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Impacts of prescribed burning on the honeybee and pollination industries

Prescribed burns are an integral component of Australia’s fire mitigation strategy. Although these burns are intended to protect people, property and biodiversity, they may have unintended consequences on flower-visiting insects such as honeybees. While prescribed burns are necessary, timing to reduce the impacts on the honeybee and pollination industry is not considered. This project aims to better understand the impact of prescribed burns on honeybees and their products (honey production and pollination services). We will examine and synthesise the existing scientific literature on the direct and indirect impacts of fire on honeybee health, pollination services, and honey production. We will also determine if and how fire may impact the availability and quality of nectar and pollen from flowers. From these studies we will create a living evidence database and report detailing the state-of-the-art knowledge of fire impacts on honeybees, and we will determine which topics require more study. We will perform case studies to generate the data required to determine the potential impact of prescribed burns on the beekeeping industry. We will also create a series of recommendations to help land managers, beekeepers and other stakeholders make science-based decisions about the intensity and frequency of planned fires.

Project date

30 Jan 2023-30 Apr 2024
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Principal investigator

Tanya Latty

Research organisations

The University of Sydney (USYD)

Project funded by

Multiple industries
Alternative protein Aquaculture Cereal grains Cross industry Essential oils Fruits Game Honey bees Nuts Other rural industries Pasture, fodder & feed Poultry Pulse grains

AgriFutures Australia

AgriFutures Australia proudly focuses on building a rich future for Australian agriculture. We live and work in the regions and …
  • Location

    Australia

  • Organisation type

    Research funding body

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