Australian+apiary+industry+and+crop+pollination+(OW)


 * Australian apiary industry and crop pollination**

The Australian apiary industry is valued at around $65 million. The industry creates its income in two main ways firstly; the direct sale of honey makes around $49 million, the largest grossing within the industry. Indirect effects are demands from linked industries such as crop pollination and queen bee exports and account for the other $15 million in revenues (//Gibbs, D. Muirhead, I., 1998)//.

Some crops like almonds will have very little fruit without insect pollination. While others, like strawberries, require insect pollination to produce healthy well-formed fruits, this is discussed further in agricultural damage section. Early estimates in 1998 of the total value of both payed and unpaid pollination within Australia are around $1billion/year and have been supported by the findings of //Gibbs, D. Muirhead, I. in 1998//