Phillip Island honey

22/05/2020

The end of another working week for most and the start of a busy weekend for others. Again, Phillip Island honey will be selling from the Anglican Curch beside Coles in Cowes between 10am and 2pm Saturday and again deliveries will be done on Sunday. For deliveries please message order and address to 0407351247. Cash or Card payment is fine. Honey is also available at Rusty Waters near A Maze n' Things, Townsends Nursery in Wonthaggi, The Store at Ventnor, Smith's Beach General Store, BP at Cowes and Grantville and Wild Food Farm in Rhyll.

17/03/2020

Honey now available for delivery effective from 22nd March 2020. Local council has enforced government recommendations to cease public events due to Corona Virus. As a result all markets are now closed and honey and other produce will not be available. Phillip Island Honey is trying to combat this by delivering honey (free of charge) every Sunday after 22nd March. All orders can be placed by TEXT MESSAGING 0407351247 with your required order and your address. Message must be recieved by midnight Saturday ( Day before) Current honey available is Messmate ( Stronger local honey) Yellow Box (Mild and sweet ) and a local garden honey (Good for allergies and hay fever).

1kg Tub or Jar is $15.00
500g Jar is $8.00
3kg Tub is $40.00
Beeswax is $25 per kg (sold in 1/2 kilo blocks.)

Further details will follow on a weekly basis until the Corona debacle has gone. May everyone keep healthy.

10/01/2020

WHY DO BEEKEEPERS CHARGE FOR LIVE BEE REMOVAL?
Posted January 9, 2020 by Hilary

Why Do Beekeepers Charge for Bee Removal?
While it’s true that some hobbyist beekeepers will gleefully remove a colony of bees for free, many beekeepers charge for live bee removal. This inconsistency among beekeepers can create some confusing expectations for homeowners. Unfortunately, it may also result in some unpleasant interactions between the beekeeper and members of the public. So, why do some beekeepers charge while others do not? What should you expect from your local community of beekeepers? Let’s look at some of the misconceptions and unseen costs of rescuing bees.

Misconceptions
People who expect free live bee removal often assume the beekeeper wants the bees, that the task is easy and that those bees will make them honey. Some believe their bees have a value that outweighs the value of the beekeeper’s time and efforts. The truth is that wild bees may have some value, but that it’s difficult to judge right away. Some bee removals are simple, while others can take hours. Some removals will result in a honey harvest, but many will not. A beekeeper who rescues a colony of bees for free is therefore taking a gamble.

Honey
Just because you have a colony of bees, does not mean you have honey. Bee colonies typically need to mature for a full year before honey can be harvested. Even if the colony you want to have removed is mature, the amount of honey they have stored depends on the time of year and their health.

Difficulty Level
Bee removals can be divided into two categories: swarm removal and established colony removal. If the group of bees has just arrived, they are most likely a swarm.

A swarm is only a ball of bees with no comb. If the swarm is easy to get to, then it should be a simple and quick removal. Most beekeepers are capable of swarm removal and many even enjoy the process. It’s fairly common for beekeepers to remove swarms for free.

If the bees have been in the same place for more than a week, you can assume the they are established. The longer the bees have been there, the more comb they will have built and the bigger the colony will be. These kinds of removals require extra skill and knowledge. Especially if the bees have ensconced themselves inside a structure. The process can be messy, exhausting and time consuming with a greater risk of stings. Most beekeepers are not willing to do these types of removal for free.

Why Do Beekeepers Charge for Bee Removal?
The Value of the Bees
Judging the value of a wild colony isn’t as straightforward as you would think. Some try to base the value on the going rate of new colonies. Beekeepers typically pay $125-250 for a new colony of bees (and that’s just the bees, not the equipment). Yet, these bees have been bred to have desirable traits like docility, disease resistance and honey production. They should also be guaranteed to be in good health and have a queen.

Wild rescue colonies make no such promises. They may be ill-tempered (a trait that will not reveal itself until the colony is established), unhealthy and/or queenless. Resolving these problems often costs the beekeeper money and time. Additionally, if the colony is in poor health, they put the beekeeper’s apiary at risk. The rescued colony could easily spread disease to the beekeeper’s other hives. On the other hand, a healthy wild colony may have rare genetic traits perfected by nature that are essentially priceless to the beekeeper. The problem is, only time will tell the difference.

A good analogy for wild rescue bees is that they are like cultivating a fruit tree from a wild seed. The grower must invest time and money into caring for this tree while it reaches maturity without any assurance that it will pay off. The tree may produce only small, flavorless fruit or none at all. On the other hand, it could yield a unique variety of fruit not available in stores.

