INDUSTRY NEWS
Queensland beekeeper notches up 21 years pollinating almonds
LEFT : Queensland beekeeper Rex Carruthers makes the trip with his bees down to Sunraysia for pollination season . What started out as an extra income stream is still going strong after 21 years .
AUSTRALIA ' S largest movement of livestock occurred in August . It ’ s estimated that more than 300,000 beehives were used to pollinate almond orchards in Australia this year . Beekeeper Rex Carruthers has been making the trip from Queensland to Sunraysia for the past 21 years . He initially got involved to create another income stream . “ Honey was being imported and almond pollination provided another way to make money ,” he said . “ Almond pollination is reliable and regular , while honey production in Australia isn ’ t .” According to Mr Carruthers it ’ s been a horrible season on the Sunshine Coast because there was no rain over spring and summer . He spent $ 35,000 on sugar to feed the bees in the lead up to almond pollination , so they were healthy for their work in the orchards . This year 1,020 of Mr Carruthers ' beehives made the journey from the Sunshine Coast to Sunraysia for almond pollination . The first truck load was 480 hives and the remaining 540 came on the second trip . The 1,955km journey , one way , is done in two days with the assistance of a second driver . Each truckload of hives is covered by 60 per cent shade cloth in accordance with Queensland Government requirements . The netting keeps the bees contained during transport and prevents other bees from hitching a ride . Mr Carruthers said varroa mite is a contentious issue among beekeepers . “ There were supposed to be 20 Queensland beekeepers bringing hives to Victoria for almond pollination , but there only ended up being six of us ,” he said . “ Let ’ s fight the mites , not the authorities and each other .” Mr Carruthers said he ’ s prepared for varroa mite . “ I ’ ve got a plan already in place , so I ’ m ready for when it arrives in my hives ,” he said . “ It will be a sad day , but it ’ s inevitable .” He estimates it will cost $ 40 per hive per year to treat varroa mite . “ I ’ m already treating for small hive beetle twice a year and I ' m hopeful that managing varroa mite will be similar ,” he said . Mr Carruthers has beekeeping friends in the US and Canada who are a similar age and they ’ ve never had hives free of varroa . “ I ’ ve already learnt a lot from them ,” he said . Mr Carruthers predicts that when the mite gets going there ’ s likely to be 40 per cent less beekeepers in Australia . “ Some will leave because of their age , others will be reluctant to do the extra work and it ’ s also possible that beekeepers won ’ t be able to afford the treatments because honey prices are so poor ,” he said . Normally after almond pollination Mr Carruthers takes his hives to Forbes , where they are placed in canola and Patterson ’ s curse for honey production . The hives then return to the Sunshine Coast after Christmas to prepare for almond pollination . However since the arrival of varroa mite Mr Carruthers hasn ’ t been able to leave his bees in New South Wales due to the movement control order that ’ s in place for Queensland .
8 In A Nutshell - Spring 2025 Vol 25 Issue 3