Waikato based Manuka Honey producers, SummerGlow Apiaries welcome the backyard beekeeping boom.

Backyard beekeeping is the latest craze to hit the backyards of New Zealand and leading Waikato-based Manuka Honey producers, SummerGlow Apiaries are happy to see the rise in the urban beekeeping.

“From our perspective anything that encourages a growth in the bee population in New Zealand is absolutely fantastic,” says James Jeffery, co-owner and director at SummerGlow Apiaries at Te Kowhai.

While SummerGlow Apiaries are excited about the boom in the backyard beekeeping craze, they do advise caution: “We recommend contacting your local experienced beekeeper or joining a hobby group to be properly informed about the best bee keeping practices and follow the guidelines,” says James.

“Make sure you get your hives inspected. Poorly kept hives can contribute to the spread of diseases among bees,” advises James. The American Foulbrood bacterial disease and the discovery of the Lotmaria passim parasite in Coromandel, threatens New Zealand's $187 million honey export industry.

The number of registered hives in New Zealand reached 500,000 in 2014, an increase of 55,000 from the previous year according to data from the Ministry for Primary Industries. Numbers of hobbyist beekeepers have increased by 81 percent since 2010.

Bee numbers worldwide are in decline, some of the main factors causing this are nutritional stress, lack of food compromising the bees’ resistance to pests and diseases and pesticides and sprays. More than $5 billion of New Zealand’s agricultural exports also depend on bees.

SummerGlow Apiaries have been beekeeping and producing Manuka Honey for more than 40 years. They have specialised in high activity UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) Manuka Honey for the past 20 years. In particular SummerGlow Apiaries specializes in the highest quality UMF16+.

SummerGlow is the original source of genuine Manuka Honey. When you think Manuka Honey, think SummerGlow Apiaries.