Beekeeper saves his hives from Tambaroora, Hill End bushfire

An already difficult year turned more devastating for NSW Hunter region-based beekeeper, Mathew Stafa, Muswellbrook, when he learned of the bushfire near Hill End that threatened the lives of his bees.

During the afternoon of March 6, Mr Stafa and his employees, Ludwig Terante and Jason Eusebio drove to Hill End to put firebreaks in place around the bees.

But, by the time they went to move their loads, it was too late.

"It was too risky so we turned around thinking 'if they're gone, they're gone'," Mr Stafa said.

The next day, Mr Stafa and his team successfully moved one load but by the time they returned later that afternoon to rescue another, a thick blanket of smoke had rolled in.

"It was when I saw the smoke ... I was in tears," he said.

A call from the landowner of the property where the bees were kept gave a glimmer of hope for Mr Stafa, who by Saturday had discovered his bees were still buzzing despite the fire having crept to just four to 500 metres away.

"We took them out in two deck loads, I wasn't stuffing around," Mr Stafa said.

In the thick of the intense few days, the bees were collecting pollen from timber one and a half kilometres away that - at the time - was yet to be affected by the blaze.

"They've taken a little bit of a hit health wise but considering the circumstances, they're not too bad," Mr Stafa said.

The fire debacle follows a difficult few months for Mr Stafa who has been battling the Varroa mite in coastal areas where more of his bees are kept.

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"I've been doing it tough with Varroa mite, then I had the fire to deal with," Mr Stafa said.

At the time of publication, the bees in the Hill End area are safe and well.