The Australian stingless bee industry is growing rapidly! To understand industry growth, surveys have been conducted every ten years. So far, there has been a 114% increase in the number of beekeepers between 1999 and 2010. This increase is close to what had been predicted.

Hopefully the stingless bee industry continues to grow. With recent events such as drought, bushfires and floods, there is a real possibility of colonies being lost. If you have faced any such difficulties Western Sydney University would like you to tell us about your experiences with keeping stingless bees by completing a survey.

The data collected will be used to keep participants updated on the advances made within the Australian stingless bee industry. The information from this survey will also help support research on stingless bees, which would further assist in the growth of the industry. 

The two studies undertaken so far are the 1998-99 study by Tim Heard and Anne Dollin, followed by a 2010 study completed by Megan Halcroft. We are aiming to continue documenting industry growth through this survey - the third decadal National Stingless Bee Survey - and we need the help of stingless beekeepers to do so.

We don’t want this to be just another survey you take and get nothing in return. Everyone who completes the survey will have a chance to win either ‘The Australian Native Bee Book’, by Tim Heard, or a native bee poster by Gina Cranson, or membership to a beekeeping club. The winners will be announced on 1st September 2020.

Who can participate in this study?

For this study, we are looking for stingless beekeepers. You can be a hobbyist, with one or more hives, or a professional stingless beekeeper with multiple hives. In short, you only need to have a stingless beehive to participate in this survey which will only take 20 minutes to complete.

The survey can be accessed at the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FHGFT8N

For further information contact Sunayana Sajith (PhD candidate leading the grower surveys) s.sajith@westernsydney.edu.au or Jasmine Grinyer (Senior Research Program Officer - Pollination) j.grinyer@westernsydney.edu.au