FAQs - Beehive marking in Western Australia

These amendments are necessary to improve traceability for the bee industry in the event of a pest or disease outbreak in Western Australia (WA). Clearly identifiable hives enable beekeepers to be contacted and hives traced, if varroa mite or other exotic bee pests or diseases are detected in WA.

The revised requirements will:

• make the marking of hives with beekeepers’ registered identifiers easier for WA beekeepers.
• ensure all beekeepers are required to mark their hives, regardless of how long they intend to be a beekeeper.

The requirements for marking hives will be approved by the Director General and then published on the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) website. Beekeepers will be able to find the requirements in that part of the website dedicated to publishing matters approved by the Director General.

DPIRD will contact registered beekeepers to advise when the approval is published.

DPIRD is proposing a 12-month transition period after the amended regulations come into effect to allow beekeepers to change the markings on their hives if the identifier is marked in letters and/or numerals less than the proposed height of 19 mm.

If your current markings meet the proposed requirements you will not have to do anything, but if your markings are less than the proposed 19 mm height, you will need to replace them in an approved manner.

All beekeepers in Western Australia must be registered and mark their hives with their registered identifier.

If you are an unregistered beekeeper the information you need to become registered is available on the department's Registering as an owner of stock or as a beekeeper webpage.

To make a submission:

• read the consultation paper, consultation draft, proposed hive marking requirements and these FAQs 
• register (if you have previously registered on this site, then just sign in)
• complete the survey.
• email

Following the closing date, DPIRD will consider feedback and amend the consultation draft as appropriate. A consultation report will be published on the DPIRD YourSay site and submitters to the consultation will be notified.

Submissions may be published online as part of a summary report after the consultation period has ended, but you can request your submission not be published. The online survey form will ask you to nominate whether you wish to have your submission published.

For more information before making your submission, please email HiveMarkingRegulations@dpird.wa.gov.au