Bee fight a real stinger

AUSTRALIAN beekeepers are gearing up for a sticky fight with New Zealand over naming rights of manuka honey.

In a sting for Aussie apiarists, the Kiwis are trying to monopolise the bee’s knees of honeys, saying the popular manuka nectar is native to New Zealand.

But ManukaLife director and Australian Manuka Honey Association member Paul Callander said Australia was home to the manuka – or tea – tree.

“We have 83 varieties of the manuka or tea-tree bush, whereas New Zealand has only one,” he said.