Bees in Northern Rivers NSW: Keeping, Natives and What to Plant

Which bees live here, whether you can keep them, and how the season works in your part of Australia.

Stingless bees: yes! Your region is prime country for native stingless hives, no registration, no varroa, superb pollination. Start with the stingless guide and the hive buying guide.

The bees you will see in Northern Rivers NSW

Tap any bee for identification details. Images are AI-generated illustrations.

Keeping bees here

Subtropical conditions almost identical to SEQ: year-round forage, mild winters, thriving stingless bee culture around Lismore, Byron and the Tweed. NSW DPIRD registration and the Code of Practice apply, and varroa management is now routine here, this region was close to the original incursion zone.

Registration: required in New South Wales before your first honey bee hive. Details, costs and links on the state registration guide. Stingless bees never require registration.

Swarm season

August to October. If a swarm lands in your garden, here is what to do.

The flying year

Coastal heath and camphor flowering keep bees busy most months. Hinterland keepers get a true winter pause in the valleys.

Plant for your bees

Bees need flowers in every season, and your vegetable garden can supply most of them. Borage, lavender, rosemary, alyssum and sunflowers carry the gaps between crop flowering. The Northern Rivers NSW grow guide shows exactly what to plant this month, and the free app turns it into a plan.

Keep records the easy way. The Planting Season beekeeping app logs inspections, varroa washes and harvests per hive, with reminders tuned to Northern Rivers NSW. Free to start.

More bee regions

South East Queensland North Queensland Northern Rivers NSW Sydney & Coastal NSW Melbourne & Victoria Adelaide & SA Perth & WA Canberra & ACT Tasmania Darwin & Top End

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Images on this page are AI-generated illustrations.