Hive issue a major concern

I write regarding the excellent Talking Point “Buzz off, you beekeeping bandits” ( HB Today, Friday, June 17), by John Berry.

This undesirable and accelerating trend has been of increasing concern to many in our industry for some time and, although not illegal, is definitely unethical.

I applaud John for bringing the issue to the attention of the general public. It could be wrongly assumed that having all these extra hives saturating areas in close proximity to orchards should be advantageous, in fact they are a hindrance. To provide hives at the right strength and the right time requires specifics in management and skills logistically to ensure their movements in and out of orchards are to the best advantage to the grower. The supply of hives for crops such as early plums and nectarines can be challenging due to competition for early nectar sources. Pollinating blueberry and kiwifruit adversely impacts on honey crops later in the season. The number of beekeepers prepared to engage in pollination is decreasing and the few remaining who offer pollination services do so partly out of loyalty to clients whom they have served for 40 plus years.

So, why won’t these extra hives be of any use to pollination? A major reason is that the nectar that is being targeted is Manuka and the source of Manuka is often in the backcountry. The hives are removed once the Manuka finishes flowering, partly due to the desire to chase the next crop from a later blossoming area and partly due to the fact that it gets too cold to sustain a hive. There are no early nectar sources and the logistics of travelling to service and feed hives during the winter season is costly and time consuming. So the hives are moved in large numbers to sites where they can easily be babysat over the colder months. They build up strength and many will be able to be divided come the summer months and will be moved out to chase the Manuka crops prior to being of any use to the orchardist.

The division of hives is another major concern for local beekeepers. In early November in Hawke’s Bay, the Manuka will begin flowering and as alluded to before this is the one and only source the bandits are targeting. They now have a lot more hives to find sites for from which it may be possible to harvest this nectar. In many cases the locations they identify already have local beekeepers hives on them. These hives may have been there 40 or more years and have never produced Manuka honey, however only the local beekeeper is aware of that. Seemingly very attractive offers are made and contracts signed for as much as a 30 per cent share in the value of Manuka obtained. If no Manuka is produced, then there is no payment. As the bandits are migratory operators, at the end of flowering the hives will be moved to a later blossoming province such as the Wairarapa or Taranaki. Was any Manuka honey produced and is the landowner due a royalty payment? Who knows? The only surety is that the hives have gone and it’s still only early December.

There can be little doubt that in late summer/early autumn 2017, half page advertisements will again appear in all major newspapers and rural publications appealing to landholders, no matter how small, to provide a home for “our bees”. These are composed in such a manner to suggest that you will be contributing to not only the local economy but ultimately our export earnings also. Nonsense, the only economy the bandits are interested in is their own. The activities of these territory invaders is not peculiar to the greater Napier/Hastings area. In Wairoa, where there are four beekeeping operations that I would deem local, we are far from immune.

I implore all landowners and block managers to reflect on what has been occurring. Please consider very carefully any approaches to you as to what impact the decision you make will have not only on your land management and bottom line but also on the local beekeeping industry and the families whom are integral to your community.