Fair Go - Bee poop

Welcome to NZ Beekeepers+
Would you like to join the rest of our members? Feel free to sign up today.
Sign up
Just seen the trailer for an article coming up on Fair Go for an issue with Bee poo.
Some lovely looking hives and obviously I don't know the full story yet, but it's clearly significant enough to get on the TV.

Why has this neighbour got a bee in her bonnet? Anyone know the back story?
 

Grant

Staff member
Founder Member
Platinum
10,498
4,941
We'll find out what all the fuss is about at 7.30pm
Stay tuned to TVNZ1 :)
 

Grant

Staff member
Founder Member
Platinum
10,498
4,941
Auckland Council compliance investigations team manager Kerri Fergusson says they’ve identified a commercial beekeeper who was dropping a couple of hives at the different properties around the area.
“When you put the whole thing together… it's far too many and that's where the nuisance came,” Fergusson said.
The beekeeper was initially warned and stopped operating for a time but resurfaced again at the end of last year.
Now he's been issued with an abatement notice and ordered to remove his hives from the area or face fines ranging from $740,000 for a one-off infringement to $300,000 if charged and convicted in court.
Fergusson says the council is going to improve how they identify beekeepers and where necessary, hold them accountable.

 

Grant

Staff member
Founder Member
Platinum
10,498
4,941
I have no idea where my bees poos plop....never seen a sign of it .
I would have thought that with the sheer volume of poop they had, the offending hive wouldn't have been very far away at all, and they could probably watch the flight lines.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: nikki watts
3,578
6,706
Hawkes Bay
Experience
Commercial
Part of me would love a nice shiny car that wasn't covered in bee poo, the rest of me doesn't care enough to do the job so my vehicles will stay like they are at least till Thursday when it's supposed to rain.
Personally I'm more concerned about the leavings of large animals around here like sheep, horses, peacocks et cetera but there is no doubt that some people get pretty cross about bee poo and both sides need to be reasonable. The latest corporate beehaver trick round here is to dump huge sites right on the town boundary which must really annoy a lot of urban people including all the hobbyists you have to put up with gross overstocking and quite possibly a lot of the blame for crap they weren't actually responsible for.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CHCHPaul

Grant

Staff member
Founder Member
Platinum
10,498
4,941
I couldn't help thinking that they should have used a bucket of WARM water. But it does sound like the commercial beekeeper in this hasn't done themselves any favours
 
245
156
Christchurch
Experience
Beginner
Now he's been issued with an abatement notice and ordered to remove his hives from the area or face fines ranging from $740,000 for a one-off infringement to $300,000 if charged and convicted in court.
Wow .. better to be taken to court and convicted than be fined by the council for a one off infringement.

Fergusson says the council is going to improve how they identify beekeepers and where necessary, hold them accountable.

Wouldn't the keepers registration number on the hive suffice? Fergusons idea sounds like work which will cause rates hikes but achieve nothing new
 
Last edited by a moderator:
245
156
Christchurch
Experience
Beginner
It's one weakness in the system we have ... no way of knowing approximately how many hives in an area. I just discovered a local school has multiple hives but only because I watched bees fly off in a different direction and someone local knew.
Their bees pounced on a drop of honey that fell on an outside bench when I was moving wets.
 

Trevor Gillbanks

Founder Member
10,637
7,219
Palmerston North
Experience
Hobbyist
An approximation helps avoid over crowding. When i placed my hives I had to make guesses re other hive activity and the chances my hives would get enough food, robbed etc
As a beginner, you are entitled to put hives on your property. It depends on how big your property is and how many hives you want to place. Putting 20 - 40 hives on a town section is probably not such a good idea. 2 - 4 hives on a life style block is OK.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tommy dave


Top