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.

NZ Colony Loss Survey results are here and they confirm what many beekeepers suffered through in winter and spring 2025. We sit down with Survey lead and Bioeconomy Science Institute principal scientist Pike Stahlmann-Brown to dive into what beekeepers have said about winter losses.

With April 19 looming as the deadline for beekeepers to let their opinions be known on how advisory groups to New Zealand Bee Health and Biosecurity (NZBB) should be structured, hundreds more will need to respond if the default option is to be avoided.

Breeding for varroa-resistant bees using the varroa sensitive hygiene (VSH), or other traits, in New Zealand’s honey bee stocks is essential if Kiwi beekeepers are to conquer varroa, believe the Bee Breeding NZ Group (formerly NZ Bee Breeders Association). The team formed in 2022 and is headed by Ashburton beekeeper Rae Butler with Dr Linda Newstrom-Lloyd as science adviser. This winter they are inviting beekeepers to educational workshops in both the North and South Islands

New Zealand beekeepers are being urged to have their say on one of the industry’s most persistent and costly challenges – varroa. A new nationwide survey, led by Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme participant and Comvita operations manager Robbie O’Brien, aims to capture real-world insights into how the mite is being managed on the ground. He’s asking beekeepers to take five minutes to complete the anonymous survey in the hope his research can help shape practical, industry-l