The Unseen Costs of Bee Removal
Equipment
One of the most concrete expenses in live bee removal is the equipment required to house the bees. A basic setup will cost the beekeeper at least $150 for every new colony and often times more.

Time & Gas
When a beekeepers comes to your home to remove bees, they are in the very least, spending their time and gas to get there. The more complex the bee removal, the more time it requires. Large, sticky removals often result in the an additional time expense of clean up.

Why Do Beekeepers Charge for Bee Removal?
Skill
Beekeeping is a skill that takes years to learn. Depending on how much time they have to devote to it, most beekeepers take about 2 years to really understand the craft. Bee removal is a separate skill set that can also take years to perfect, although most beekeepers are capable of simple swarm removals.

Space
Every new colony takes up a space in the apiary. Some beekeepers have limited space and can only house so many bees. They may even be paying rent or honey for access to the land.

Ongoing Care
Once a beekeeper has acquired a new colony, they must care for it for the rest of its lifespan. That might be years. Not only is this time and effort, but there will be ongoing expenses. The bees my need a new queen, feed and/or medicine.

Insurance & Business Expenses
If the beekeeper is running a business, they will have additional expenses associated with bee removal work. They are likely paying for liability insurance, workman’s comp, employees, a website, advertising etc.

Resetting Expectations
Every location is different with its own unique mix of beekeepers. When seeking out live bee removal, be conscious of whether you are contacting a business or a hobbyist. If the beekeeper has a website or business name, they probably charge for bee removal. That said, they are also more likely to be reputable, reliable, experienced and insured. Many hobbyists (experienced and not) are willing to do simple bee removals at no charge, but regardless of who you contact, please be respectful of that person’s time and skill. Don’t assume that they will work for free. Even if a beekeeper has agreed to remove your bees for free, it’s a nice gesture to offer them a few dollars for gas, produce from your garden or some other show of appreciation.

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09/08/2019

Island Craft Market is still going ahead tomorrow morning. Market is located in the church next to Coles in Cowes ( Opposite Shire Office). It looks like you might need to bring your sleds and ski's or hook the husky to your toboggan. Looking on the bright side..... I will have some really cool honey for sale. See you tomorrow 8am - 2pm.

Local business

06/08/2019

Next time you query my cost to remove bees, consider what other's charge and their reasons why.

26/07/2019

CHURCHILL ISLAND MARKET TODAY.....Almost 2.30am and I have just finished packing some beautiful Grey Box and Messmate honey. Market starts at 8am and finishes at 1pm. Although running short on varieties, there is still plenty of yummy honey for your crumpets and porridge. See you at Churchill Island.

19/01/2019

Wise words from another beekeeper and not to be seen as a negative, but more as an incentive......" If i had a hundred dollars for every person who I've seen come into this industry with no backround in beekeeping and run around telling anybody who will listen how they are going to set the industry on fire I would be a wealthy man. And now the new breed of people who are instant experts and are running beekeeping courses and charging big bucks.There is a hell of a lot more to beekeeping than doing inspections and checking for disease and it can be seen everyday on facebook. People who do not understand about honey flows asking... Why aren't my bees in the top box?. Why are there bees dead outside my box? Why are there maggots in my box? Just because you own a box of bees does not make you a beekeeper it makes you somebody who owns a box of bees"😁

13/01/2019

Raw honey is honey that hasn’t been heated or pasteurised , and it contains natural vitamins, enzymes, powerful antioxidants, and other important nutrients. Raw honey has anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal properties, and promotes digestive health. Raw, local honey also contains a blend of local pollen, which can strengthen a person’s immune system, and reduce pollen allergy symptoms. When is removed from the hive, it needs to be strained to remove parts of bee bodies and pieces of wax. If a coarse strainer is used without heating, then the honey will contain the that was present in the original honey from the local area. If this local honey is ingested regularly, it can reduce pollen allergy symptoms in humans. By supporting honey producers, you can verify that the honey you’re purchasing is truly raw and has the beneficial properties that humans have used for centuries to treat many ailments. However, most commercial honey does not use the processing methods. Instead, very fine filters are used along with heat to create pasteurised honey with a long shelf life. The pasteurised, and ultra-filtered honey does not have the nutritional benefits of raw honey.
Local raw honey available www.beethecure.com photo

10/01/2019

Each year provides different challenges, and this year is no different. There is a severe shortage of honey which will result in less honey varieties at my outlets. Having said that, the positive is an increase in hive numbers and at this stage, very healthy bees. Thank you all for your support over the past 12 months and I wish all my customers all the best for 2019. May it be a healthy and prosperous year for all of us.

