A buzz over backyard beehives

It was a bit of a buzz kill for a Western Australian couple on Tuesday when their application to City of Subiaco to keep a beehive in their backyard was denied.

But the motion has raised public awareness and debate about the benefits of backyard beekeeping – and might also be a precursor for improving Perth’s council frameworks to support amateur apiarists.

Subiaco councillor Julie Matheson is a strong supporter of suburban beekeeping in WA and was disappointed with the meeting outcome, with the hive application voted down by six votes to five.

More than 90 per cent of registered beekeepers in WA are amateurs. Photo: Elesa Kurtz

She says Perth needs to improve its system for backyard beekeeping applications.

“Subiaco council has not had an application for a beehive in the past four years since I have been on council,” she says. “The officer’s recommendation was for refusal. The city does not have a framework to assist in the management or control of activities for beekeeping. These reasons did not dissuade me from putting up a motion to approve the application.”

Yet Matheson is hopeful of change, with mayor Heather Henderson revealing after the meeting that Subiaco staff will work on a policy for future hive applications and to support beekeeping, with the policy adaptable for other councils to use for their communities.

Subiaco council is working on a policy for future backyard beehive applications. Photo: actlawrence.dutrieux

“I support beekeeping, because only a relatively small part of Western Australia is suitable, as much of the landscape lacks melliferous flowers needed for honey production,” she says.

“We should be encouraging backyard beekeeping – it’s a rewarding hobby for dedicated beekeepers. Honey is an important food source and has therapeutic purposes.  

“Bees are important to support our food production and our parks and gardens, which Subiaco has won many awards for.”

Matheson says honey can differ in flavour vary from suburb to suburb, and have different health benefits and therapeutic purposes.

“Surprisingly, no two sources of honey taste the same,” she says. “It depends on where the bees are located and the variety of available flora. Encouraging bees and beekeeping in suburban areas means a range of honey flavours and therapeutic purposes identified by their locality. Acacia honey aids intestinal health. Chestnut honey is a remedy for anaemia and fatigue. Honey from eucalyptus flower – the type of flowers we have in the Perth metropolitan area – helps relieve symptoms of the respiratory tract.”

Matheson says Paris is a great example of a city that has encouraged suburban beekeeping.

“Paris supports beekeeping as a trend against the crisis in rural beekeeping caused by the collapse of bee numbers,” she says. “The French city is officially a pesticide-free zone to support bees. Significantly, the success of urban bees in Paris is based on the variety of flora found in the city parks compared to the countryside.” 

Prominent Perth apiarist Dan Dowsett, known as The Bee Whisperer, says he does not think everyone should be allowed to put beehives in suburban areas, because some places are not suitable or large enough, and he does not think the proposed site for the Shenton Park couple’s beehive was adequate.

“The site location for that beehive is very small,” he says. “There are buckets and buckets of honey to be had in Subi, but many unanswered questions remain. On the face of it, I would emphatically say no to the beehive until all questions have been addressed.”

According to the Department of Agriculture and Food, there are more than 960 registered beekeepers in WA with nearly 29,000 hives. More than 90 per cent of these are amateur beekeepers.

Dowsett says the WA Apiarists Society strives to support backyard beekeeping.

“The WA Apiarists Society Inc does its fair share to support urban beekeeping,” he says. “Two hundred members are continually reaching out to others with all kinds of help. You would be amazed at what has been done and is being done. Beekeeping is not simple. It is a learnt craft.”

Regardless of whether you keep bees or not, Matheson says one way everyone could help WA bees is to stop using chemical pesticides.

“You can support native bee habitats and consider keeping native stingless bees, which are important pollinators of Australia’s unique wildflowers and a vital part of our Australian bushland.”

Requirements for beekeeping

From the Department of Agriculture and Food:

– If there is not already a water source located with the bees, you must provide one.

– All used hive components not being used to house bees must be stored in a way that bees cannot gain entry to them.

– Observe hive density limits for hives in built-up areas.

– Ensure bee flight paths do not interfere with neighbouring land, roadways and walking tracks or paths.

– Check your local government authority regulations, as approval to keep honeybees might be needed.

​Maya Anderson is a freelance journalist who writes the blog House Nerd at house-nerd.com.