The department has put an immediate restriction on all beehive movements on public conservation land in a bid to try to reduce the risk of myrtle rust spread.
Research from Australia indicates bees can gather myrtle rust spores and return them to hives, effectively acting as vectors for the disease’s spread.
The restrictions apply to stopping hive movements from the North Island to South Island conservation estate land and banning movement from DOC land in the central North Island to Northland.
Similarly, hives cannot be moved from Marlborough and put in other public areas in either the South or North Islands.
Downunder Honey director Jason Prior said while the move is understandable it is likely to cause some complications this season to those beekeepers who might have committed and tendered to collect honey on the public estate.
“Those wanting to move hives around the country on DOC estate, this means their ability to chase honey flow will be limited but it may just mean they have to juggle around where they were going to send the hives.”
Apiculture NZ chief executive Karin Kos said the ban is not expected to have a major effect on honey harvesting this season, with a minimal number of beekeepers likely to be affected.
Prior said the DoC concessions for hives on its land have not in the last couple of years been the pot of gold they once were.
“DOC have been putting these sites out to tender and it can be a very expensive process to scope out what are often remote areas requiring a chopper to access. If you commit and the honey flow is not there it can cost you a lot.”
Kos said Plant and Food Research indicates bees in NZ, as in Australia, have a role to play in spreading myrtle rust. DOC wants more research into myrtle rust and bees to increase knowledge of the insects’ role in disease spread.
Myrtle rust is thought to have blown into NZ from Australia or Raoul Island, with the first alerts on the disease going out last year. It is known to have a debilitating impact on iconic myrtle species including manuka, pohutukawa, rata, kanuka and ramarama.
However, Kos and Prior confirmed a year into the alert the disease’s impact on valuable manuka plants has been minimal.
Prior said its effect is more noticeable on ramarama in certain areas of the lower North Island.
“It does not seem to have had the same widespread effect it has had in Australia. There they have been hit particularly hard on some species.”
The Ministry for Primary Industries publishes regular updates on myrtle rust incursions. The September report records seven new infection sites, including one in Waitara and four at Cape Palliser.
Manuka UMF Honey Association spokesman John Rawcliffe said the industry has looked ahead towards the worst-case scenario with myrtle rust and has developed resistant cultivars.
“The Crown estate must obviously take a conservative approach because they are there to protect our natural environment, not only now but for the future. It would be interesting to see if there is a pre-release of this information to other relevant government departments.”
A Biosecurity NZ spokesman said it is aware DOC is reviewing permissions for beehive movements in relation to the recent Biosecurity NZ-commissioned research.
To date the total infected sites are 776, with 68 of them on public land and only five on public conservation land.
DOC permissions and planning director Marie Long said the department is responsible for protecting NZ’s unique environment so has a duty to respond to an issue that could significantly harm native myrtle species.
