Western Australia has been swarmed by amateur apiarists, with the number of registered beekeepers almost trebling in five years.
The surge has been attributed to increased concern about global bee numbers and a growing awareness of the perceived health benefits of homegrown honey.
The sharp uplift in beekeeper numbers has, however, prompted warnings about safety and biosecurity risks if hives are not properly maintained.
Data submitted to WA’s parliament shows that 2373 beekeeper registrations had been issued or renewed in the past five years, taking the total number of registered beekeepers to 3051.
John Chadwick, the president of the WA Apiarists Society, told The Australian he believed the actual number of active beekeepers in the state was likely to be much higher.
“For every new beekeeper who has registered, there’s probably another one out there who hasn’t,” Mr Chadwick said.
“That’s the biggest risk that we have; a lot of people have come in unprepared to take the training or take the advice.”
His main fear is of an outbreak of any of the diseases that have plagued other bee populations elsewhere in the world, such as the parasitic varroa mite, at an unregistered hive run by an untrained beekeeper.
“Australia is the last bastion free of some of the major diseases that are decimating the bee world and it’s really critical that if something happens here, we are able to mobilise and help them,” he said.
Diane Evers, who represents the Greens in the WA parliament’s upper house, said the rise in the number of beekeepers was terrific, but stressed it was crucial for amateur apiarists to understand the quarantine and biosecurity elements of beekeeping.
“We need beekeepers to be actively managing their hives,” she said.
“It’s a very sensitive market to be in, and very important we do everything we can to make sure we don’t get that mite.”
Among those who have joined WA’s honey rush is Matt Henderson, who has kept a hive in his backyard in the coastal Perth suburb of City Beach for the past three years after a mate gave him a spare hive. The honey he harvests is a bonus, but Mr Henderson said it was the bees themselves that were particularly captivating.
“It’s incredibly fascinating — they are amazing creatures and we are constantly learning more and more about them,” he said.
Paul Garvey has been a reporter in Perth and Hong Kong for more than 14 years. He has been a mining and oil and gas reporter for the Australian Financial Review, as well as an editor of the paper's Street Talk ... Read more The Australian 5/12/19
