Beekeeping becomes a popular hobby across Queensland

The series of hobby beekeepers in Queensland has more than doubled within the past five years.

In 2015 there were about 1,800 registered, and now there are more than 5,000 of us preserving European honey bees.

Among other folks that took up the hobby is Stephen Wills, who started his series in his backyard in suburban Bundaberg all via lockdown.

“It started last year with the boredom of no longer being able to head anywhere,” he said.

“I was on the accept and saw a video on bees, and ever since then, I obtained the malicious program.”

Mr Wills said honey was no longer the main drawcard for him.

“We weren’t thinking about the honey. We wanted pollination so we can pick up a correct chop of stone fruit, mangoes and citrus,” he said.

Passion grew

Rebecca Pohlner started the Bundaberg Beekeepers group when she first obtained into the hobby, and since then membership has exploded.

“After I obtained appealing with bees, I chanced on it really hard to fetch aid and assistance and a mentor to aid me,” Ms Pohlner said.

She said entering into beekeeping was relatively cheap.

“It’s a ability station that you can snappy gather, and it is one thing that you can aid to rebuild the ambiance,’ she said.

Stay on top of pests

With the uptake in of us preserving backyard bees, the commercial industrial is urging new beekeepers to be successfully told on pests and diseases, so that they form no longer spread.

Queensland Beekeepers Association (QBA) secretary Jo Martin said ignorance can be damaging.

“It’s really important for that next generation of beekeepers coming via to recognise there are sources of information out there to aid them.

“One in all them is the BOLT path. It’s an on-line biosecurity training path for all beekeepers that is free to access.

“Accumulate in contact with the Department of Agriculture, alternatively contact the QBA and we are going to level you within the apt path.”

As successfully as biosecurity, it is important to examine local council by-laws to gawk how many hives you can actually have.

Mrs Pohlner said her group ran information durations monthly to educate contributors.

“We gawk at the makeup of a hive, the way to care for that hive, what diseases and pests to gawk for and what management and husbandry talents that you’d like,” she said.

Industry future

While there has been a stable uptick in hobby beekeepers, the commercial facet has no longer grown at the same pace.

Ms Martin said it was a real challenge.

“The commercial industrial has successfully had a noose around its neck for many years now. We have been battling a lack of resource availability and a lot of uncertainty relating to the place am I going to be able to place my honey bees,” she said.

“Our numbers for our professional beekeepers, our commercial industrial, has largely remained static which is relatively alarming.”

Mrs Pohlner said there was hope the younger generation would step up.

“We would really treasure to pick out up children appealing because the majority of commercial beekeepers are of their mid-sixties or onwards,” she said.

Australian vs European

Native bees are also increasing in popularity.

Mrs Pohlner said they were working towards operating information programs on the Australian stingless varieties.

“European honey bees are these that of us want to pick out up honey from. They want to have the ability to pollinate plus actually pick up one thing from it,” she said.

“Within the last 12 months, we have now really started to pick out up increased hobby in of us wanting to pick out up native bees.

“We are starting to concentrate a bit more down the native facet of beekeeping,” she said.

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