Guidelines For Rural Beekeeping In Queensland

Introduction
Beekeeping is one of Australia’s oldest primary industries, stemming from the successful importation
of hives of European honeybee, Apis mellifera, in Sydney 1810 and 1822. Other recorded introductions
occurred in Hobart in 1817 and 1821. From those humble beginnings, the industry has grown to the
stage where the nation’s domestic honey needs are met and there is a surplus for export. The annual
farm-gate value of honey and other bee products is in the order of $65 million nationally, while the
indirect value of pollination by honeybees is estimated at $1.2 billion.
Queensland’s honey production is valued at $14 million annually, while other products, including
queenbees, beeswax and pollen, bring the total Queensland value to $16 million. Queensland
agriculture relies on managed honeybees for the pollination of an array of fruits and vegetables
such as apples, avocados, stone fruit, melons, citrus, cucurbits and vegetable seed production.
Pollination provides a benefit of $347 million annually to these industries.
Most commercial apiarists are migratory, shifting their hives sometimes up to six times a year to
optimise access to floral resources. Native forests and woodlands, particularly eucalypts, make up
more than 90% of the floral resources for the Queensland industry. An estimated 40% of resources
currently utilised are on State Forests, with the remaining 60% on other land tenures, including
leasehold and freehold lands, stock routes, roads and reserves. Successful beekeepers maintain a high
degree of knowledge of the location and flowering characteristics of native trees in order to ensure
their bees are well-placed for access at peak nectar flow times.
The purpose of this book is to provide beekeepers and government departments with accurate
information on beekeeping on a variety of land tenures. The practices and techniques explained
herein will help beekeepers to maintain their business in a safe and responsible way. The document
also aspires to offer policy makers a credible support manual of beekeeping, which highlights the
industry’s chief concerns, especially regarding resource security.
All information contained in this book is current as at December 2004.
Apiary in state forest working spotted gum
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