hive & making honey. There are diseases that can decimate your hive if you can't identify them, & if your hive swarms, do you know why, & how to get them back? As a rule of thumb, you do not obtain hives from within 5 kms. of your place, because the chances are good the bees will simply return to where they came from. There is a way to solve this, the association will help you there. Just a few hints Bob [ double check that there are no regulations regarding no. of hives to the size of the allotment. I'm sure it is a national rule]


Under the Apiaries Act 1982, you are required to register as a beekeeper.


Find out how to register.


Hive placement

• Face the entrance of the hive so that bees fly across your property. If this cannot readily be done, consider placing barriers. These can be in the form of hedges or shrubs, or instant barriers consisting of shade cloth fixed to a trellis, 2-4 m high. Bees will fly up and over these structures and should not worry neighbours.
• Keep hives as far away as possible from roads, footpaths and parks.
• Provide water for your bees. Bees prefer a sunny place with capillary moisture, for example, wet sand or gravel, the edge of a concrete pond, or floating waterweeds. If you establish these places, there is much less chance of bees visiting neighbouring swimming pools. Remember that in very hot weather, bees use a large amount of water to maintain temperature and humidity within the hive.

Other precautions

• Keep no more than one or two bee colonies on a standard suburban allotment.
• Use a quiet strain of bee and re-queen on a regular basis, that is, every one or two years.
• Smoke the entrance of hives before mowing or using weedeaters nearby. These machines upset bees, and operators or people passing by may be stung. Wear a hat, veil and long trousers of a light colour.
• Place a physical barrier between the hive entrance and neighbours' lights. On warm to hot nights, bees are attracted to house lights, particularly fluorescent ones. If the windows are not screened problems can occur.
• Avoid working bees when conditions are poor. If conditions are such that bees start to rob, they become savage and the potential for trouble increases.
• Cooperate with your neighbours when working bees, and ensure they are not working or relaxing outdoors at the time. Try to make hive manipulations as quick as possible to disturb the bees as little as possible.
• Make sure you regularly supply your neighbours with honey.

Do not keep bees near horses confined to a small yard - sweaty horses and bees do not mix