Bees: Home

Beekeepers must maintain records of biosecurity related actions and observations

If any level of biosecurity is to be maintained, hives must be inspected for pests and diseases at regular intervals.
If a pest or disease is allowed to go undetected for too long, it could kill the infected hive and spread to other hives in the area. In the case of exotic pests, if they are not detected early they will have a much higher chance of spreading and becoming established in Australia (ie. not feasible to eradicate).

Established pests are those that are present in Australia and that affect honey bee colonies.
Some of these pests are widely distributed, can rapidly affect the strength and productivity of honey bee colonies, and are difficult or expensive to manage. Others are only present in localised regions. Beekeepers should monitor their hives frequently to check for the presence or absence of these pests. It is critical to know what each of these pests are, the symptoms they cause, how they affect a honey bee colony, how they spread and what can be done to control them.

The pests contained on this page are exotic pests of Australian honey bees. The climate of Australian honey bee producing areas, as well as the natural environment in Australia, would likely allow each of these pests to survive, spread and establish should be they introduced.
Each of these pests pose a constant threat and would have serious consequences should they enter and become established in Australia. Beekeepers are at the front line for early detection and should be familiar with what the pests look like, the symptoms produced and their affect on a honey bee colony.

Pollination is the movement of pollen from the anthers of a flower to the stigma of the same or a different flower. It is one of the most important parts of the economic production of many crops. However, it is often the most poorly understood and least likely to be optimized. In some cases, it is not managed at all and growers just hope there will be enough bees or other insects in the vicinity of the crop to ensure that pollination happens. Even if honey bee hives are introduced for pollination, their performance may not be optimized and the levels of pollination may not be measured. For many crops, obtaining optimized and reliable pollination may be one of the best ways of improving the economics of the production of the crop.

Making a home for honeybees and learning how to take care of them can be an exciting and rewarding experience. Keeping a hive is a delicate task, as the tiniest disturbances can cause great harm to the bee colony. That’s why we’ve put together the ultimate guide to hive maintenance – to help you keep your bees happy and healthy for years to come.

Honey bees are super-important pollinators for flowers, fruits and vegetables. This means that they help other plants grow! Bees transfer pollen between the male and female parts, allowing plants to grow seeds and fruit.

Honeybees and bumblebees are the iconic representatives of this busy and buzzy insect, but there are actually more than 20,000 different species of bee.

38 Types of Bees (with Pictures): A Visual Identification Guide

Have you ever come across a bee and wished you could identify it? This article is a visual guide designed to help you identify 38 different types of bees. Our comprehensive bee identification chart will assist you in recognizing and distinguishing the identifying features of various types of bees.

Did you know that as well as being important pollinators, bees are diverse in appearance and behaviour, with a fascinating variety of nesting, mating and even feeding habits.