Dry lightning strikes have sparked numerous wildfires in Tasmania’s western temperate rainforests, fuelled by extreme weather conditions (a drier-than-average summer, higher-than-normal temperatures and changeable winds).

Much of the fire is within the forests are a large part of the world-famous Tarkine/takayna, one of Australia’s most unique and valuable forests. Entire ecosystems are being wiped out. The fires are destroying plants, animals, reptiles, and insects—countless species that depend on these forests for survival. This truly is a national tragedy.

The burning forests are rich with flowering leatherwood trees this time of year. January and February are the time beekeepers collect their main honey of the year in Tasmania. These ancient rainforests are the source for bees to produce 80% of Tasmania’s honey. Not only the last honey of the season, but leatherwood honey sustains the bees so that they are healthy and ready to pollinate Tasmanian’s famous fruit, veggies, nuts and seed crops. In essence, the leatherwood trees support our food security by feeding our bees. And for us (Honey Tasmania), as west coast, Tarkine/takayna beekeepers, it is our one window in which to collect honey for the year.

Below are the social media posts we have been sharing that tell our unfolding story of keeping bees in these remote Tasmanian rainforests during this time of extreme fire threat. As of the writing of this post (8 pm, St Valentine’s Day - who by the way is the Patron Saint of Beekeepers), we do not know the fate of 150 of our beehives. Nested between Savage River Mine and Corinna Wilderness Lodge, sit our hives. We, personally, are safe and sound in the Tamar Valley, ready for Saturday’s Harvest Market, but we do not know how our bees are faring. As I say in post #5 - we wait and hope…

FIRE 🔥 #1

On our way to assess the fire danger down the northwest. Dry lightning strikes in the last week, combined with high temperatures and relatively dry conditions have set up the perfect storm for fires in Tasmania’s west coast rainforests. Add in the strong winds of the last few days, and the fires have grown in size and intensity. Temperate rainforests in a changing climate - a real struggle! When the organic soils that have been accumulating over tens of thousands of years, some 10 meters deep, become alight, they can burn for weeks, months, even years.

We have been in contact with Parks regarding a few of our hive sites. With their predictions of fire movement, they are recommending we remove our hives.

As any beekeeper knows, that isn’t a simple matter, especially when on a honey flow. Our hives are too high to move with the truck and crane. So we’d have to dismantle them (very destructive), lose massive amounts of bees and potentially lose tens of thousands of dollars worth of honey due to the fact that the honey isn’t finished, capped honey.

On our way now to deal with the situation. Will keep you posted.

Fire Update 🔥 #2

Spent the day yesterday assessing areas around our hives. Ended up speaking with a fire crew who had just come out of the area. At the time they seemed confident that the risk was low. Lots of smoke in the area, but fires quite far from hives.

Spent the night nearby and woke to clear skies. Decided to head home. Got half way there then had a call from the fire management team. We were advised that one of the fires had taken off overnight and that if we wanted to move the hives, tonight was our last chance. They will be closing the road tomorrow.

So we’ve turned around and are heading back into the area. Will pull off boxes, separate capped honey from uncapped nectar. Wait till dark for all the bees to fly to their homes, hand load the heavy hives and then hightail it out of there and relocate hives to new, safe location… 😰

Will update later..

FIRE UPDATE #3 🔥

First and foremost, thank you all for your messages of concern and support. It truly means the world to us. 🙏

As of this morning, Corinna Wilderness Lodge is under an emergency evacuation order. All surrounding roads are closed, and the area is completely off-limits. The fires have intensified, driven by extreme heat and high winds. Two major fires are burning near Corinna and Savage River, with 45,000 hectares already scorched and completely out of control. These fires are in remote wilderness areas, accessible only by crews on foot or helicopter.

We have three hive sites near Corinna and two near Savage River—this situation is deeply concerning. When we spoke with the fire agency at midday, we were told it is too dangerous to attempt any further hive relocations. So now, we wait.

If you read our last update, you’ll know that yesterday we were on our way back to the Tamar Valley, believing the hives were relatively safe. However, after receiving an urgent call from the fire service, we turned around and headed straight back.

