Tropical Bee Issues

Medicinal honey resources

Paging all beekeepers!

The CRC for Honey Bee Products is supporting the Australian Leptospermum honey industry by providing Five free honey tests per annum to beekeepers determining the viability of apiary sites for medicinal honey production. The testing will be undertaken by the University of the Sunshine Coast who will provide a report of the parts per million DHA, HMF and MGO levels in the honeys.

If you have honey you’d like tested, please fill out this form: CRC Honey Sample

and send it to:

Dr Peter Brooks
c/o Science & Engineering
University of the Sunshine Coast
90 Sippy Downs Drive
Sippy Downs, QLD 4556

Jar of Honey with Honey Dipper
Gas tap with pipeline system at natural gas station.

Resource Security

Farmers in Queensland, an indeed in most of eastern Australia, are asked to co-exist with coal seam gas mining. How does this sit with beekeeping? Here’s a thought-provoking view point…

Asian Honey bee

The Asian honey bee defied strict biosecurity measures and arrived in tropical Australia in 2007. Why should we be worried and what is being done about it? 

AsianandEuropeanbee
Brood Frame

When to harvest?

In cooler climates you might be able to get away with harvesting honey when frames are 50-70% capped. But not in the tropics! Your honey will ferment in no time! In the humid tropics it is best to wait until your frames are 90-100% capped like this one before harvesting. 

Summer heat!

Head down, bum up and start fanning! That’s how bees get stuck into cooling the hive during a warm tropical summer! So, what can you do to help lessen the burden on bees?

bee hive

The Asian honeybee is now in Townsville!!

please contact Biosecurity 13 25 23 if you see bee swarms or unusual bee activity