09/01/2020
With special thanks to the president of the Amateur beekeepers association of NSW, Len Verrenkamp on how we can help affected keepers
“I KNOW OF OVER 200 hives burnt in a single day recently that belonged to two mid north coast beekeepers. Who knows how many more have been lost during the unprecedented bushfire emergency in NSW and south east Queensland.
The Australian spirit comes to the fore in these tough times. Complete strangers turn up to lend a hand when backs are to the wall, often neglecting their own properties to ensure a neighbour is safe before returning to protect their own.
With now over a million hectares of bush burnt, the smoke haze we’ve been seeing almost every day reminds us many areas will be active for weeks due to stumps and logs still burning. The bush fire season has only just officially started and, even with no sign of any substantial rain on the horizon, the clean-up where possible must begin.
Possibly the biggest contribution we can make as beekeepers is to offer alternative apiary sites for beekeepers in fire affected areas. That million plus hectares of bush will not produce any pollen or nectar for around three to five years. With some of the fire fronts stretching many kilometres, even some urban areas will have very limited forage for bees in the immediate years to come – and without rain over the summer, possibly even longer.
If your club has members in fire-affected areas and your site or sites are okay then think about offering them an apiary site until conditions improve. Maybe you can come to an arrangement where the keeper provides some help with your hives. (Personally, I reckon the lawn mower could be front and centre of that discussion.)
Short term, this will give relocated hives a reasonable chance of survival. Longer term, all hives need a close eye kept on them. As the drought digs its fingers deeper into the landscape, even traditionally productive beekeeping areas will begin to struggle.
We’re already seeing this via the commercial guys who are predicting a truncated honey crop for this season, and honey packers predicting price increases due to the low supply. Consider also a thought for all of our native pollinators who likely didn’t have the benefit of a responsible beekeeper moving them to a safe place as fire fronts approached.
The dry sclerophyll forests of eastern Australia are home to many native pollinators. The drought and bushfires will have a lasting effect on them also. “
To read this article:https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55c74594e4b03257969fb17a/t/5de6f794639be22007e8166a/1575417882032/AmBeeDecJan20.pdf
