About Bonnie Bees

I have been beekeeping for more than 15 years. My love of beekeeping came from watching an old neighbour harvest and spin honey when I was in primary school . He had quite the collection over the years always had a slight difference in the flavour. I started keeping my ownbees in my early 30’s as a hobby. Looking for a way to decompress over the stressors of being an emergency services officer. I joined the local beekeeping club and then volunteered my time to a commercial beekeeper driving two hours to see him and learn from him and an older gentleman beekeeper. The heat and humidity was one thing but listening to their stories and of how they played such an important role to the surrounding farmers and their crops hooked me.

I have always loved to help others and though my job did help many, this was a new and exciting way to do something I loved and there was a sweet reward at the end for all your hard work. So I got my first hive from the commercial beekeeper and an old 4 frame honey spinner and began my first step into backyard beekeeping. I had a wonderful time at the bee club, meeting heaps of people who were always willing to help but beekeeping is not without loss. The first hive I had after a couple of years or so succumbed to disease. It was sad euthanising them all and loosing my hive but it was the best for all other beekeepers.

One thing beekeeping teaches you is to always be thankful for what you have and if you loose it, although sad as it may be, new life can begin and that’s exactly what I did after a couple of year’s hiatus. I now have 6 hives which are strong but have suffered looses along the way but realised for the first time what I was doing took my kind off the stressors of work. I now help out fellow beekeepers working their backyard hives enjoying the moments of a bountiful harvests and the struggles of constant battles with pests and weather.