The number of people studying to become beekeepers is on the rise as people seek out a new hobby or career change.
It's welcome news for the industry, which has an ageing workforce and a heavy reliance on migrant workers.
“I was doing housekeeping in Auckland. I had worked a few factory jobs too so I didn’t want another job inside,” apprentice beekeeper Frances Huia said.
Huia is one of many seeking a new hobby or career change.
In 2019, over 1000 people enrolled in apiculture courses, but that number jumped by an additional 600 last year - a rise of 65 per cent.
It's also seen a similar spike in industry-based training, which has more than doubled.
“It caught us totally by surprise. We took on about 15 lecturers. One of the significant factors was that there was a lot of young people that enrolled in our courses and we haven't traditionally seen that,” Otago Polytechnic’s David Woodward said.
It's thought a fees-free first year has contributed to the rise, as well as lockdown last year inspiring people to do something new. Many of the new students just want to have a hive in their backyard.
“The opportunity to, you know, grow your own plants, keep your own bees, raise chooks that produce eggs and that kind of thing,” Woodward said.
Apiculture New Zealand’s Karin Kos added that the “emphasis on natural health, the environment” has contributed to a boost in interest in beekeeping as a hobby or career.
While Apiculture New Zealand is also excited to see beekeepers wanting to have a career in the industry, it warns against people thinking a quick profit can be made by commercialising and selling honey.
“There's huge supplies of honey around sheds in New Zealand at the moment and we have seen prices drop fairly dramatically for beekeepers who don't specialise in the mono-floral manuka honey,” Kos said.
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