DEADLY STING IN GABRIELLE’S TAIL

MASSIVE LOSS: The beekeepers of the region were hard hit by cyclones Hale and Gabrielle and other weather events over summer. An estimated 1200 behives filled with tens of millions of bees were destroyed. An East Coast apiarist is pictured working in the ravaged remains of one of his hive locations after Gabrielle. Picture supplied

Cyclones Gabrielle and Hale and other recent rain events have destroyed an estimated 1200 beehives across Tairāwhiti and killed as many as 60 million bees in what a leading Gisborne apiarist describes as “considerable and widespread” impact.

Many other apiaries (beehive locations) were left stranded or cut off, said Barry Foster — a commercial beekeeper with over 40 years of experience and a former president of the National Beekeepers Association.

This had led to possible biosecurity concerns around treatment for the deadly parasite varroa mite and potential American foulbrood (a fatal bacterial disease) issues as beekeepers struggled to get varroa controls in and complete the last of this year’s honey harvest.

“At the peak of the summer season a hive could have 60,000 adult bees in it at any one time,” Mr Foster said. In winter this could drop down to 15-to-20,000 adult bees and some brood (baby bees).

“If I had to estimate numbers in the hives that were lost they would have had possibly 50,000 adult bees in each hive, so with 1200 hives lost, you’re looking at huge numbers (60 million).”

Mr Foster said the exact number of hives lost because of Cyclone Gabrielle and other recent weather events in this region may never be known.

“We may also never know the full extent of the impact on local beekeeping businesses.

“Suffice to say, the weather impacts were considerable and widespread, with an estimated 1200 hives lost to flooding in the Gisborne region alone.”

Mr Foster said disposal of flood-affected hives also became an issue as plastic frames had to be burnt — often on site — or buried in a safe manner.

He weighed in on land-use practices that in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle have led to a ministerial inquiry.

“The clean-up continues involving the repair of vital infrastructure such as roads, bridges, power supplies and, not the least, freshwater supplies up and down the East Coast.

Benchmark for safe locations for hives no longer applies

“It will take years to get back to where we were, if indeed we should, and that question is part of an ongoing and wider debate on current and future land use in our region.

“We live in an isolated region predominated by a soft rock geology in combination with steep terrain and a history of past poor practices in land management in terms of mitigating the results from severe weather events.

“If there is one stark lesson for all beekeepers in New Zealand from these recent events, it is that past benchmarks on where it is safe to locate apiaries no longer apply.

“We can no longer look to past experience, such as the often-cited Cyclone Bola in 1988, for a safe benchmark in terms of flood risk. This benchmark no longer applies.

“Instead we need to take an educated guess at what the future holds in terms of severe weather events, and to build into our thinking an extra layer of risk aversion before we locate near rivers or on sites prone to erosion and flooding.”

Mr Foster said since the cyclone, local beekeepers had continued to lose hives while other hives had weakened because of the late placement of varroa control treatments due to access problems.

“In addition, this past summer was poor in terms of honey production, and many hives are going into winter with lower levels of stores than usual, requiring a lot more feeding with sugar and protein supplements than usual, compounding the adverse effects of the cyclone and its aftermath.

“There are, however, positive lessons to be taken from Cyclone Gabrielle and its aftermath.

“One is that it brought local beekeepers together — in some cases, connecting them on levels never done before.”

Mr Foster said beekeepers who lost hives had appreciated the offers of help and donation of hives.

“What Cyclone Gabrielle and other recent flood events have done to the beekeepers and all the people of this region can be encapsulated in the quote from an unknown author:  ‘adversity is one of life’s greatest teachers’."