Beekeeping in Australia
[1] Most are found in the eastern states of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania as well as the south-west of Western Australia.
There are also beekeeping hobbyists in Australia who produce honey for home consumption or to be made into products, such as mead.
[7] The first imported honey bees to be successfully acclimatized in Australia were brought in seven hives aboard the convict transport ship Isabella that reached Sydney in March 1822.
[8][9] The first honey bees brought to Tasmania came with surgeon-superintendent Thomas Braidwood Wilson on the convict transport John that reached Hobart on 28 January 1831.
[12] The milder climate in Australia means less honey has to be left in the hive to feed the bees through winter compared to Europe and North America.
Australian farmers wishing to diversify and develop additional sources of income in the nineteenth century sometimes turned to bee-keeping as a side-line.
[13] A row of gin cases on a rural property was a sign that bee-farming was in progress as they were frequently reused as bee hives.
Bee-keeping remained largely a part-time activity for farmers and people living on the outskirts of towns and cities until dedicated full-time beekeepers began to emerge.
The British author Anthony Trollope (1815–1882) visited Australia in 1871 and commented on the popularity of honey as a favourite food.
[22] In February 1903, Victorian bee-farmer Thomas Bolton (1863–1928) questioned the wisdom of clearing the forest in the Dunkeld area of the Western District.
He said the blossom from the trees was annually converted by bees into honey worth £150 per 260 hectares (1 square mile) of forest.
The land was being cleared to create grazing pastures for sheep which he claimed annually returned just £80 per 260 hectares (1 square mile).
Drawbacks to beekeeping in Australia include bushfires, frequent droughts and the tendency for beeswax to melt in very hot conditions.
Honey that carries the AMHA’s Mark of Authenticity must be pure, natural Manuka honey, produced entirely in Australia, and be tested by an independent, approved laboratory to ensure it meets minimum standards of naturally occurring methylglyoxal (MGO), dihydroxyacetone (DHA), and leptosperin.
Popular types of honey include leatherwood, blue gum, yellow box and karri, each named after the trees that produce the pollen and nectar gathered by the bees.
The Australian honeybee industry biosecurity code of practice requires beekeepers to inspect their hives at least twice a year and to keep accurate records.
