The unexpected victims of worldwide demand for Australia’s beeswax

The soaring price of Australia’s increasingly rare beeswax is having a devastating impact on Melbourne’s common trend of beards, moustaches and styled man-buns.

The price of a kilogram of beeswax has soared from $4 to $20 in a few years as major cosmetics companies queue up to buy Australia’s limited supply.

Trevor Weatherhead, from the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council, says Aussie beeswax is in great demand overseas because of its purity.

It has sent local prices soaring.

Mr Weatherhead a small mite, or lack thereof in Australia, was the cause.

“In Australia we don’t have a thing called the Varroa mite,” he explained to Ross and John.

“We’re the only major honey-producing country in the world that doesn’t have it.

“It gets into the bees and actually kills bees off. We don’t have to treat the colonies to kill the mite, so our wax has none of that resin.”

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