Drought hits bee keepers

Wanaaring bee farmers Brenton and Sue Lampe of the Bee Farm at Wanaaring Photo: TWH

A series of drought support workshops in Bourke, Walgett and Brewarrina last week heard stories of increasing hardship from producers not normally vulnerable to dry conditions.

The workshops attracted a range of landholders and producers keen to access any support available as they battle to stay solvent.

Brenton and Sue Lampe are Wanaaring bee farmers and the extreme conditions have had a severe impact on their honey production, reducing output by up to 95 per cent.

At the weekend, they moved their entire production from Bourke to Dubbo in an attempt to keep their bees alive and producing honey. It’s a risk that Brenton and Sue are hoping will keep their enterprise going after two extremely tough years. Read more in the printed edition of the Western Herald.