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by F Benecke
April 2007
RIRDC Publication No. 07/059 RIRDC Project No. FSB-2A
Summary
This report is an overview
of beekeeping in Australia—a description of the industry, resource base,
production practices and management.Beekeepers have been assisted in their
endeavours, particularly in recent years, by world standard research and
RIRDC’s Honeybee R&D Program aims to to improve the productivity and
profitability of the Australian beekeeping industry.
Australian honey is regarded
on the world market as a premium quality product. It is produced over a
large area from a wide variety of flowering plants which, because of fluctuating
rainfall patterns and the extended budding cycles of much of the honey
producing flora, tend to flower spasmodically. Average Australian honey
production ranges between 20–30,000 tonnes per year. The gross value of
production is estimated to average around $65 million and the average production
per hive was 118 kilograms per hive in 2005.There are around 9,600 apiarists
in Australia operating around 500,000 hives.
Over 70% of hives are operated
by commercial beekeepers managing more than 200 hives. Most commercial
honeybee keepers are regionally based. Domestic honey consumption is likely
to remain relatively elastic with other spreads representing a close substitute
as retail prices increase. There is currently a strong demand in the horticultural
industry for hive pollination services.Future growth of the honeybee industry
is dependent on international demand and supply conditions, access to public
flora resources and the industry’s ability to cope with pests and diseases.
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