Planning Beyond the Current Season For serious and commercial beekeepers, access to reliable forage is one of the foundations of a productive and resilient operation. Yet Australian landscapes are changing. Land use, drought, bushfires, changing rainfall patterns, vegetation management and shifting flowering times can all affect when and where nectar and pollen become available. Relying […]
Introduction: Turning Waste into Resources For commercial and serious beekeepers, sustainability is increasingly about more than protecting bee populations. It is also about managing the resources used throughout an operation. Wax, timber, plastic frames, containers and other equipment represent significant investments, and sending usable materials to landfill is both costly and unnecessary. A circular approach […]
Welcome Welcome to the latest edition of the BTRACE newsletter, bringing together practical information, useful insights and developments relevant to Australia’s beekeeping industry. In this edition, we look at two topics that raise important questions for beekeepers and consumers alike. “Honey and Allergies: Can it Help?” examines the claims surrounding honey and allergies, while “Propolis […]
Keeping Ahead of Problems in the Apiary Commercial and serious hobby beekeeping demands more than routine hive inspections. Strong colonies can deteriorate quickly when nutrition, pests, weather, queen performance or hive conditions get out of balance. Effective troubleshooting starts with recognising early warning signs and understanding what they may indicate. It also means keeping accurate […]
Turning a Hive Defence Mechanism into a Valuable Hive Product Propolis harvesting is the process of collecting the resinous material that honey bees gather from plants and combine with wax and their own secretions to create a sticky, protective substance used throughout the hive. Sometimes called “bee glue”, propolis is used by bees to seal […]
Spring Is Here: What Does That Mean for Allergies? Spring has just started across Australia, and for many people that means warmer days, flowering plants and the return of familiar seasonal allergies. For beekeepers, it is also one of the busiest and most important times of the year. Colonies are building rapidly, forage is increasing […]
The Honey Flow Starts Before the Flowers Do For serious beekeepers, spring is not simply the time when bees become more active. It is the beginning of one of the most important production periods of the year. The weeks leading up to a major honey flow can determine whether colonies enter the season at full […]
by Clare Winkel Methods of Fraud Reference: Emerging technologies for detecting food fraud: A review of the current landscape in the 2020s by Xavier Marín, Eduard Grau-Noguer, Guillem Gervilla-Cantero, Carolina Ripolles-Avila and Manuel Castillo. The honey is not always adulterated. There are other methods of fraud: Figure 1. In my previous article I discussed the […]
Latest articles Unveiling the wonders of raw honey As beekeepers, we know that honey is much more than something to drizzle on toast. Behind every jar lies an extraordinary combination of bee biology, floral diversity, and careful hive management. But just how remarkable is this golden product? From its incredible natural properties to its enduring appeal […]
Passing on More Than a Hobby For Australia’s beekeeping community, the future of the industry depends on more than healthy colonies and productive seasons. It depends on the next generation understanding the value of bees and the vital role they play in agriculture, biodiversity, and food security. Whether managing a handful of hives or running […]
Latest articles Investing in Bee Research: Supporting Scientific Efforts to Protect Pollinators Australian beekeeping is entering a new era. From emerging biosecurity threats to changing environmental conditions, the pressures facing pollinators are growing rapidly—and the industry must evolve alongside them. That’s why investment in scientific research has never been more important. The latest innovations in […]
Urban Apiaries: More Than a Hobby Urban beekeeping has grown significantly across Australia over the past decade. Rooftops, suburban backyards, community gardens, and even commercial buildings are now home to thriving honey bee colonies. While much of the public discussion focuses on the novelty of keeping bees in cities, serious and commercial beekeepers recognise that […]