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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
• 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?