❓ Hon Simon O'Brien asks the Minister for Agriculture and Food what reassurance can be offered to beekeepers concerned about bee swarms being exterminated by pest control businesses. The Minister's response acknowledges the issue and explains the circumstances where extermination may be the only solution.
AnsweredQoN 1180Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
BEEKEEPING —
SWARM PROTECTION
1180. Hon SIMON O'BRIEN to the Minister for
Agriculture and Food:
What reassurance can the government
offer to beekeepers concerned that bee swarms need to be protected from
extermination by pest control businesses?
SWARM PROTECTION
1180. Hon SIMON O'BRIEN to the Minister for
Agriculture and Food:
What reassurance can the government
offer to beekeepers concerned that bee swarms need to be protected from
extermination by pest control businesses?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for that
question. I understand that many members have been contacted on this point. We
have had an interesting response from the industry. It states —
As a result of people becoming
increasingly aware of the environment, their footprint on the environment and
where their food comes from, we have seen a significant increase in the number
of backyard hobbyist beekeepers � the number of registered beekeepers � is over
3,000 �
As many budding beekeepers will no
doubt find, it can be quite a bit harder than simply purchasing a hive and
hoping the bees will take care of themselves. Particularly at this time of year
when flowers are in full bloom, the hive will generate queen cells. If a beekeeper
doesn't maintain their hive and remove these queen cells, once the new
queen hatches, she will force the old queen out of the hive. As the old queen
departs, a swarm of bees will go with her.
More frequently, this is how we end
up in a situation where the swarm will attempt to make a new home in someone's
house. Many of our Local Governments have a list of qualified people who are
swarm collectors, which offer relocation services � However, regrettably there
are circumstances where the swarms find themselves in a location, such as a wall
cavity, where it is simply impractical to remove them and extermination is the
only solution.
question. I understand that many members have been contacted on this point. We
have had an interesting response from the industry. It states —
As a result of people becoming
increasingly aware of the environment, their footprint on the environment and
where their food comes from, we have seen a significant increase in the number
of backyard hobbyist beekeepers � the number of registered beekeepers � is over
3,000 �
As many budding beekeepers will no
doubt find, it can be quite a bit harder than simply purchasing a hive and
hoping the bees will take care of themselves. Particularly at this time of year
when flowers are in full bloom, the hive will generate queen cells. If a beekeeper
doesn't maintain their hive and remove these queen cells, once the new
queen hatches, she will force the old queen out of the hive. As the old queen
departs, a swarm of bees will go with her.
More frequently, this is how we end
up in a situation where the swarm will attempt to make a new home in someone's
house. Many of our Local Governments have a list of qualified people who are
swarm collectors, which offer relocation services � However, regrettably there
are circumstances where the swarms find themselves in a location, such as a wall
cavity, where it is simply impractical to remove them and extermination is the
only solution.
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