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It was written by Cliff Van Eaton, formerly Apicultural Advisory Officer with MAF Qual and now with HortResearch. You can write to Cliff at CVanEaton@hortresearch.co.nz.
Some statistics have been updated by the webmaster.
Registration is compulsory and updated annually by a statement of inspection for American foulbrood made by each beekeeper.
The Italian bee (Apis mellifera ligustica) is the predominant bee kept commercially. The European Black bee (Apis mellifera mellifera) is also present, generally as feral colonies.
Other bees of economic importance include Megachile rotundata, Nomia melanderi, and Bombus horturoum, B. ruderatus, B. subterraneus and B. terrestris.
| Location | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | |
| Whangarei | 1,069 | 996 | ||
| Hamilton | 429 | 475 | ||
| Tauranga | 452 | 488 | ||
| Palmerston North | 1,123 | 1,282 | ||
| Blenheim | 376 | 447 | ||
| Otago/Southland | 420 | 497 | ||
| TOTAL | 4,539 | 4,956 | 4,914 |
| Location | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1995 |
| Whangarei | 2,540 | 2,359 | 2,898 | |
| Hamilton | 2,742 | 2,711 | 2,905 | |
| Tauranga | 2,852 | 2,854 | 3,531 | |
| Palmerston North | 3,577 | 3,719 | 4,011 | |
| Blenheim | 1,691 | 1,746 | 2,037 | |
| Otago/Southland | 3,483 | 3,568 | 4,112 | |
| TOTAL | 21,304 | 22,443 | 21,793 | 24,764 |
| Location | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1995 |
| Whangarei | 32,065 | 30,505 | 29,101 | |
| Hamilton | 48,042 | 47,092 | 43,742 | |
| Tauranga | 52,510 | 49,892 | 50,631 | |
| Palmerston North | 43,193 | 41,523 | 37,245 | |
| Blenheim | 26,362 | 25,405 | 22,679 | |
| Otago/Southland | 51,020 | 48,592 | 50,821 | |
| TOTAL | 314,091 | 320,113 | 302,988 | 293,080 |
Commercial Pollination (1992-93): kiwifruit - 81,500; apples - 11,750; other - 4300.
Live Bees: 2000 export production - 21,120 queen bees, 19,344 kg bulk bees; 1997-98 domestic production for sale - 55,000 queen bees (note: 40% of commercial beekeepers rear some or all of their own queens).
Beeswax (tonnes): 1997-8 national production - 170t; 2000 export sales - 65t.
Other Products: Pollen production - 6.6t.
Propolis has become popular as a health food product and curative; unprocessed production - 8.6t.
Income Produced from Beekeeping Industry (1993): NZ$48.2 million (honey valued at wholesale, packed level; health products valued at farm gate level).
Value of Honey Bee Pollination to Primary Production (1993): NZ$3,088 million, or 64 times the value of beekeeping products and services. This figure includes the export and domestic value of fruits, vegetables and seeds requiring honey bee pollination, as well as the value of replacement nitrogen produced from pollinated pasture legumes. New Zealand is highly dependant on such legumes for its sheep, beef and dairy production.
| Year | Total Crop (tonnes) |
Crop per Hive (kg) |
Honey Exports (kg) |
Beeswax Exports (kg) |
Package Bee Exports |
Queen Exports |
| 1973 | 5,340 | 25.5 | ||||
| 1974 | 5,140 | 24.7 | ||||
| 1975 | 7,411 | 36.3 | ||||
| 1976 | 4,915 | 23.9 | ||||
| 1977 | 6,078 | 29.3 | ||||
| 1978 | 8,279 | 39.2 | ||||
| 1979 | 6,474 | 28.5 | ||||
| 1980 | 7,489 | 32.0 | ||||
| 1981 | 6,931 | 29.1 | ||||
| 1982 | 6,495 | 25.6 | ||||
| 1983 | 5,059 | 18.8 | ||||
| 1984 | 5,818 | 21.0 | ||||
| 1985 | 10,314 | 33.3 | 2,477 | 75,727 | ||
| 1986 | 9,471 | 28.8 | 2,531 | 61,503 | ||
| 1987 | 10,091 | 29.6 | 1,870 | 85,467 | ||
| 1988 | 7,748 | 23.1 | 2,045 | 121,670 | ||
| 1989 | 5,752 | 17.4 | 1,040 | 85,505 | ||
| 1990 | 8,752 | 27.5 | 1,253 | 144,209 | ||
| 1991 | 7,290 | 23.3 | 1,696 | 116,397 | ||
| 1992 | 9,560 | 31.4 | 2,216 | 183,370 | ||
| 1993 | 7,086 | 23.7 | 1,765 | 94,922 | ||
| 1994 | 11,819 | 40.8 | 2,225 | 102,166 | ||
| 1995 | 8,047 | 27.5 | 2,616 | 102,400 | ||
| 1996 | 8,610 | 30.0 | 2,996 | 74,236 | 55,181 | 500 |
| 1997 | 8,537 | 29.7 | 1,688 | 61,368 | 45,865 | 1,300 |
| 1998 | 8,081 | 27.0 | 1,836 | 155,229 | 52,704 | 10,724 |
| 1999 | 9,069 | 29.9 | 2,030 | 73,156 | 15,908 | 10,965 |
| 2000 | 9,609 | 30.0 | 2,528 | 64,730 | 19,344 | 21,120 |
| 2001 | 9,144 | 29.4 |
Other significant honey sources with high export value include the native species rewarewa (Knightia excelsa), kamahi (Weinmannia racemosa), pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa), rata (M. robusta; M. umbellata), tawari (Ixerba brexioides), and manuka (Leptospermum scoparium), as well as the introduced species ling heather (Calluna vulgaris) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris).
