Bees are crucial to our primary sector, with a role far beyond honey production.

New Zealand’s dependence on horticulture and agriculture means we may be more dependent on pollination from the humble bee than any other nation on earth.

New Zealand bee products are sought after worldwide.

Roughly one third of everything we eat is pollinated by bees. Many of our crops would not be viable without bee pollination – with an important role played by bumble bees.

Orchardists pay for hives to be located on their properties – a cost which has risen from $75 to $150 per hive over recent years, with a shortage of bees to adequately pollinate all crops.

Tens of thousands of hives are needed for pollination nationwide, and growers are concerned about their ongoing cost and availability.

Sadly the number of beekeepers has declined dramatically over the last 10 years and the Varroa incursion has not helped.

About 3,000 New Zealanders keep bees, with the 287 biggest beekeepers managing 96% of registered hives – an increase from an industry average of 20 hives per beekeeper in 1950.

Those remaining in the industry are business focussed, hard working and good managers.

Anecdotal evidence shows beekeeping in many urban areas in New Zealand is increasing in popularity. Many of the National Beekeepers’ Association(NBA) of New Zealand’s branches have reported increased interest in beekeeping from city-dwellers.

The NBA says keeping a hive in your backyard is a great way to pollinate your own fruit and vegetables and also provides informative and entertaining education for kids.

Even the White House is getting into urban beekeeping – First Lady Michelle Obama keeps multiple beehives at the White House and uses the honey product and pollinated vegetables as gifts for visiting dignitaries and organisations.

Overseas evidence also suggests hives in cities are thriving and sometimes produce up to three times the amount of honey as bees in rural areas.

Growers and farmers well know the bee’s importance to high performing crops and pasture.

Even crops that are intended to be self-pollinating perform better if pollinated by bees.

Good agricultural and horticultural practice therefore relies on the correct use of agrichemicals, especially insecticides so it is imperative that growers keep the two apart.

The use of agrichemicals toxic to bees is controlled by the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 and the Agricultural Chemicals and Veterinary Medicines Act 1997.

These laws make it an offence to use agrichemicals contrary to any bee toxicity warning on the label.

Around 9,000 to 12,000 tonnes of honey are produced annually, with almost half exported; exports of honey alone are valued at around $71million, including $4million of premium organic honey.

Honey is increasingly differentiated according to the flower source, with better blends and more appealing packaging adding value and ensuring more income per kilogram.

Manuka honey, with renowned antiseptic properties, is keenly sought for use in products such as wound dressings] and its value has soared in recent years.

VARROA

Varroa (binomial name “Varroa destructor”) is a mite which feeds off live bee larvae and adults. Since its discovery in New Zealand in 2000, Varroa has posed a major challenge, spreading to most parts of the country. Left untreated, infected hives will eventually die.

The introduction of the Varroa mite is an example of an incidental pest organism that Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) has estimated will cost the New Zealand economy between $400 and $900 million over 35 years.

The Varroa incursion highlights New Zealand’s vulnerability to biosecurity threats. The whole industry was shocked and government immediately restricted beehive movements. With eradication proving too difficult – particularly in wild bee colonies – containment became the goal. Despite tight bans on movement, Varroa spread to the South Island in June 2006.

During 2008 all containment activities lapsed and nothing prevented Varroa spreading throughout New Zealand. In May 2010 varroa was confirmed in Central Otgao. There are now very few ‘Varroa-free’ areas left in New Zealand.

Most beekeepers now treat their hives with chemicals at a cost of around $20 each, plus labour and transportation.

However, as of late 2009 some beekeepers in the Auckland area began reporting signs of Varroa becoming resistant to synthetic pyrethroid treatments. Varroa resistance to synthetic pyrethroid treatment has not been confirmed as yet but has the potential to cause more problems for beekeepers than when Varroa first arrived in the country.

Varroa has forced permanent changes to New Zealand beekeeping. Beekeepers now subscribe to the Honey Bee Exotic Disease Survellience programme, under which they are constantly on the lookout for major biosecurity risks including European Foul Brood disease, Nosema ceranae, new viruses, mites and Africanised Honey Bee.

This information was sourced from  National Beekeepers’ Association of New Zealand – www.nba.org.nz