Early flowering in the bush and recent rain has helped hives with a nice amount of pollen and nectar.
BICWA
Update
The Bee Industry Council of Western Australia (BICWA) supports WA's bee industry, producers, and related organisations by providing leadership, advocacy and actively contributing to policy development and planning.
Words Kate Byrne, Chair, BICWA
Spring preparedness
EARLY flowering in the bush and recent rain has helped hives with a nice amount of pollen and nectar to kick start the upcoming spring. The season looks promising.
Regular hive inspections throughout the year are the most effective way to detect issues early and ensure WA maintains its Varroa mite free status, protects our premium honey reputation, and safeguards essential pollination services.
Ensuring all hives, commercial and hobby, are registered is a legal requirement and a simple step every beekeeper can take to help biosecurity efforts. Hive registration ensures quick contact should an exotic pest or disease be detected. For more information go to: www.dpird.wa.gov.au/businesses/beekeeping/pests-and-diseases-in-honey-bees
BEEINFORMED
BeeInformed is an initiative delivered by the APC Beekeeper Producers' Committee and funded by beekeepers through the APC fee-for-service.
Pollination shortfall
A recent report by Wheen Bee Foundation raised concerns of a 290,000 hive shortfall for the current east coast pollination season, following the collapse of feral bee populations due to Varroa. Australia, including WA, has long been dependant on feral bees for pollination, reducing the need for employing managed hives. With the loss of feral populations, pollination services demand has increased, and industry has been unable to keep up as hive losses continue, varroa management costs increase, and sadly, the discovery of miticide resistant varroa in Australia — another deep blow.
The National Farmers Federation Horticulture Council and the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council (AHBIC) has called for horticulture producers to plan now for a future where reliable, managed pollination can no longer be taken for granted. With Varroa in Australia to stay the cost and complexity of pollination has changed permanently for east coast growers, and WA will face a similar fate if we can't keep Varroa out.
The Wheen Bee report is available here: www.wheenbeefoundation.org.au/news-events/australian-pollination-strategy/pollination-security-status-report-2026-now-available
Federal-level emergency round table
With food pollination shortfalls and food security concerns, AHBIC in collaboration with the QLD Beekeepers Association and funded by the QLD Government, convened a two stage Honey Bee Industry Emergency Roundtable. Bringing together 40 industry representatives including governments, RDCs and pollination-dependent sectors. DPIRD and BICWA were both in attendance.
A detailed list of proposed actions was considered by the workshop, with participants ensuring they were deliverable, impactful and feasible under government policies and regulations.
The action list was distilled down to 11 key priorities which were presented to all levels of government (state and federal) prior to a July Decision Makers Forum. Sadly, the outcomes of the Decision Makers Forum fell short of what is needed to address the escalating Varroa crisis. Read more here: https://honeybee.org.au/honey-bee-industry-emergency-roundtable-2026/
Meetings and advocacy
Bee Biosecurity working group — BICWA and other industry representatives came together with DPIRD in July to discuss biosecurity updates and industry preparedness.
Improved biosecurity and traceability — Discussions continue with the WA Government to unblock the development of an online hive traceability system which BICWA secured funding for in July 2024. Despite BICWA's best efforts the project has been stalled due to changes in State Govt cyber policy.
National conference and AGM — AHBIC held its AGM in early July alongside the Tasmanian Beekeepers Association Conference. BICWA represented WA industry and presented the additional biosecurity
AHBIC AGM bee industry association delegates.
8,000 hives left WA on a one-way mission to SA, an increase from 600 hives in 2025.
Recent highlights
Bees to the east — With WA currently remaining varroa free, demand for pest free West Australian hives for eastern states pollination has increased. Recently 8,000 hives left WA on a one-way mission to SA, increase from 600 hives in 2025, creating a welcome opportunity for WA beekeepers, whilst supporting our less fortunate eastern counterparts.
Organisation growth — The past period has marked a significant step forward in strengthening BICWA's capability and professional skill base, with the recruitment of a legally qualified Company Secretary to support the Board and enhance governance capacity. In addition, BICWA were awarded funding from the Agricultural Produce Commission (APC) industry fee-for-service fund to enable recruitment of our first Industry Development and Project Officer — a much needed paid resource that will ease the burden on our volunteers and accelerate the delivery of key industry initiatives.
Staff & Committee
APC Beekeeper Producers' Committee
Matthew Colvin Chairperson
e: matt@wapurehoney.com
Jessica Brunner
David Christensen
Gary Richards
Kynan Ridley
Matt Welch
Postal address
PO Box 7205, Karawara, 6152
e: beekeepers@apcwa.org.au
Annual fee-for-service charge
To continue to fund critical biosecurity surveillance, preparedness and response initiatives, the Minister has approved a $30 increase to the 2024 annual fee-for-service. In 2026, the two-tier Fee for Service charge is as follows:
Service charge
Per beekeeper per year
plus Per bee hive in production
$
50.00
2.00
The compulsory Fee-for-service charge for beekeepers is collected by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development each year. Registered beekeepers receive a FFS Return form each year, with payment due on or before 30 June 2026.
Annual fee for 2026, you can download the return form including payment instructions from https://apcwa.org.au/producers-committees/beekeepers
measures BICWA is developing to strengthen WA borders against Varroa. It was an important forum to collect learnings from industry experts to inform ongoing WA varroa strategy and readiness planning.
In summary
Biosecurity, including protecting WA from Varroa, as well as Industry resilience remain BICWA's highest priorities. We continue to support WA's bee industry through advocacy, strategic initiatives, and industry engagement. With a promising season ahead and a skilled, enthusiastic team, BICWA remains focused on resilience, readiness, and growth. 🔶
More information
Kate Byrne, chair@bicwa.com.au