06/11/2019
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🐝🌳🍯 The beekeeping industry is often a forgotten industry in times of drought.
Bees along with every other living creature need access to water. 🐝💧
Spring usually sees Beekeepers across Queensland migrating their hives to areas with an abundance of nectar, pollen and water which in turn maintains the health of the hives and will sometimes provide an excess honey flow that can then be extracted and sold on to major honey packers.
Sadly the current drought has had a significant impact on our industry. Native forests often considered to be great resource to bee colonies because of their floral diversity and abundance of natural water source are not an option for many beekeepers. Due to the prolonged period of dry a large number of eucalyptus species simply aren’t flowering like they usually would at this time of year and because of this honey production has significantly decreased.
Ultimately, this season many beekeepers will produce little to no honey as the bulk of the honey produced by the bees needs to remain with the hive to ensure the colony has access to food when needed
Many commercial beekeepers across the state have been forced to travel thousands of kilometres to find forage and water for their colonies.
More than 76,000 of the 108,000 hives in Queensland are commercially managed and many of our larger beekeepers are going to great lengths to ensure their bee colonies survive the current dry spell we find ourselves in.
Queensland bees not only produce some of the worlds best honey, they also largely contribute to the supply of healthy food grown in Queensland.
The best way you can support our Beekeepers during the drought is to continue to buy Australian honey, you simply need to check the country of origin label for 100% Aussie honey. So when you’re next at the supermarket pick up some delicious 🇦🇺honey!
Earlier today the QBA was contacted by 9 News Queensland for a story on the drought and its tightening grip on our industry. We’ll do our best to share it with you once it has gone to air.