Trees for Honey John McLean PhD, MNZIF Consultant Entomologist Gisborne Presented to NZIF 2013 Conference New Plymouth, July 2, 2013

Early days of honey in New Zealand The original honey - collected from clover pastures all over New Zealand - clovers important as nitrogen fixers that lead to better pastures Today, bee services for Pasture pollination, Horticulture pollination And bee products Contribute $5 billion To New Zealand’s GDP First colonies imported By Mary Bumby in 1839 In to Hokianga Today in New Zealand 454,000 hives

Some current tree honeys Rata: Metrosideros umbellata Kamahi: Weimannia racemosa Rewarewa: Knightia excelsa Southern Beeches: Nothofagus spp. Tawari: Ixerba brexioides

Current Honey Harvesting Migratory beekeepers set up apiaries during flowering period of trees in order to collect the nectars that will be made into these specialised honeys. Honey supers are removed from hives as soon as the flowering period ceases so as to maintain fidelity of identity. (otherwise  ”multifloral”) Hives left on site to pollinate pastures and build up honey and beebread stores for overwintering. In the spring, hives need good pollen and nectar supplies to build up bee numbers for honey collection.

(New) flavour on the market Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) Medicinal qualities make this a highly sought after honey

Extensive use of Pinus radiata for land stabilisation. Intergenerational income, many stands beyond economic harvesting range. What alternatives?

Retirement of low productivity areas Stabilisation required An opportunity for current account contribution? Farmers, including Ingleby NZ, seeking to stabilise slopes and still derive some income.

What species is being planted here? Logging truck country?

Young manuka seedlings on Ingleby Farms, East Coast 4 years to flowering 6 years to full canopy at 1100 sph

Six functional groups of pollinators in New Zealand – which ones make honey? Only the honey bee provides the opportunity for a commercial harvest.

Beekeepers working an apiary – We need to take care of them if we want a harvest

The plants are growing. How do we gather the honey? The need for honey bees – Hardware (with maintenance workshop) Brood supers, honey supers, frames Wax melting for cleaning and preparing equipment Honey extraction equipment. – Colony support Pollens for protein and lipids throughout the year Nectars for energy, wax and honey stores Sheltered apiary support sites for queen and drone rearing All apiary sites require trees and shrubs for providing nectar and pollen for bees and all pollinators. Manuka honey collection in weeks; how are the bees supported for the rest of the year? A bee hive needs 20 Kg pollen, 120 Kg nectar and 25L water each year.

Trees for all reasons Pinus radiata – proven stabiliser of steep country on the East Coast, but poor pollen (6% protein) Eucalyptus spp. – especially NZDFI spp. In addition to durability, can also provide year round nectar/pollen sources for native biodiversity and bee keeping. Apiolaza et al. (2011) Amenity plantings and riparian zones – need for more care with species choices – see Federated Farmers/ Landcare Research “Trees for Bees” initiative at

Your help with helping us upgrade this list will be much appreciated. See also the Eastwoodhill Arboretum site for additional information at the recent Trees for Bees Conference, April 2013 Presentations available at

© Barry Foster Tawari Apiaries Ltd. Tawari flowers – bird pollinated Nectar readily harvested by bees