21/09/2018

Churchill Island Market tomorrow. 22nd Sept....... 8am to 1pm. If you want to bring your own container, I can fill onsite for you. Otherwise our new 1kg glass jar and biodegradable honey straws will be available.

28/12/2017

15/10/2017

Just a reminder !! If you see a swarm like this, give me a call. It is better to catch as a swarm before they move into a building or man made structure. Swarm removals are free but to extract bees from a house will attract a fee.

08/10/2017

Season is here and WOW !!! What a start. Anyone wonder what a day in the life of a commercial beekeeper is like ? Yesterday I did a trip to Shepparton to deliver bees to an orchard, arriving back home at 1am this morning. Finally went to bed at 2am. Phone starts ringing at 6.30am with concerns about bees in a tree at Cowes, then bees at Silverleaves and more bees hanging under the eves of a house. So.... off to Ventnor to check out the bees in the eves. Then a call about bees in a wall of a house at Cape woolamai, followed by an order for honey. I headed back home to get 20 boxes ready to fill up with bees. Then a phonecall for bees in a tree at Silverleaves. So drop everything, off to silverleaves to put the bees in a hive. An hour later, back home to load the 20 empty boxes onto the car, followed by 2 hours filling them with bees from one of my local sites. Then those bees were taken to Wonthaggi before heading back to back to Cape Woolamai to check the bees in the wall issue. Then off to Archies Creek just on dusk to collect two swarms that I put in boxes . Back to the Island to drop off those bees, a quick bite to eat then out to the paddock to load 20 large boxes of bees to take to Castlemaine tomorrow morning. Home again at 11pm and time to do invoices and paperwork until 1am. Shower then bed at 1.30am ready for an early start tomorrow. Tomorrow will be delivering the bees to Castlemaine, followed by checking my bees near Echuca and then finally spot checking bees on a pollination job at Shepparton before getting home at about 2am. So, for those of you doing a 9 to 5 job, I envy you, but it is great to be out and about all day. My job is never boring and I feel lucky to be doing something I love.

Market this Saturday in Cowes at the church beside Coles. Yellow Gum honey, Yellow Box Honey, local honey and Manuka..... See you there.

13/09/2017

Mid September !!! Time goes so quick. This season is just beginning and at the moment the bees are beginning to recover from last seasons worst time ever. Unfortunately last season started with some bees being diagnosed with a brood disease meaning that quite a number of colonies were destroyed by the Department as a precaution against the disease spreading. This has been followed up by almost every box and all equipment having to be either treated for possible disease or any woodware being sanded, boiled in wax and repainted. Those who have seen the boxes locally will notice a change in colour from white to yellow. Unfortunately the whole industry had an absolute slump in honey production and gradually all stock was sold, leaving little option of buying in stock to keep the markets going. Winter saw the bees with no stock of honey and I was forced to feed sugar to keep them alive. Unfortunately I still lost a number of colonies due to starvation meaning I have started this season with a much reduced number of stock. I have had to abort the Almond Pollination near Robinvale because the number of strong colonies was not worth travelling the distance. The recent rain in South Gipplsland has seen another 40 colonies flooded with no way to reach them and relocate in time, and then 10 hives were stolen from the Bass area. I have managed to get some bees in to Shepparton on fruit pollination, leaving me with only weak colonies left locally. Within the next couple of weeks, we should see the temperature slowly rise and the bees will begin breeding again which will hopefully result in capture of feral swarms and also a breeding program. If anyone sees any bee swarms, I am offering free removal this year, but removal of bees from a dwelling or object will still come at a cost. Last season, with the sudden influx in recreational beekeepers, saw me having to remove bees for free just to compete. As a result, no income was made. No charging for bee removals, no honey, loss of bees, a bungle with advertising and reduced pollination work has had a detrimental effect financially and personally on myself. No one is sure of what lays ahead this season, but our whole industry has their heads down and bums up trying to make up for last year's worst season in history. A small amount of honey in the past fortnight will see me selling honey from the markets again from now onwards. Anyone with bee swarms can call me on 0407351247 to arrange removal, and any assistance to recreational beekeepers will now attract a $50.00 per hour fee. I need to enforce payment in order for my small business to succeed and to put food on the table. Although some of my customers understand the hardships over the past year, I hope this short message will explain to others just how hard the past year has been. I look forward to seeing you all at the upcoming Churchill Island Market, Inverloch Farmers Market and Island craft market over the following months.

17/01/2017

Castlemaine, Victoria - July 23rd, 2008 1. Mid shot bee keepers at training session 2. Close up beekeeper 3. Pan from beehive frame to bee trainer Peter Kacz...