Beekeeping

Victor Croker and Dave Leemhuis struggled to keep their bees alive during winter so they developed a new insulated hive. It's proved so popular among beekeepers that 500 are now being shipped to the United States each week. 

An outbreak of the bee-killing parasite is confirmed for the first time in Victoria,  just weeks after Australia's largest annual movement of honey-bee hives began arriving in the state.

Data on 40 different insect species across 19 countries points towards pollinators and beneficial predator species experiencing an almost 40 per cent drop in productivity.

As beekeepers from four states cross borders to pollinate almond trees, there are fears the annual event could help spread the deadly varroa mite around the nation.

Beekeepers are being urged to monitor, test and treat infected colonies as varroa mite continues to spread throughout southern NSW, including to Bega near the Victorian border.

As a parasite threatens Australia's bee population, flower flies could provide the nation with the support it needs. 

The honey bee-killing parasite has spread across New South Wales. Now, other states and territories are potentially in the firing line.

Fearing for their treasured bees, a couple of amateur organic beekeepers launch Varroa Warriors to combat confusion over treatment options.

Whether you're interested in the sweet benefits of backyard beekeeping or making your home more appealing to solitary species of native bees, what can you do to attract them to your garden?

Flowers, honey and plenty of produce: bees play a vital role in nature's ecosystem, and without them, we wouldn't have any of these things. 

Broome beekeeper Ryan Leavitt is devastated — and thousands of dollars out of pocket — after 960,000 bees from his hives were poisoned with insecticide in a single night.

As almond growers and beekeepers prepare for the upcoming pollination season, industry experts warn ongoing restrictions on moving bees could cripple the harvest for another year.

A variety of the highly destructive varroa mite has been detected in Brisbane. Movement restrictions have been imposed and keepers are being urged to test their bees for the parasite.

The wingless braula fly, which rides on bees before laying larvae that can damage honeycomb, has been found in bees near Tamworth.

Too few to reproduce, a single Asian honey bee queen and her workers defied the odds to establish thousands of colonies. How they did it could help bring others back from the brink, but not without a cost.

A solitary specimen of Varroa jacobsoni, which is a different species to the pest plaguing New South Wales and Victoria, was found during a routine inspection of a sentinel hive in Brisbane. 

It has been nearly five months since Australia gave up trying to eradicate varroa mite, but a national plan is now locked in to slow its spread.

Scott Whitaker shows no fear and films as he collects tens of thousands of "super gentle" bees during a bumper swarm season.

Beekeepers say cheap foreign honey is pushing prices down to unsustainable levels but importers say they are providing options to value-conscious shoppers.

Several beekeepers in South Australia's Riverland are calling for greater transparency on the potential harm of the state's fruit fly chemical sprays.