New Zealand retail pack monofloral mānuka honey exports to the United States climbed 54.1% to 2,862 tonnes in calendar year 2025, an increase of 1,004t over the year-before volume. The surge into the US lifted global exports in this category to an annual record 6,999t and contributed most to matching the previous record export volume of 12,732t set in 2020 for all honey types. Bruce Roscoe presents an analysis of the trade data and reports on a survey of US consumers that sho

With banks closing in Comvita needed to show profitability, and did, in their financial half year to December 31. A February 23 presentation to shareholders of New Zealand’s largest mānuka honey company also came with the tease of a potential international investor to help reduce debt levels.

As missiles fly back and forward, between Iran and the West, Ian Fletcher analyses both the likely immediate repercussions, and the potential flow-on-effects, including in Ukraine and New Zealand.

Beekeepers are wary and Biosecurity New Zealand (BNZ) has been out in force in certain Auckland suburbs over the past four months as the response to spring’s yellow-legged hornet incursion has wound on. So far hornets have only been found in Auckland and on February 4 BNZ presented a webinar to approximately 160 beekeepers to detail the response thus far, from nest removal and radio tracking technology, to what beekeepers can do to help as summer winds into autumn.

With the US market leaping into the lead as New Zealand’s largest consumer of mānuka honey, we ask some of the country’s largest honey exporters, along with the UMF Honey Association (UMFHA) who promotes Kiwi beekeepers’ most valuable product, what is driving the growth and if it is likely to continue.

A month after proposing to release a potential new beekeeping industry body constitution “in February and hopefully early February”, Apiculture New Zealand (ApiNZ) and New Zealand Beekeeping Inc have yet to do so and continue to fine tune.

Beekeepers? Technical experts? A mix of both? Just who should make up advisory groups to New Zealand Bee Health and Biosecurity (NZBB) is the topic of consultation between the American foulbrood (AFB) agency and the beekeepers who fund it – and if sufficient beekeepers don’t speak up the decision will be made for them.

It was intentionally left uncredited. Last month’s Apiarist’s Advocate eMagazine cover photo of a fully-laden-with-beehives 10-tonne truck precariously balanced on its side above a pond. Reader questions rolled in…  Who had the bad day? What damage was inflicted to man and machine? And, most commonly, ‘how the hell do you get all those hives off in that situation?’. Now we get the full report from the beekeeper in question (still wishing to remain anonymous) who details his “

It's the old acronym of KISS to the fore as veteran beekeeper John Berry explains how sometimes the basics are all you need for successful beekeeping.

We might sometimes overlook it due to its abundance in the environment, but the role of water is essential to a healthy honeybee colony, both for nutritional and temperature-control purposes. Dr Mark Goodwin shares what he has learned about honeybees’ association with water, and how beekeepers can help make it more accessible to their colonies.

Queen bees and drones exclusively mate in “drone congregation areas”, right? Although crucial to the survival of our livestock, as beekeepers we actually know very little about the mating locations of honey bees and, believe it or not, what we do know has been aided by research using radar technology originally designed to prevent car crashes…

Like a “sleuthhound”, Aimz is on the case, searching for American foulbrood (AFB) as the last of the honey comes off…