Skip to main content

Bee biosecurity

Bees are an important part of New Zealand's ecosystems and primary industries. Find out about MPI's work to make sure we're ready to respond to bee biosecurity threats.

In this section

I tēnei wāhanga

The importance of bees

Bees supply an export honey industry worth more than $348 million, but they are not simply producers of honey. Bees pollinate crops and native plants, and affect our ecosystems. Their health has far-reaching impacts on the local economy and environment.

Bees play a part in:

  • tree and crop farming
  • dairy farming
  • animal meat production
  • honey production
  • some forestry.

Without bees, our primary industries would suffer.

Preparing to respond

There are many pests and diseases that affect bees which aren't in New Zealand. We want to keep it that way.

One of our country's best defenses is readiness – preparing for a biosecurity threat. Several suspected outbreaks of exotic pests and disease are investigated in New Zealand each year. Being ready will put us in a much better position to protect our primary industries if a suspected outbreak turns out to be real.