Bee aware of the buzz

Black and yellow, black and yellow, yeah, you know what it is. A bee of course. And today marks the first day of a whole month dedicated to the humble honey bee.

Bee lovers will be buzzing this September during Bee Aware Month, with the theme this year being honey – the stuff we put on toast, weetbix, in our beauty products and medicines.


The hardworking honeybee are getting the recognition they deserve this month.

Apiculture New Zealand (formerly the National Beekeepers Association) CEO Daniel Paul says the numbers of beekeepers and hives, particularly in the hobbyist/non-commercial sector have been increasing over the past couple of years.

Through the theme Show me the Honey!, we plan to demonstrate the increasing importance of honey – and therefore bees – to New Zealanders, says Daniel.

'It will be an opportunity to further position New Zealand honey as a value-added product that sits alongside Kiwifruit and our wine industry, among others, as lucrative export earners on the world stage.”

For example, encouraging honey and honey product sales, highlighting the health benefits and multiple uses for honey, educating the public about the different kinds of honey produced in New Zealand and their different tastes, and showcasing the significant economic export value and potential within the industry.

New Zealand's bee populations contribute about $5 billion to our economy annually and they support about one-third of everything we eat.

NZ's manuka honey is some of the highest valued honey in the world.

Comvita will be celebrating Bee Aware Month with a plethora of programmes planned.

Experience Comvita will be happening right here in the Bay at Paengaroa as it runs the ‘enter the world of the honey bee' guided tour.

Entry costs $5 per person with all proceeds donated to Bee Aware Month.

To book and for more information phone 0800 BEES BEES (0800 2337 2337).

ApiNZ, with the help of sponsors, will be running a number of other activities and competitions during Bee Aware Month, including last year's very successful Council Bee-Friendly Garden Challenge.

This year, over 1000 schools will receive bee-friendly wildflower seeds to plant, thanks to Bayer.

A list of ApiNZ activities can be found here.

For background information on BAM and how you can help bees from home, click here.

Anyone interested in BAM will be able to get involved and keep up-to-date with what's happening via the Bee Aware Month Facebook page.

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