NSW beekeepers have been devastated by a series of chemical attacks that have killed millions of bees, on the South Coast and cost apiarists hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost honey production and damages.

On Monday, June 18, commercial beekeepers discovered their hives had been sprayed with poison and that their bees were dead or dying.

Initially it was thought that about 750 bee hives had been destroyed. However, on further investigation the estimate by authorities on Thursday was about 1200 hives over at least 10 locations.

Apiarists believed that the killings might have been targeted at large scale commercial beekeepers, as smaller operators hives seemed to be untouched.

NSW Police Rural Crime Squad is treating the attack as a serious crime and is hunting those responsible.

On Tuesday, Department of Primary Industry senior regulatory inspector Paul Anderson arrived in the area and with apiary inspector Wayne Haigh, inspected the affected sites in the national parks and state forests north and west of Batemans Bay. They collected and sent sample dead bees away for forensic testing.

On Thursday, Mr Anderson was able to reveal that the chemical Permethrin had been used in the attacks on the hives.

He also said that because of the penetration level into the hives it was likely that a pressurised spray system had been used to dispense the chemical.

Mr Anderson said that it appeared that mainly the larger scale apiarists had been hit by the attackers.

He said it appeared the attacks probably took place on Friday night or over the weekend.

“It will cost these producers at least a season to recover from this by the time they build replacement boxes and recreate hives,” he said.

“Because of the chemicals, the honey that the bees have made has also been rendered unfit for use and will have to be destroyed.” Pat and Wendy Roberts who run Rainforest honey at Sunshine Bay and supply Woolworths estimated their losses at well over $100,000 with the loss of 240 beehives.

“They were definitely sprayed,” Pat Roberts said. “Yes it was done intentionally. Yes, with malicious intent.”

It seems that all the larger beekeepers were hit, possibly by someone wearing a backpack spray unit walking along spraying the entrance to all the hives.”

Areas where the attacks occurred include Western Distributor Road, Iron Bark Ridge, Clyde Ridge Rd, Skid Ridge Rd, Livingston Creek rd and Pebbly Beach Rd at East Lynne. In many cases the hives were well off the road.

One of the smaller boutique honey producers who was spared from the attacks was Gary Poile from the Southern Tablelands. His family has been producing honey for decades and he had his hives in the area for the spotted gum flowering.

Mr Poile explained that this year was a particularly good year for spotted gum and most of the state’s honey producers would have had hives in the area.

“There were possibly even interstate producers here too,” he said.

“My hives are in small groups and well off the road mostly hidden from sight.

“Some of the larger producers who supply the bulk honey market have pallet loads of hives in one spot.

“We all have our particular spots spread from Ulladulla to Narooma.”

Mr Poile said the attacks on the larger producers could have disastrous effects for the industry as well as on the stone fruit and nut industry.

“Many of the larger producers would soon be packing up their boxes and heading down to the Riverina for the almond flowering where they are contracted to pollinate the almonds,” he said.

“We, (the smaller producers) stay on here longer.”

“It is not viable for us to head down there.” Mr Poile said that an attack on his hives would be devastating for him and he doubted that he could recover.

He said that for any producer to lose half their hives would basically cost them at least a full season’s honey production while they rebuilt and created new viable colonies. Bob Shaw from Windellama, another of the small producers, said his hives were also in the area and he had not visited them for about three weeks.

After hearing about the poisonings he was anxious to head down and see if they were ok however the weather on Thursday looked nasty and he only had a two wheel drive vehicle and doubted he could get in to where he had his hives.

He said that spotted gum honey was particularly nice and he hoped that his hives had not been affected.