Over and above the cost of buying your beekeeping equipment and supplies, there are a number of costs associated with being a beekeeper in Western Australia. 

1. Registering as a Beekeeper and Obtaining your Hive Brand

It is a requirement under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management (Identification and Movement of Stock and Apiaries) Regulations 2013 that beekeepers are registered and that each beekeeper has a unique identifier (hive brand). 

Information on your legal requirements and how to register can be found on the Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development website - Registering as an owner of stock or as a beekeeper.

Currently the cost of registration and your hive brand is $ 80.36 (gst exempt) for a three year period. Your renewal will arrive every three years on the date of your initial registration.

2. Agricultural Produce Commission (APC) Fee for Service (FFS)

The Agricultural Produce Commission (APC) is a Western Australian Government body which works to support the beekeeping industry, primarily through biosecurity related projects and initiatives. Under the Agricultural Produce (Beekeeping Industry) Regulations 2003 the APC charges a compulsory annual  "Fee for Service" charge on all WA beekeepers to help support its activities. These activities include financing the Guardians of the Hive courses run by WAAS, supporting education programmes to be run by BICWA and the Bee Informed newsletter.

The annual renewal is sent out by mail (not email) on the 30 June each year. Fee collection is managed by DPIRD but is not to be confused with your registration fees (above).

Currently the fee consists of a $50 base fee plus $1 for every hive you owned on January 1 of the same year.

More information can be found on the APC website.

3. Local Council Beekeeping Charges

Local councils differ in their approach to beekeeping within their jurisdictions. Some require a simple application with no cost to the beekeeper. Others, such as Joondalup, require an initial application payment and ongoing annual fees. It is important that you check with your local council before you decide to buy a hive.

4. National Honey Levy and Charge

If you become a large scale producer of honey, producing more than 1,500kg of honey a year, or if you export more than 50kg of honey a month, you will become liable to make a payment under various Federal laws to the National Honey Levy. This levy is jointly managed by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (AgriFutures Australia), Plant Health Australia (PHA) and the National Residue Survey (NRS).  It is currently levied at a rate of 4.6 cents per kilo and is paid quarterly or monthly.

More information is available on the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry website.