Manuka has recently been found to have a unique antibiotic property not related to H2O2 (UMFtm).
Manuka has been shown to be effective against a range of bacteria including Helicobater pylori, a major cause of stomach ulcers.
Honeydew is also produced in large quantities from the native South Island beech (Nothofagus spp.). The honeydew is derived from excretions of the native scale insect Ultracoelostoma assimile.
Kashmir bee virus exists in New Zealand but is not observed to be a disease or pest.
Only two diseases of consequence are varroa mites and American foulbrood (AFB).
Varroa was first found in New Zealand in April, 2000. At present (August, 2001) it is still confined for the most part to the top half of the North Island. It has not been found in the South Island.
The National Beekeepers' Association (NBA) levies all beekeepers owning 3 or more apiaries or 10 or more hives for an AFB disease control programme.
A unique part of the programme is the "diseaseathon", where NBA members volunteer their services to inspect other beekeepers' hives for the presence of AFB.
In 2000-01, AFB was found by inspectors and/or reported by beekeepers in 0.46% of beehives and 3.7% of apiaries.
Feeding of antibiotics for the control of AFB is prohibited by law.
The NBA developed a Pest Management Strategy (PMS) for AFB under the Biosecurity Act, which replaces the Apiaries Act. The PMS took legal effect in October, 1998.
The NBA is the management agency under the PMS, and contracts AgriQuality NZ to carry out various operational functions.
Exotic Diseases: Annual active surveillance programme for exotic bee diseases carried out by MAF Quality Management (now AgriQuality NZ).
Hives in apiaries in "at risk" areas (ports, rubbish dumps, etc) are sampled for European foulbrood, internal and external parasitic mites and Africanisation.
As well, samples are collected from all beekeepers supplying queens and/or bulk bees for export. In 2000/01, AgriQuality (contractors for the NBA's PMS) wrote to 152 beekeepers requiring them to submit 1064 samples, made up of 630 honey samples and 434 bee samples. Beekeepers were chosen on the basis of past disease histories in their hives and hive holdings. AgriQuality also took some samples and other samples were submitted by beekeepers as suspect AFB.
The Quarantine Service of MAF also carries out extensive surveillance for imported live bees and bee products at all border points.
Surveillance Monitoring Summary for year ending 31 December 2000
| Samples tested for: | Routine Samples |
Suspect Samples |
Total Samples |
MAF Specification |
| Internal Parasites tracheal mite |
789 | 9 | 798 | 600 |
| External Parasites |
1,592 | 16 | 1,608 | 600 |
| European foulbrood |
386 | 269 | 655 | 600 |
AgriQuality NZ Ltd: In November 1988, the government turned the delivery services of the Ministry of Agriculture (MAF Quality Management) into a state-owned enterprise called AgriQuality NZ Ltd. Apicultural Officers are based at Whangarei, Auckland, Hamilton, and Palmerston North on the North Island, and at Timaru, Blenheim and Invermay in the South Island. Contact is Murray Reid, who is based at the Hamilton office (AgriQuality NZ, Private Bag 3080, Hamilton, ph 64-7-838-5841, fax 64-7-838-5846, email: reidm@agriquality.co.nz).
Horticulture and Food Research Institute: Private Bag 11030, Palmerston North. The institute conducts beekeeping research at Auckland and Hamilton. Contact is Dr. Mark Goodwin, Ruakura Research Centre, Private Bag 3123, Hamilton, ph 64-7-856-2835, fax 64-7-838-5507, email: HRRMG@hrr1.hort.cri.nz.
Asian Apiculture Association and International Bee Research Association: New Zealand representative is Cliff Van Eaton, 25 Perkins Drive, Te Puna, RD 6, Tauranga, ph/fax 64-7-552-4156, email: CVanEaton@hortresearch.co.nz.
Matheson, A.G. (1993) Practical Beekeeping in New Zealand, 2nd ed; GP Print, Wellington, NZ; 144pp.
The New Zealand Beekeeper, monthly journal of the National Beekeepers' Association.
Molan, P.C.; Russell, K.M. (1988) Non-peroxide antibacterial activity in some New Zealand honeys. Journal of Apicultural Research 27(1):62-67.
Van Eaton, C. (1987) Commercial queen production in New Zealand. American Bee Journal 127(11):773-74, 785.
Van Eaton, C. (1996) Protecting the health of New Zealand's honey bees. Bee Biz 3:16-17.
National Beekeepers' Association (1994) New Zealand beekeeping - an industry profile, 3rd ed. National Beekeepers Association, Hastings.
Reid, G.M.; Matheson, A.G.; Walton, G.M. (1988) Bibliography of New Zealand apiculture 1842-1986. Ministry of Agriculture, Tauranga.
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