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The Cold Imposter, Bombus hyperboreus
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The Honey Bee in Australia
The Honey Bee in Australia, A Bicentennial Looms
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Monofloral Honeys Part 6: the Remarkable Rata.

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Ben's Bees

4 hours ago

In the Bees with Ben podcast episode 79, Ben chats with Jay Curtin, the CEO of Australian Honey Ventures, based in Western Australia. The AHV website describes the business as ‘a 100% Australian privately owned aggregator of Australian honey with impressive honey inventory levels capable of supplying packaged honey products to export markets’. Through ‘collaborative relationships with beekeepers and distributors, and product innovation in the medicinal, endurance racing and well-being markets’ AHV claims that it is well on the way towards a target of brokering at least one third of Australia’s total commercial honey production by 2027. And by investing in product development and marketing, AHV aims to lift the value of Australian honey and return higher prices to beekeepers. Wow!Jay also highlights the predicament of beekeepers as being similar to that of dairy farmers; traditionally, apiarists have not been getting a fair price for their honey in an industry controlled by a few large players that was rife with price-setting. Jay remembers hearing of jarrah honey from WA selling for $500 per kilogram overseas at a time when local producers were receiving a mere $12 per kilogram. She says she hates seeing Aussies being rorted; AHV’s business model is to identify exciting and lucrative sales opportunities overseas, and then pay beekeepers a high upfront price for their honey. In addition, beekeepers also receive a quarterly profit share, and using AHV’s deal with Kuwait as an example, this means that local apiarists can expect a return of about $33 per kilogram for TA35+ honey, as opposed to $4.80 per kilogram from the major local packer.Jay can’t understand why jarrah honey has previously been touted as the ‘be all and end all’. She says we need to market ourselves as a powerhouse of medicinal honey, with a whole range of attractive varieties, each with its own unique flavour. She says many people in the Middle East don’t actually like the taste of manuka honey but eat it anyway as it is a luxury item with medicinal properties! Manuka has, however, paved the way for export opportunities for Australian honey as it has desensitised overseas markets to high prices commanded by medicinal honey.Australian Honey Ventures is currently engaged in a drive to raise new capital. The company has earmarked $1 million for marketing in the next twelve months and is in the process of building a state-of-the-art processing plant. They are also negotiating with Woolworths to supply the domestic market and are intent on devising new science to accurately measure the medicinal properties of Australian honey. Presently the top rating for medicinal honey is TA35+; some Australian honeys have raw test results up to TA66 but are unable to be labelled as such because this is beyond the scope of the current procedures, and Jay is convinced we are missing an opportunity in this regard.Jay is also excited about AHV’s new brand ambassador, prominent TV personality and former professional rugby player, Nick ‘The Honey Badger’ Cummins. His nickname is a fortunate coincidence since it has nothing to do with his love of honey. Jay explains that although Nick may have lacked size and speed in comparison to other players, he made up for any other shortcomings with a ferocious on-field nature. Likewise, the honey badger will take on far larger creatures thanks to its tenacious character and an iron jaw! Nick lives ‘off the grid’ in the midst of a national park; he uses solar power and grows much of his own food. He has declared his association with AHV to be a ‘match made in heaven’ and has actually bought shares in the company.podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/bees-with-ben/id1512755530?i=1000549117991australianhoneyventures.com.au/ ... See MoreSee Less

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Ben's Bees

6 days ago

PODCAST EPISODE 78 of the Bees with Ben podcast features Kevin Tracy, the queen bee guru from Queensland’s Gold Coast. Originally from Chicago, Kevin says he’s more Australian than Australia, but he still hasn’t managed to lose the tell-tale accent (he claims it is 100% Queenslander!).Kevin is the owner and manager of BeeZone Apiaries Queen Bees and Training, and besides producing queens, honey and delivering pollination services, he also offers comprehensive training for apiarists, and in this capacity has educated beekeepers across the country. He is a member of beekeeping associations in four states, as well as being actively involved in the Australian Biosecurity Bee Emergency Response Team (BERT) and the Australian Queen Bee Breeders Association, and assisted in the South Australian Government’s Bushfire Recovery programme and with the ‘Outback Academy’, an indigenous not-for-profit organisation. Kevin is also in demand as a guest speaker, and has a very entertaining style, as you will no doubt discover.Kevin says he initially purchased a couple of hives as he thought bees were cool and fitted in with his permaculture lifestyle, but admits to knowing nothing about them at the time - a big mistake in retrospect, since he was stung so severely that he was comatose for three days. Eventually he returned to beekeeping and became focussed upon the production of queens. He says there is a certain magic or mythology that surrounds the creation of queens, but that in reality it is actually quite simple. Kevin says he is convinced that everyone should produce their own queens and is committed to teaching apiarists how to achieve this. He’s on a mission and will travel anywhere to fulfil this objective.When asked to describe the perfect queen, he unhesitatingly replied, ‘Elizabeth!’ Seriously, Kevin says a good queen is the one that does what you need for your colony - colour or appearance is of no significance. Interestingly, he says the hardest part of creating queens is the timetable.We also talked about pests and diseases, and the challenges of keeping bees in south-east Queensland. Kevin provided a fascinating insight into his selection process for queens, whilst reiterating that he is a big fan of ‘local vigour’. The controversy surrounding feeding bees was covered in some detail, and Kevin revealed his pet hate - the Dunning-Kruger effect. This may be defined as a ‘cognitive bias in which people overestimate their knowledge of ability in a specific domain’. Unfortunately, according to Kevin, it is prevalent in some bee groups!Kevin is incredibly knowledgeable and quite a character. Do queen bees have crowns? And why, given the choice of any historical figure, would Kevin choose to share a coffee with Joan of Arc? You will have to listen to the podcast to find out more!www.facebook.com/beezoneapiariespodcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/bees-with-ben/id1512755530?i=1000548529418 ... See MoreSee Less

