Like in Japan, beekeeping in New Zealand has changed significantly over the past few years. The introduction of queen bees infested with  mites led to the global spread of Varroa destructor, a deadly enemy of honeybees, causing widespread disruption. This parasite has drastically  reduced the honeybee population, impacting various sectors.

As an agricultural nation, New Zealand relies heavily on pollination for its crops. The decline in bee numbers has severely affected the yields  of key export products such as kiwifruit, apples, corn, vegetables, and even pasture grass. It has been reaffirmed that the impact of the beekeeping  industry on agriculture is far greater than expected.
New Zealand, originally an isolated island, had little interaction with external plants and animals aside from migratory birds. When the British  introduced clover seeds for livestock grazing, they initially faced an inefficient system—since clover was an annual plant rather than a perennial,  they had to import and sow seeds from Britain every year.

However, following a suggestion by Charles Darwin, famous for his theory of evolution, European honeybees were introduced to New Zealand.  This allowed for local clover seed production, eliminating the need for annual imports. This event marked the beginning of New Zealand’s  beekeeping industry, which would later become renowned for producing some of the world’s highest-quality honey.

Since then, the beekeeping industry in this region, where there are no natural enemies, had been developing smoothly. However, in recent years,  it has faced a major crisis. Currently, by hanging mite-repellent ribbons inside the hive, we can somehow prevent damage, as the bees weaken when mites suck their body fluids.

However, the use of these ribbons has its limits. Continuous use for more than two months allows mites to develop resistance, making it ineffective.
As a result, New Zealand’s beekeeping industry is now at a significant turning point. Just as the issue of multidrug-resistant bacteria has become  a global concern, the effectiveness of chemical treatments in beekeeping is proving to be similarly limited.

Regarding this issue, our New Zealand branch alternates the use of mite-repellent ribbons made from various natural herb-based ingredients.  While their immediate effectiveness is lower compared to chemical treatments, they seem to offer longer-lasting protection against pests. Compared to New Zealand, open-field cultivation of vegetables and fruits is less common in Japan, where most crops are grown in greenhouses.  This is part of a global trend, as such cultivation methods are less affected by weather, allowing for better planning and making them highly advantageous from a commercial perspective. However, since greenhouse cultivation isolates crops from the outside environment, it is challenging in achieving fruit set through insect pollination.
As a result, pollination-based cultivation—relying on the power of honeybees—becomes necessary.  However, modern agriculture, with its increasing reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, is causing significant harm to honeybees. In particular, the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in the confined environment of greenhouses creates immense stress for honeybees,  essentially forcing them to live in a toxic atmosphere every day. Many beekeepers, dissatisfied with the egg-laying performance of their  queen bees, have been competing to import highly productive queens from abroad. This has been the common approach among beekeepers  in Japan and other developed nations. However, such a strategy is not sustainable in the long run.
Queen bees should be born naturally within their respective nectar source regions—Japanese queens in Japan, for example—raised by the  worker bees of that area. This has been my firm belief throughout my 40 years as a beekeeper. Imported queens ultimately fail due to environmental differences, leading to a short commercial lifespan. As a result, beekeeping in highly  artificial systems, like those in Japan and other developed countries, has lost its long-term viability. Many people imagine “queen bee” as a ruler reigning over her workers. Even professional beekeepers seem to have  fallen into this misconception, forgetting the fundamental realities of beekeeping—though I am not sure why.

In a honeybee society, it is actually the worker bees that create the queen and control the colony. The queen exists only because the worker bees  sustain her. This is a perfect example of the ideal principle of popular sovereignty in human society. I believe this applies to all living things.  In short, the idea that simply replacing the leader will solve the problem is similar to the notion that “a people who forget the value of labor will  perish.” I believe this principle also applies to human society. This truth extends beyond beekeeping; too many people have forgotten these basic principles. I am no exception, but every time I look into a beehive, I am reminded of it. We must show more compassion toward honeybees.
I believe that the prolonged exposure of honeybees to harsh artificial rearing conditions, combined with their rapid generational turnover, has  altered their genetic information, reducing their natural resistance to predators and other threats. This is why we must return honeybees to a more natural state and adapt our beekeeping methods to coexist with them rather than control them.  The same principle applies to harvesting high-activity Manuka honey—artificial beekeeping should be minimized, and only by allowing bees  to operate naturally can we obtain truly high-quality honey. This conclusion comes from over 25 years of beekeeping experience here in New Zealand.
The current situation is merely the result of humans exploiting honeybees for their own convenience perspective. Considering this, it is clear that not only in beekeeping but in all aspects of life, humans must seriously rethink how to coexist with nature.  I feels as if the honeybees themselves are sending us this message. The production of bee products is entering an increasingly difficult era. The market will see an expansion of various products,  but rather than improving in quality, they are more likely to decline. In fact, signs of this trend are already emerging.
To assess the antibacterial activity of honey produced in New Zealand, particularly Manuka honey from different regions, I have been  analyzing the antibacterial potency of various locally made products for some time. Particularly in the past two years, there has been a  significant discrepancy between the labels on products and their actual contents, regardless of the manufacturer. When such products first started appearing, I felt a strong sense of crisis. However, in the end, customers are not so easily deceived.  There is a clear answer—if a product does not deliver real results, customers will never accept it again.
On the other hand, our Strong Manuka Honey has received strong support from many customers. Once they try this product, it often  becomes an essential part of their daily routine through health improvements. At the core of our business philosophy is a lifelong relationship with every customer who purchases our products.  The Manuka honey and other bee products we produce in New Zealand are driven by a strong belief and dedication to supporting our customers in maintaining lifelong health. We hope you embrace the power of New Zealand’s pristine nature and enjoy a healthy, vibrant life.