INVERELL district beekeepers are few and far between these days, Tingha’s Casey Cooper said.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
“That’s one major thing that’s really worrying to the industry,” he explained.
As current vice-president and former president of the NSW Apiarists’ Association, Casey said sustainability in the honey industry may be one of the bigger challenges for the future.
“Thirty, 40 years ago, at a local beekeepers meeting in Inverell, there could have been 50-60 beekeepers,” he said.
“(Today) you’re lucky to drag up 10 in the Inverell district – commercial beekeepers, I think I can count five, six.”
On the up side, beekeepers are still enjoying a good price for honey, but the positive has a sting in the tail.
“Shortage,” Casey said.
“Although the price is good, there’s still not a lot of honey around, so your average honey production is down by half this year.”
Several diseases and infections have decimated the Australia native bee populations and affected the bees bred for honey production.
Ongoing issues are climate variability, spray drift or improper chemical application, and vandalism.
Casey said an additional industry worry was a proposed rise from $100 to $1000 in tenancy leases for NSW State forest land, where beekeepers place their hives in square mile blocks.
I reckon, every morning I wake up, I learn something new, you’re always learning, and you’ve got to be open to be learning.
- Casey Cooper
He wished people were more aware of the critical role their bees play in pollination of native vegetation and cultivated crops, orchards and gardens.
And it is labour-intensive before the honey flows.
“There’s an immense amount of work that gets to that point; your hive health, hive strength,” he said.
“Sixty to 70 per cent of a beekeeper’s work is actually maintaining and looking after their hives, and 40 per cent is actually getting honey off and honey production.”
Though the work is labour-intensive, it was an outlet for Casey’s father who entered the industry after injuring his back multiple times as a station manager.
“He came back to Tingha where we were living at the time and saw a job with a beekeeper, and thought ‘I’ll give that a go’,” Casey said.
His father did not mind the work, got some of his own hives working, and Casey followed him into the business where he’s been for 29 years.
“It’s something you can get very intrigued in,” he said.
“I reckon, every morning I wake up, I learn something new, you’re always learning, and you’ve got to be open to be learning.”
He said newcomers interested in entering the business can find information may on the associations website: www.nswaa.com.au or their Facebook page.