Do your bit for WA
WA’s honeybee industry has an estimated value of $50 million and is at risk of infestations and the catastrophic impact of the Varroa destructor mite.
Varroa destructor mites are tiny parasites with devastating impact, feeding on honey bees, weakening them, causing deformities to their bodies and wings, and making them more susceptible to diseases. Varroa mites are less than 1.5mm in size.
The mite's legacy and long term impact extends beyond bee and hive health to affect up to 34 areas of agricultural production, biosecurity, ecosystems, and the flow on effect of significant economic disturbance due to the critical role bees play in pollination.
BEE responsible
and
BEE vigilant.
Only 9% of WA’s beekeepers submitted their voluntary Hive Health Checks in 2024.
All beekeepers, that means any hobbyist beekeepers and commercial bee keepers alike, you all have an important part to play by monitoring the health and wellbeing of your bees and hives and to the wider community.
Let’s all make a difference and do our bit, aiming for Hive Health Checks reaching 25% by May 10, 2025.
If you have any bee hives, register with DPIRD – even just one. It’s the law.
Do your bit and bee responsible
Keep The Bees Buzzing
Don’t be complacent. If you have bees you are encouraged to ‘do the right thing’ by completing your hive health checks regularly. The most effective being a simple alcohol wash procedure because it dislodges the Varroa mite parasite from the body of the bee.
The Keep the Bees Buzzing project, managed by BICWA, is funded by the Agriculture Produce Commission.
The Bee Industry Council of WA (BICWA) is taking an active role and is working collaboratively with several organisations, including Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council (AHBIC) and the WA Apiarists Society (WAAS).