How do extreme climate events impact honey production?

Also including: Norwood Park users call for extra traffic lights

Author

Matthew Sims
August 29, 2025

⏱ The 71st edition of our newsletter is a 7-minute read.

👋 Hi there, it’s Matthew Sims, your reporter at the Eastern Melburnian.

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Now, what’s been happening lately?

🐝 Well, have you ever thought about how much bees influence your life?

You’d probably think bees don’t do much more for you than a common household spider.

However, I learned earlier this week about the complex life cycle of bees and how many parts of life it touches, from how they are used in the agricultural production of the food we eat to the value they deliver to plants and flowers via pollination.

I met up with local beekeeper Laszlo Kun in Belgrave South to take a closer look at one of his 16 apiaries he maintains across the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

He also provided some insights about how low rainfall and hotter days had led to the majority of his hives being not able to produce honey.

The more I take a look at how climate change impacts the environment, the clearer it becomes that all things that call our planet home are essential. According to Laszlo, bees have become a livestock animal via commercial food production, instead of just part of the natural processes. Maybe it’s time to stop using bees and other native animals for our own gain and focus on how they can recover and how we can rebuild in a more diverse world.

In other news, the ongoing saga of the Victorian government’s carded play trial continued, with Monash Council pulling out their support for the test, which would’ve occurred across its 15 pubs and clubs housing pokie machines.

đŸ—žïž Let’s dive in to the other headlines.

Three-quarters of what humans eat are dependent on the pollination of bees, including almonds, avocados, blueberries, apples and pumpkins.

The one thing you gotta know ↑

HEARD THIS WEEK👂

Drought conditions last Spring and Summer impacted a range of agriculture producers across Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. On a smaller scale, a local beekeeper says the changing climate and weather meant only two of his 16 apiaries produced honey in the 2024/25 season.

Local beekeeper Laszlo Kun, who stepped away from his day job in 2020 to launch his business, Beesfriend, told the Eastern Melburnian the stress put on bees by the drought meant the hives struggled to access extra nutrients.

Kun said the main way to protect local and global bee populations was to allow them to build their own resistance to the changing climate, as well as threats to their health like the varroa mite. With increasing habitat loss, pesticide use and climate change, a number of species are facing the risk of extinction.

“We need a long-term game plan,” he told the Eastern Melburnian.

“We have to let the bees be bees.”

As Australia’s climate continues to change, bushfires and extreme heatwaves will become more frequent and severe, and the increasing prevalence of bushfires will also impact local wood-nesting bee populations and their habitats. The Climate Council reports the ongoing burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas as key instigators of this extreme weather.

Higher temperatures will also impact the country’s flowers, and could lead blooming seasons to occur weeks or months earlier than expected. In 2024, Victorian botanist and beekeeper Doctor Anna Carrucan told the ABC the hotter weather will “affect how well trees flower and therefore how much pollen and nectar they provide for insect foragers or even if certain plant varieties and landscapes persist.”

“We have to let the bees be bees”: How can we help Australia’s smallest livestock animal thrive in a changing world?

Three-quarters of what humans eat are dependent on the pollination of bees, including almonds, avocados, blueberries, apples and pumpkins.

Monash Council has joined the exodus of those opposed to the Victorian government’s trial of carded play on poker machines.

At the council meeting on Tuesday, August 26, the council approved a motion to withdraw its support for the trial and advocated for the state government to reinstate a mandatory pre-commitment pilot, among other measures.

According to the state government, the test of the new YourPlay technology will run from September to November across 43 venues in the Monash, Greater Dandenong and Ballarat LGAs.

Monash councillor Stuart James said without fully confronting gambling harm and the health impacts it has on communities – including increases in youth suicide, violence against women and children and mental health issues – the government was failing to protect the people.

“While the government’s addiction to the $2.28 billion in tax revenue is evident through the lack of genuine progress on pokie reform and gambling reform more generally
it dwarfs the cost of $14.1 billion in annual costs to the community,” he told the chamber.

“Governments at all levels can and must do more to deal with the scourge of problem gambling.”

One of two votes against the motion was mayor Paul Klisaris, who said he was “troubled” by the part of the motion which would withdraw the council’s support for the trial.

“I think we need to be in the game,” he told the chamber.

In a statement to the Eastern Melburnian, a Victorian Government spokesperson said it would “continue to work hand in glove with the industry and stakeholders on this”.

Tackling the “scourge of problem gambling”: Monash steps away from gaming trial

The council’s decision to retract its endorsement of the trial follows the Alliance for Gambling Reform withdrawing its support earlier this week.

🚩 Does this Ringwood North intersection need traffic lights?

Hundreds of Ringwood North residents have joined the call to install traffic lights at the entrance to Norwood Park due to safety concerns.

Maroondah Council accepted a petition including 255 signatures at its August meeting calling for the installation of traffic lights on Warrandyte Road outside Norwood Reserve, with the council pledging to undertake a traffic survey to determine how safe the intersection was.

SEEN THIS WEEK đŸ€“

Have you ever heard of “walking basketball”?

One of our contributors popped down to Nunawading Basketball Centre to see how to play and speak to some of the local participants about why they enjoy playing the low-impact sport to stay fit and to stay connected socially.

“It keeps me fit and very active”: How is walking basketball helping older Whitehorse residents stay healthy?

Walking basketball’s rules include only two players being allowed in the court’s semi-circles at one time and keeping a metre’s distance when defending the ball.

Thanks for catching up with us this week at the Eastern Melburnian. We hope you enjoyed this issue, and we’d love to hear your thoughts. We’ll be back next week to shine a spotlight about the under-reported issues in our patch, so stay tuned!

Cheers,
Matthew and the Eastern Melburnian team

P.S. here’s a little something extra for you.

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