Beekeeping in Queensland: biosecurity threats and challenges

Abstract

European honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) were first imported to Australia in the 1820s. The Queensland Beekeepers Association Inc was founded by 13 beekeepers in 1886 to promote beekeeping education and bee biosecurity. Between 2016 and 2023, the number of registered beekeepers in Queensland nearly tripled from approximately 3,000 to well over 9,000. This trend has been mainly attributed to technological changes making beekeeping more accessible to recreational beekeepers. The dramatic increase in new beekeepers is seen by commercial beekeepers as a potential source of increased biosecurity risk. But considering commercial beekeepers still manage over 75% of the 115,000 hives in Queensland, and their apiaries are far more mobile, which type of beekeeper presents the greater risk of spreading undetected pests and diseases? Although Australia remains free of many bee pests and diseases, the industry is constantly under threat. Recent incursions of Varroa destructor (Anderson and Trueman) in New South Wales, “Varroa jacobsoni” (Oudemans) and “Apis cerana” (Fabricius) in northern Queensland, braula fly (’Braula coeca’ Nitzsch) in Victoria and New South Wales, and the regular detection of exotic bee swarms at Australian ports, all highlight the need for vigilance. Despite successes in eradicating or containing the spread of previous exotic pest incursions, many challenges remain, including sustaining local research, and developing and maintain high standards of bee biosecurity practice through programs like the National Bee Biosecurity Program (NBBP). Future biosecurity challenges are discussed within the context of the current and future needs of the industry.