Honey: Prices set to rise after 150 million bees wiped out in Gold Coast Hinterland

Honey prices will soar across the Gold Coast this summer in a blow to consumers’ hip-pockets. The surprising reason why will shock you.

BEEKEEPERS are warning honey prices will soar this summer after about 150 million bees were wiped out in the Hinterland bushfires.

Honey production across the Gold Coast is down at least 20 per cent because of the dry conditions.

John Polley, of Gold Coast Regional Beekeepers, said fewer trees were budding and flowering in drought conditions, so there was less food for bees to produce liquid gold.

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Honey prices are set to go up.

“A lot of beekeepers across the Coast are running out or have already run-out of honey,” he said. “I know beekeepers at Canungra, Mudgeeraba and Mount Tamborine who have nothing at all.

“One of them has 200 hives and for the first time, has no honey. Beekeepers like him are having to buy from wholesalers at Ipswich so they can supply their regular clients.”

Mr Polley warned the honey shortage had been aggravated by the devastating bushfires.

“For years, there’ve been no fires at places like Canungra, Binna Burra and Springbrook so there were well-established feral (wild bee) hives there,” he said.

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More than 150 million bees were wiped out in the bushfires.

“Hundreds of thousands of European honey bees and Australian native bees were destroyed in the fires. If 50,000ha was burnt, we estimate 2000-3000 hives would have been wiped out, with an average of 50,000 bees per hive.”

Mr Polley said the loss of thousands of hectares of trees had put pressure on remaining areas where bees could forage.

“It will take at least one good season for trees burnt in the fires to get back into bud and a lot of gums only flower every second or third year,” he said.

Gold Coast beekeepers supply Hive and Wellness Australia, is the country’s biggest listed honey company, with at least 150 tons of honey every year, at a retail value of more than $1.5 million.

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Be prepared to pay more for honey.

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Hive and Wellness Australia CEO Ben McKee predicted honey prices would rise in the next few months as a result of drought and bushfires.

“Honey production is a summer event and we were hoping winter and spring rains would break the drought. They didn’t, so we’re looking at a much-reduced honey season. It will be worse than last year,” he warned.

“The vast supply comes from NSW and Queensland, so when they’re having a bad year, it really hurts.”

Mr McKee said bushfires had created even bigger problems for the industry.

“State and national sites often have beekeeping site permits, so the bushfires were devastating for beekeepers who didn’t have enough time to get their bees out.

“The market for honey is already becoming more competitive and we expect prices to rise within the next few months.”

He could not predict how high they would rise.

“We store honey and we have adequate stock, but on the back of two bad seasons, this is where things starts to get tight,” he warned.