Victorian beekeepers have expressed concern that recent bushfires will compound previous fire damage, limiting access to suitable land and trees essential for bee sustenance. This marks the second consecutive year of significant bushfires in Victoria, impacting both communities and agriculture.
Over 400,000 hectares have burned this year, adding to the 320,434 hectares destroyed last year. These losses include trees critical for feeding bees through winter. The cumulative impact has disrupted beekeeping operations and raised concerns about subsequent effects on agricultural commodities that rely on bee pollination, such as canola, berries, and almonds.
Lindsay Callaway, president of the Victorian Apiarists Association (VAA), highlighted immediate concerns regarding access to nectar and pollen. He noted that it can take up to eight years for bushland to recover sufficiently to provide high-quality resources for strong, healthy hives. Callaway also stated that beekeeping impacts extend to other pollination-dependent industries.
The beekeeping industry's farm-gate value is estimated at $363.6 million, largely from pollination services to high-value crops like almonds. Last year, over $700 million worth of almonds were exported to China. Callaway emphasized that preparing bees for crop pollination, such as for almonds, requires six to nine months of planning, focusing on bee nutrition and suitable trees like messmate and red stringybark. Many beekeepers have lost access to these vital resources due to the fires.
James Dorey, a biological sciences lecturer at the University of Wollongong, described the loss of access to suitable trees as an economic issue, affecting both honey bees and native bees searching for resources in burnt areas.
While supplementation, or dry feeding, is an option for apiarists, Callaway indicated it is not preferred, as natural tree resources provide more than just sugar for bees.