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In the Bees with Ben podcast episode 79, Ben chats

In the Bees with Ben podcast episode 79, Ben chats with Jay Curtin, the CEO of Australian Honey Ventures, based in Western Australia. The AHV website describes the business as ‘a 100% Australian privately owned aggregator of Australian honey with impressive honey inventory levels capable of supplying packaged honey products to export markets’. Through ‘collaborative relationships with beekeepers and distributors, and product innovation in the medicinal, endurance racing and well-being markets’ AHV claims that it is well on the way towards a target of brokering at least one third of Australia’s total commercial honey production by 2027. And by investing in product development and marketing, AHV aims to lift the value of Australian honey and return higher prices to beekeepers. Wow! @ahv.official @nickbadger #honey

“Thanks for the super (not sorry for bee related

“Thanks for the super (not sorry for bee related dad jokes) quick dispatch of my goodies and for the free jar of honey. I just started as a new beekeeper just over a year ago. I got a nuc and the past 14 months have been challenging with the weather so I’ve not harvested any honey for me yet. We just made it through winter and up until recently I’ve been feeding the girls as they had no stores/such limited stores. So I really appreciate all the effort that goes in to a jar of honey both from you and the girls.

I bought the chopping board wax to give a bit of love to my rolling pin. My most treasured possession. It was handmade by my great grandfather and has needed some tlc for a long time”.

Thanks
Lisa

*Thank you Lisa for your lovely message*!

#bensbees #woodpolish #polish

How amazing is this photo of a blue banded grass c

How amazing is this photo of a blue banded grass cutter bee sent to me by photographer Ron Johnson ! #nativebee #bees #insects

Summer Bee Duties #bees #savethebees #beekeeping

Summer Bee Duties

#bees #savethebees #beekeeping

Wouldn’t want to cross this praying mantis’ le

Wouldn’t want to cross this praying mantis’ left hook 😆 #prayingmantis #bensbeesau

Must have if you’re a beekeeper with a bunch of

Must have if you’re a beekeeper with a bunch of hives!

#beekeeping

Hi All It's on again. Ben is back with his Hive B

Podcast Episode 76: Gruffydd Rees from Carmarthens

Podcast Episode 76: Gruffydd Rees from Carmarthenshire, Wales UK

It is always inspiring to meet beekeepers from all parts of the globe who are passionate about caring for honey bees - and producing pure, raw, local honey - and Gruffydd Rees is a perfect example. Hailing from South Wales, Gruffydd was originally gifted a hive by a local farmer, and from humble beginnings at the bottom of his parent’s garden, this quickly multiplied into around a hundred hives dotted around the countryside of rural Carmarthenshire. In 2010, along with his wife Angharad, he founded Gwenyn Gruffydd, a small business bent on producing the highest quality, all natural, untreated, 100% raw, Welsh wildflower honey. Even his two young sons get involved! Gwenyn Gruffydd’s honey is single origin, never blended, and undergoes minimal filtration; numerous awards attest to the quality of the product!
After a small time away over spring its great to be back and I introduce you to Gruffydd from Wales to episode 76!
In addition to premium wildflower honey, Gruffydd produces a range of other items including hampers, beeswax candles, peat-free compost and bee-friendly wildflower seeds. He also offers beekeeping training, mentoring and experience days, as well as a full range of beekeeping supplies. Gwenyn Gruffydd has instituted an ‘Adopt a Beehive’ scheme to help arrest the decline of honey bees and is also active in promoting the benefits of sowing wildflower seeds to provide valuable food and shelter for pollinators. @gwenyngruffydd #podcast

The new year usually marks a time for change and r

The new year usually marks a time for change and reflection on the year just gone. For me I like to rewind the clock and read my high school report cards.

School was never for me and as Mr Dean Spalding put:

“The classroom does not appear to be the stage on which Ben displays his gifts and talents”.

It's always great to do what you love and to do something that hopefully people will see and love. #lovebees

Happy New Year to you all! We really appreciate y

Happy New Year to you all!

We really appreciate your support back in 2021!

Much love

#happynewyear

It’s raining bees! This was one of the more chal

It’s raining bees! This was one of the more challenging swarms to catch- Every time I even just thought about getting them into the box they would take off! #stubbornbees #bees #beekeeping #bensbeesau

New Years Partyyy #bees #beekeeping #bensbeeau #be

New Years Partyyy #bees #beekeeping #bensbeeau #beehive

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