Plans for a new industry group to represent commercial beekeepers are marching forward, with consultation having closed and plans to circulate a written constitution in May. Emerging as a key consideration is a delicate balancing act between pricing membership fees attainably, with achieving adequate funding.

As the calendar turns to May, and the hopes at a new and improved industry body for commercial beekeepers wind on, the time for a winter beekeeping ‘conference’ draws close. However, at this stage no national-level event is set on the beekeeping calendar.

While the leadership at the Ministry for Primary Industry’s (MPI) Biosecurity New Zealand are encouraged by a recent lack of yellow-legged hornet sightings, there is agreement that the incursion response must continue apace for at least another month before taking a new tact over winter.

Beekeeping is getting more and more challenging and a ‘sudden autumn decline’ of hives has veteran Hawke’s Bay beekeeper John Berry worried about the sustainability of beekeeping.

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.