Farmers urged to report abandoned hives

Farmers are being asked to report abandoned or neglected beehives, as concerns rise over the alarming increase in deserted colonies across New Zealand farmland.

Tough times in the honey industry have seen an increase in beekeepers abandoning their apiaries, and authorities say it presents a significant biosecurity risk. 

“The beekeeping industry is going through a very turbulent time and we’re getting a lot of reports about abandoned gear and hives,” says Niharika Long, general manager of New Zealand’s Management Agency for National American Foulbrood Pest Management Plan (the AFB Agency). 

“Sadly, for economic reasons, some beekeepers have just up and left. 

“That creates a risk for other beekeepers because American Foulbrood (AFB), a fatal bacterial disease, can spread from or to those colonies without anyone knowing about it.

“We really need farmers to call us if they notice hives on their farm have been abandoned or neglected.” 

AFB affects honeybee colonies, spreading through spores carried on equipment, in honey, or by bees moving between hives. 

Its spores are resilient and can persist for decades, making early detection and elimination crucial.

“The only way to get rid of AFB at the moment is to burn all infected hives – bees included,” Long says. 

“You also have to burn the contaminated gear.”

The AFB Agency is calling on farmers to report abandoned hives as early as possible. 

“While most farmers notify us after 12 months of neglect, we really need them to report concerns within six months,” Long says. 

“We don’t have enough field staff to be everywhere at once, so we rely on farmers to be our eyes on the ground.”

Farmers also need to be aware that beekeeping is subject to regulations, including inspections. 

Beekeepers are legally required to provide the AFB Agency with information about their hive locations, landowners’ contact details, and any potential access hazards.

“We want to ensure farmers know what to expect if an inspector comes around, knowing that these are the beekeeper’s obligations,” Long says.

“Inspections are mostly risk-based – we react to reports from other beekeepers finding AFB, and then we do surveillance around where the disease was reported, to find the source. 

“Other times, we learn about beehives that we hold no records for, so we need to investigate. 

“We don’t know who the landowner or beekeeper is, so our inspector will show up to try and figure that out.” 

Long says another emerging issue is farmers who, realising hives have been abandoned on their land, decide to have a crack at beekeeping.

“Farmers already have a lot on their plate, so once they realise how much work there is behind beekeeping, they sometimes decide to just leave the gear in the paddock or sitting in a shed. 

“But it’s that gear sitting there that presents a risk and which we’d like to be able to locate and do something with.”

There have also been cases of farmers selling abandoned beekeeping gear through TradeMe or Marketplace, Long says.

“They’ll often end up selling individual hives off to different people, which means we have unregistered hives spread all over the place, with no record of them. 

“If AFB was in those hives, it’s now spread far and wide.” 

The AFB Agency runs a national apiary database, similar to farming’s NAIT system. 

“So, when AFB is reported, we can see all the registered apiaries to find the source,” Long says.  

“But if there are unregistered apiaries in the area, we have no way of tracing AFB infections.

“Then it’s just a wild goose chase.” 

Federated Farmers biosecurity spokesperson David Birkett supports the call for farmers to play their part. 

“Bee populations are vital to agriculture and food production,” he says.  

“Identifying abandoned hives is a key aspect of controlling AFB, to ensure pollination of our foods and food supply is achieved.

“I strongly encourage any farmers who notice hives on their farms haven’t been touched for some time to contact the authorities.” 

Farmers who come across neglected or abandoned hives should contact the AFB Agency immediately on 0800 AFB PMP (0800 232 767) or by email info@afb.org.nz. 

There are currently 1845 cases of AFB nationally, out of 539,805 colonies, meaning it has a 0.34% prevalence.