Buzz about bee-keeping invention

FERNVALE beekeeper Mark Hines is thinking outside the square.

Mr Hines and his son Joe have invented a circular beehive made of PVC pipe, which he believes can reduce disease and pests like the small hive beetle and deadly varroa mite.

“It will be help with the mite and small hive beetle,” Mr Hines said.

“I'm not going to say it will cure it, but when you turn the hive's racks upside down, they don't like it.

“In the square hives, the beetle can wedge himself in the corner of the box, but with the circular racks, there's nowhere for them to hide.”

He also said the circular racks better maintained the hive's hygiene and were easier to clean than the traditional wooden racks.

Queensland Beekeepers Association committee member Trevor Weatherhead, of Peak Crossing, said he had seen Mr Hines' circular beehive and suggested scientific research be conducted before he'd recommend it.

“Some amateurs might like to have it to be different, but from my point of view as a commercial beekeeper, I can see no use for it all,” he said.

“I have not seen any research to back it up.”

He was also sceptical when it came to the claim about the varroa mite.

“Nothing stops that mite except breeding a bee that's really resistant,” he said.

Varroa mites have been implicated in the devastating Colony Collapse Disorder that decimated hives in the United States.

The mites attack the bees by sucking its blood and making it more susceptible to disease.

Nevertheless, Mr Hines says he has invented something new for the industry.

“I'm one of the people who have stepped out of the square into the circle - the bees' natural environment is a circle in a tree - it's a great idea,” he said.