CEO Report May 2025

What a country of contrasts! The southern regions are still under pressure from drought conditions whilst the northern regions have had too much rain leading to flooding.  These weather extremes significantly impact beekeepers in different ways.  I hope everyone is able to battle through these tough conditions. We encourage industry to seek support through their state associations and government agencies, where applicable, for recovery support and information.

Conference season is upon us with first of the conferences NSW Apiarists Association held last week at Ballina in NSW.  I hope everyone is taking the opportunity to attend a conference, not only to get the latest research and information around varroa, but also to connect with fellow beekeepers and learn from each other. Our events page  is a great place to see what is coming up on the calendar across the country.

2026 Bee Congress Cancellation

The AHBIC board has been meeting regularly to discuss the state of the industry.  In recognition of the extremely tough conditions for beekeepers the AHBIC board has had to make the tough decision to cancel the 2026 congress which was scheduled for Adelaide.  This decision was not taken lightly but is reflective of the pressures on industry currently.

The board considerations to cancel the congress included financial risk, reputational risk and the current sentiment of key sponsors and trade exhibitors.  Concerns about beekeepers’ ability to be able to attend and the potential for reduced delegates also weighed heavily on the decision.

AHBIC 2025 AGM

This year the AHBIC Annual General Meeting will be held in Adelaide alongside the timing of SA Apiarist Association conference.  The SAAA conference will be held on the 4^th July at Murray Bridge with the AHBIC AGM being held on the 5^th July a bit closer to the airport, at the Marion Hotel.  See the notice of meeting in this newsletter for more information.

Imported Honey Subcommittee

The Chair of the subcommittee and I have been meeting monthly with DAFF to progress the imported honey issue.  Earlier this month Jon Lockwood, Lindsay Callaway and I held a half-day workshop with the federal department in Canberra to deep dive on the industry issues.

The productive workshop has resulted in several outcomes and action items for us to work on.  It was great to hear from DAFF that they have taken our off the shelf honey product testing results and are working with National Measurement Institute to review the current testing protocols with the aim of strengthening them. Strengthening the testing protocols will be pivotal in enabling AHBIC and government to pursue honey’s that fail the testing.  At the moment most honey’s we have tested that have failed our testing, are still passing the current DAFF protocols, which frustratingly, is limiting our collective ability to conduct any decisive action towards it.

We are excited about the strong relationship we have built with DAFF and we are expecting some tangible action around imported honey in the coming months. Doing anything with government at this scale can seem slow but we feel we are getting closer to good outcomes.

Varroa Treatments

We continue to meet with manufacturers and researchers from Australian and around the globe to support opening up opportunities for new products to market, with a specific focus on effective non-synthetic alternatives.  There are products on the horizon that are looking promising but it will be sometime before they are available.  Some of the novel control products we are watching include double-stranded RNA technology, fungal control options, botanical control options and biological control solutions.

National Varroa Transition to Management Program

The National Varroa Transition to Management Program will conclude in February 2026.  This date is fast approaching, and beekeepers need to take advantage of the offerings from the program before it finishes.  The last of the free training opportunities are being rolled out around the country and are scheduled to finish in August, so get in before they finish.  Beekeepers should also be making the most of the extension officers or VDO’s across the country before they start winding down towards the end of the year.

Overall, the program is working to produce the ‘legacy pieces’ that will support beekeepers beyond the program.  Negotiations about where that information will be hosted is ongoing, but we are working to ensure that resources produced during the program will be easily accessible for all beekeepers post program completion.

Red Dwarf Honey Bee Incursion in WA

A total of 43 colonies have now been found and destroyed.  However, there is still three active foraging sites of concern.  All of the current detections are still within 2km of the original IP, but all detections have had Euvarroa present.

Negotiations are continuing around an approved response plan and funding arrangements but AHBIC continues to advocate for the need to eradicate this pest.

Further testing of historical samples of red dwarf honey bee and testing of both managed and feral European honey bees has not uncovered any further deformed wing virus which is good.  WA DIPRD are establishing a technical committee to determine the testing/surveillance required to achieve proof of freedom.

The Month Ahead

The month will be full of conferences with a conference nearly every week through to the start of July.  We are excited to be able to get out and about meeting with our friends of AHBIC and gauging the industry sentiment.  I look forward to seeing everyone at the upcoming conferences, we will be hosting a table across all conferences so come and say hello.

Danny LeFeuvre

CEO