Bees and wasps
Beekeeping can be a great hobby, and bees are incredibly important to our environment.
While it's a low-risk hobby for the community, it can cause concerns with neighbours. Please speak with your neighbours before establishing a hive.
To ensure your bees don't become a nuisance or even appear to be one, it's important to manage your hive responsibly. This means following all rules and regulations.
Bees
The number of beehives you can keep depends on the size of your land.
The table below shows how many hives you can keep based on various land size.
| Land size (m2) |
Maximum number of beehives |
| <400 |
0 |
| 400 - 1000 |
2 |
| 1000 - 2000 |
5 |
| 2000 - 4000 |
10 |
You can request permission to keep more than the maximum number of beehives listed in the table above. To request permission, please complete the online form.
To keep beehives, you must make sure:
- bees can access a good quality water supply
- each beehive is located near a screen or other barrier. This is to prevent the bees flying less than 3 metres over a thoroughfare, public place or adjoining land.
You must not keep beehives within 3 metres of a property boundary.
Please refer to the Environmental Health By-Law.
Biosecurity Tasmania registration requirements (BeeTAS)
All Tasmanian beekeepers, both commercial and recreational, must register with Biosecurity Tasmania.
You can register online using the BeeTAS platform, which you can access on the Biosecurity Tasmania website.
More information about compulsory registration can be found on the Biosecurity Tasmania website.
Collection of bee swarms
If you are experiencing a nuisance issue with bees from a neighbouring property please contact us.
Removal of bee swarms by an experienced beekeeper prevents the need to use pesticides. The Southern Tasmanian Beekeepers Association Inc. has a list of beekeepers who can remove a swarm of bees.
View the Southern Tasmanian Beekeepers swarm collection page.
Wasps
We do not remove wasps from private properties. If you have an issue with wasps, we recommend that wasp nests are removed by a pest control specialist.
If you find a wasp nest on City of Hobart property, such as a playground or park but not a bushland reserve, please contact us.