Urban beekeeping can be an enjoyable hobby, producing a healthy nutritious product for home consumption. Bee keeping is low risk to the human population, however, can cause community concern, especially by neighbours. Beekeepers must take special care so their bees do not become a nuisance to neighbours, or even appear to be a problem. Talk to your neighbours before establishing a hive.
As part of the implementation of the Biosecurity Act 2019 (the Act), beekeeping is now considered a ‘regulated dealing’ and under the Act, a person must not engage in a regulated dealing unless they are registered. Therefore, registration is now compulsory for all Tasmanian commercial and recreational beekeepers. This requirement was formalised in new Biosecurity Regulations 2022 which came into effect on 2 November 2022.
Biosecurity Tasmania has implemented BeeTAS to assist beekeepers with managing their registrations. BeeTAS can be accessed at www.nre.tas.gov.au/beekeeper-registration. You must register as a beekeeper in Tasmania if you keep bees, either commercially or for recreation.
The online system allows beekeepers to:
- register or renew their registration;
- maintain their apiary site information;
- record inspection details, record hive purchases, disposals and hive movements; and
- upload training certification and laboratory results.
The Tasmanian Beekeepers Association’s “Urban Beekeeping Code of Practice” aims to ensure that the keeping of honey bees does not have a negative impact on people, property, domestic animals or native flora or fauna. The code of practice can be found at www.tasmanianbeekeepers.org.au/code-of-practice-for-urban-beekeeping-in-tasmania
You can also visit this page – Compulsory Registration for Tasmanian Beekeepers | Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (nre.tas.gov.au) – for more information.