It was an intense and exhausting day. As conditions worsened, the road between Savage River and Corinna was closed, but we were granted special access to retrieve hives from the most at-risk site. We arrived around 2:30 PM, stripped the hives of honey boxes, and carefully shook the bees into their packed-down hives. While the smoke wasn’t overwhelming, it was definitely a concern. We then had to wait until near dark for all the bees to return home from their gathering flights before loading the hives and transporting them to a safer location.

Beyond the immediate threat of fire and smoke, the timing of this disaster is catastrophic for our honey production. The bees have not yet finished capping their honeycomb. Nectar can be up to 70% water, while honey is between 17-19% water. Bees use enzymes, warm temperatures, wing-fanning, and time to evaporate the excess moisture—transforming nectar into honey. But by removing the honey prematurely, it risks fermentation, making it unsellable.

This means a huge loss for us—not just in honey but in income. The bees needed just a couple more weeks to finish their work and complete our already short leatherwood season. The timing of these fires is devastating for us as beekeepers who rely on leatherwood honey.

But the bigger tragedy is the destruction of the leatherwood forests themselves. That’s a story for tomorrow’s post… 🌸🌲🐝

Fires Threatening Leatherwood Forests 🔥 #4

If you have been following our posts, you know that large bushfires are burning in the lower reaches of the Tarkine (takayna) on the northwest coast, threatening some of Tasmania’s most unique and beautiful habitat-rich wilderness, including crucial leatherwood forests. (📷 R Campbell- leatherwood blossoms, trees and other forest trees from impacted area)

Leatherwood (Eucryphia lucida) has survived 65 million years in Tasmania’s pristine wilderness. It produces 80% of the island’s honey, feeding the bees that pollinate fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds statewide.

Without these trees, much of Tasmania’s food production would collapse. Pollinating bees need leatherwood nectar to survive, just as we need bees to pollinate our crops. If these forests burn, our food security is at risk.

The fires are destroying critical leatherwood stands. Since these trees take decades to flower and centuries to fully recover, the long-term impact could be devastating. The remote location and rough terrain mean that, without significant rain, these fires could continue burning for months.

Leatherwood is the last available nectar source for the bees for the year as well as Tasmania’s most abundant and reliable nectar source. It is also a canary in the coal mine for climate change. As fires become more frequent and severe, Tasmania’s honey and agriculture industries face an uncertain future.

The impact of these fires will last long after the flames are out. Protecting these forests and protecting leatherwood trees, is protecting Tasmania’s future.

Discussion of leatherwood honey will be the focus of our next post… 🍯🐝🌸

FIRE UPDATE #5 🔥

As of this morning, 90,000 hectares of Tasmania’s rainforest have burned. This is catastrophic. Unlike other Australian bushland that thrives on fire, temperate rainforests do not recover in the same way. These ancient ecosystems will never return to what they once were in our lifetime.

While other species may take over, endemic treasures like Leatherwood, Huon Pine, Myrtle Beech, Sassafras, and Celerytop Pine are not fire-adapted like eucalypts. Once lost, these forests are gone forever.

Also, it isn’t just the trees. Entire ecosystems are being wiped out. The fires are destroying plants, animals, reptiles, and insects—countless species that depend on these forests for survival. This is a loss of life on an unimaginable scale.

And it’s far from over. The organic soils beneath these forests are burning too, and without significant rain, they could smolder for months—possibly even years.

All fires are important, but these are burning through some of the most unique and irreplaceable forests in the world. Shouldn’t they have been a higher priority from the start? (To be clear, we are incredibly grateful to the firefighters—they are doing the best they can with the resources they have. But these fires deserved urgent action sooner.)

And yet, the severity of this crisis isn’t making enough headlines. These forests are globally significant—why isn’t this a bigger news story?

Still No Word on Our Hives…
Wind direction keeps changing, making it extremely difficult for aircraft to get in with water and for authorities to predict fire behavior. We continue to wait and hope.