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Bee industry in Western Australia
Beekeeper registration
Importing honey and apiary products from interstate and overseas
Honeybee pests and diseases
Apiculture research in Western Australia
Contacts
General information on keeping honeybees
Other sites/links of interest
Beekeeper registration
The Western Australian Beekeepers Act (1963) was introduced to make better provision for the eradication of diseases and pests of honeybees, the orderly conduct of the industry and for the improvement of the products from beekeeping.
Under the Act, all persons keeping honeybees are required to register with the Department of Agriculture and Food and to brand their beehives with a registered hive brand as allotted by the Register of Brands. All beehives must be registered for the following year by 1 January.
Registration information assists the bee industry to control bee diseases and prevent residues in hive products. Specifically it enables:
- Rapid contact with beekeepers if an exotic disease or bee pest is detected in the State
- Provision of export certification for live honeybees and other hive products
- The implementation of disease control strategies
Application for Registration as a BeekeeperServices, Products and Fees
Please note - To open and use the Beekeeper Registration form you will need to:
- Right mouse click once on the form. A small menu will pop up.
- Select "Open".
- Fill out the form on-line by typing required information in the spaces marked ooooo.
-
Print, sign and fax or post the form to the person indicated.
Western Australia's apiculture industry is committed to quality assurance and ensuring that products are of high quality. This commitment enables the industry to freely export live honeybees, honey, beeswax, bee pollen and other apiary products interstate and overseas.
Refer to the Farmnote on Biosecurity in the honeybee industry which details how beekeepers can minimise the entry and spread of harmful organisms in their apiaries and help safeguard their businesses.
The State's honeybee industry is free of European foulbrood, mites. and the Small hive beetle. A number of initiatives such as BeeGuardTM have been introduced to ensure Western Australia maintains its current disease status.
Honeybee pests and diseases
The Beekeepers Act (1963) requires the reporting of any honeybee pest, notifiable disease or exotic honeybees to the Department of Agriculture and Food.
- American foulbrood
- Ant and termite control in the apiary
- 'Bee lice' (Braula fly) (NSW Department of Primary Industries)
- Bumblebee (genus Bombus)
- Chalkbrood (Queensland Department of Primary Industries)
- European foulbrood disease of honeybees
- Exotic pests of honeybees (NSW Department of Primary Industries)
- Sacbrood
- Small Hive Beetle information
- Small hive beetle [PDF] Note 248
- Varroa mites in honeybees (Biosecurity New Zealand)
- Wax moth and its control
Chemical resiudes and contaminants
Residue issues can have a significant, adverse impact on market access for honey and other hive products. These could originate from pesticides used in agriculture, metal leaks in honey extracting and storage equipment and the use of unauthorised bee repellents during the handling of honey frames.
The monitoring of chemical residues in honey is done through the National Residue Survey(NRS), the organisation responsible for quantifying the amount of chemical residues in Australia's agricultural produce.
Beekeepers must advise their honey processor if bee deaths occur so that their honey can be tested.
Importing honey and apiary products from interstate and overseas
- Importing beehive products and/or foods containing them into Western Australia
- Honey & apiary products into Western Australia from overseas
For further information on apiary biosecurity and requirements under the Western Australian Beekeepers Act (1963) contact:
Mr Jeff Beard
Apiary Inspector
Tel (08) 9368 3154
Fax (08) 9474 2479
Mob 0427 041 674
Apiculture Research in Western Australia
Since 2001, research in Western Australia has focussed on the fatty acids of pollen nationally and tested some fatty acids for honeybee longevity. Current research is focussed on testing the effects of oils, protein, vitamins and minerals in honey bee diets. Studies have shown that the health of honeybees is affected by the nutritional makeup of the different pollens. Further understanding of this will enable beekeepers to better plan their rotations through apiary sites to maximise production.
Concurrent research for Horticulture Limited is focussed on increasing pollen on honeybees ensuring more efficient pollination of crops such as almonds. Previous research focussed on the use of honeybees to pollinate horticulture and canola crops showed there was an increase in yield and quality where paid pollination was used.
The bulletin Honeybee Pollination contains estimates of the number of beehives required for different crops. These estimates are based on the experience of researchers in Australia and overseas. Variety, locality, feral honeybees and other pollinators influence pollination requirements.
The Department developed the BeeTube and BeeBucket to enable easier and better pollination of orchard crops. This technology has attracted international recognition.
Contacts
General information on keeping honeybees
- Avoid trouble from honeybees
- General guide to backyard beekeeping (UNDER REVIEW)
-
Honeybee swarms and nests
Other sites/links of Interest
- Australian Honey Bee Industry Council
- AUSVETPLAN
- Honey Bee Australis - general honeybee industry information site
- Australian honeybee research program
- International Bee Research Association (IBRA)
Page updated January 2011
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