Beekeeping in Australia, Pollination and Preparing Hives for Pollination

Des Cannon Former Chairman, Honeybee Research and Development

Advisory Committee (2006-2011) Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation,

Australia Commercial Apiarist

• Australia has 10,000 beekeepers

• Most of the beekeepers and beehives are in 3 States on the East Coast

• Beehives

– New South Wales 40%

– Queensland 22%

– Victoria 17%

1,200H 7B

127,000H 3,100B

27,000H 700B

67,000H 720B 240,000H

3,200B

99,000H 2,100B

14,000H 150B

• Only 16% of the beekeepers have more than 500 – 1000 hives

• 4% have >1000 hives

• Only 340 beekeepers (of 10,000) have > 500 hives

• The focus is on HONEY PRODUCTION

– Pollination is secondary (mainly almonds/cherries/stone fruit/apples and pears/kiwifruit)

• Average production across Australia is 70kg/hive (all 10,000 beekeepers)

• Commercial producers (> 500 hives) average 100 – 200kg/hive

• Australian beekeepers are Nomadic • Variable rain / weather / drought / fire / floods • Australian beekeepers move their bees 6 to 8 times

each year, to follow the flowering patterns, especially the Eucalypts. Development of the flowers can take from 6 weeks to 2 years, so beekeepers must also be botanists, to understand the flowering patterns of the trees.

• Beekeepers travel up to 500km, even 1000km, for honey flows

• Most of the Australian flora has good pollen

Honey Floral Sources

• Floral sources • Native vegetation >70%

Weeds = 20% Crops/ Horticulture <10%

• Native Vegetation - Found in State Forests and National

Parks - Eucalypts 670 species / 150? useful for honey

- Banksias • Weeds - Paterson’s Curse • Crops - Canola

Eucalypts

Banksia

Other native flora

Weeds - Paterson’s Curse

Crops

• Canola

Beekeeping in Australia

• Is highly mechanised - trucks

• Loaders

• Extracting

• Extracting

• Most commercial hives are on pallets

Problems for Australia

• Problems for Australian beekeeping

• NO Varroa

• American Foul Brood AFB

• European Foul Brood EFB

• Chalkbrood

• Nosema (N.apis, N. Ceranae)

• Small Hive Beetle

• Wax moth

Pollination

• Pollination is focussed on almonds/cherries/apples and pears/stone fruit/kiwifruit

• Almonds and Cherries are two major crops in Australia

• Almonds

– Almond orchards are mostly located in Victoria and South Australia

1988 1998 2008

• 27,300 hectares (67,500 acres) of almonds planted in Australia

• less than 20% of all Australian almond plantings have reached full maturity (eight years and older).

• This year, 2011, approximately 240,000 beehives were required to pollinate the almonds.

• Price paid to beekeepers was $70/hive, with a bonus for strong hives and extra for long-distance travel.

• Robinvale (Victoria) area, required 120,000 hives

• Pollination was organised by one pollination broker on a Contract basis.

• The broker contracted 150 beekeepers

• some of whom travelled from Queensland (1600km)

• The broker also audits 10% of the hives for each beekeeper to check the hive strength (12,000 hives)

• Penalties are applied where the beehives do not come up to the standard required.

• Beehives 7 hives/Hectare

• Flowering occurs in Australia in August (winter), so flight times can be restricted by cold weather

• Hives are put down in the orchards in large lots, one truckload at each site. The next truckload may be as little as 500m away.

Cherry Pollination

• Cherry pollination is more traditional, with the beehives being placed throughout the orchard

• Stocking rate of 2-3 hives per hectare

• Price paid varies from $50 - $70/hive, depending on the strength of the bees

• The contract is directly between the grower and the beekeeper (No broker)

• Bees are introduced at or following 5% blossom.

• This makes sure bees go to cherry blossum

• Hives should also be located in – an elevated position

– in a warm sunny area, and

– protected from prevailing winds

– Bees are forced to fly through the orchard; this will decrease ‘drifting' and ‘non-target' foraging

• For both almonds and cherries, the minimum standard accepted for pollination is 8 frames of bees.

Preparation of Hives for Pollination

• Preparation starts in Autumn

• Disease inspection – all healthy hives NO AFB / EFB / SHB

• Good stores of pollen and honey in Autumn

• Requeen in Autumn – young, healthy queen in Spring laying eggs bees looking for pollen

• 12 – 16 frames bees in Autumn 8 frames of bees in spring

• Layout/stocking rates

– Varies from crop to crop

• Almonds - 7 hives/Ha

• Cherries - 2-3 hives/Ha

• Kiwifruit - 6 hives/Ha

• Stone fruit - Plums 2-4 hiives/Ha

- Peaches 2 hives/Ha

• Apples – 2-4 hives/Ha

• Pears – 1-5 hives/Ha

• Australia has two good pollen flows in winter – Spotted Gum / Banksia

• Good quality pollen good bees for pollination

Pollen supplements

• Use of supplements

– Some beekeepers use sugar syrup and pollen supplements in late Autumn and early Spring

– to stimulate egg-laying and amount of brood for pollination

• Good beekeepers also do an inspection for disease control and to share brood / make the hives even before putting them in the orchard to pollinate (Cherries)

Sharing brood to make even hives

• One hive 8 frames brood

2 frames

• One hive 4 frames brood

• 2 hives each 6 frames brood even pollination in orchard

Questions?