Bees With Ben
126 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago -For any of you that know me, I love a good yarn. One the of the best things about my job is getting out and about with local people, sharing the knowledge I have about bees, the environment, produce, gardening and healthy living.
And I have lots of experience getting on my soapbox! For years now, I have been a representative at local and international conferences. I have appeared on popular TV and radio programs (including The Project, ABC radio, Network Ten News, and Channel Nine’s reality show, Dream Job). I have launched educational programs and am excited to launch my new podcast!
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Episodes
Episode 119: A Conversation on Mental Health with Rae Bonney. Melbourne.
January 14, 2024 23:51 - 53 minutes - 48.2 MBWith more than 10 years’ experience, developing, designing and delivering workplace mental health and wellbeing programs, Rae works with a broad range of organisations, industries and settings with a special skill in crisis and suicide response. A qualified counsellor trained in Rogerian theory – Rae draws on her authenticity, genuineness, and empathy to create environments of trust and safety. She has a focus on men and boy’s health, offering confidential in person and online sessions for i...
Episode 118, The Mystery of Toxic Honeys with Dr. Andrew Knill, Australia
December 14, 2023 00:54 - 36 minutes - 28.2 MBThe Mystery of Toxic Honeys with Dr. Andrew Knill"** Welcome to another buzzing episode of "Bees with Ben," a podcast where we delve into the fascinating world of bees and their impact on our ecosystem. This week, we're joined by renowned scientist Dr. Andrew Knill, who brings his expertise to a rather intriguing topic: toxic honeys and the effects of Patterson's Curse nectar in honey. **A Deep Dive into Toxic Honeys:** Dr. Knill starts by exploring the broader concept of toxic honeys...
Episode 117, Brent Nixon, Nixon Queen Bees, Victoria
July 11, 2023 04:16 - 55 minutes - 52 MBThis week’s episode of the Bees with Ben podcast features a question-and-answer session between Ben and his special studio guest, Brent Nixon, who has driven down from Ballarat South for the occasion. Naturally, Ben’s first question for Brent is how he started out with bees? Brent explains that he grew up in a family of cattle breeders and wanted to breed something for himself. He studied genetics at university, including the pioneering work of Gregor Mendel, the father of modern genetics. ...
Episode 116, Steve Fuller, All Round Bee Guru! NSW
July 01, 2023 01:10 - 45 minutes - 31.8 MBIn this week’s episode of the Bees with Ben podcast, Ben is fortunate to have as his guest a man with a wealth of experience in all areas of the beekeeping industry, with a glittering array of credentials! Steve Fuller is an Executive Councillor of the NSW Apiarists’ Association Inc., President of the Northern Coast branch of NSWAA, an Advisory panel member for Agrifutures’ Australia (Honey Bee and Pollination), Secretary of the Crop Pollination Association of Australia, and a participant in...
Episode 115: Corinne Jordan from The Bee Lady Apiaries, QLD
June 15, 2023 02:40 - 47 minutes - 35.7 MBToday’s very special guest on the Bees with Ben podcast is Corinne Jordan from The Bee Lady Apiaries (visit honeybeelady.com). Corinne founded this family-owned business in 2008 after initially researching beekeeping as a potential vocation for her son (who subsequently proved to be allergic to bee venom) and then developing a passion for honey bees herself! Located about halfway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, at the mouth of the Logan River, she is blessed with near perfect weath...
Episode 114: Simon Wynn-Taylor from Steritech, Merrifield, VIC
June 06, 2023 01:54 - 31 minutes - 25.5 MBBen’s guest in this episode of the Bees with Ben podcast is Simon Wynn-Taylor from Steritech. The company’s website (steritech.com.au) details some of the history of this family-owned Australian business, which emerged in Melbourne in the 1970s as the pioneer for gamma irradiation processing and has continued to pave the way for sterilization and decontamination processing. Steritech now operates 3 gamma irradiation plants and 6 ethylene oxide sterilization chambers across 4 sites in Me...
Episode 113: Dr Bridget Goodwin, Apitherapy Australia.
May 31, 2023 22:26 - 42 minutes - 29 MBThis week’s fascinating episode of the Bees with Ben podcast features Dr Bridget Goodwin from the Australian Apitherapy Association (go to apitherapyaustralia.net). For those listeners unfamiliar with apitherapy, this involves the ‘use of products from the bee hive as medicine’. Dr Goodwin explains that there is a tendency for people to view bee products as rather innocuous whereas they are in fact medicinally highly active. The Australian Apitherapy Association website details that apit...
Episode 112: Michael Colvin, High Meadow Honey, NSW.
May 26, 2023 06:07 - 38 minutes - 28.1 MBThis week’s episode of the Bees with Ben podcast features Michael Colvin of ‘High Meadow’. Michael was born and bred in Guyra, on top of the Great Dividing Range in the New England region of NSW. He was raised on a fine wool property near the small town of Wards Mistake, and has a passion for regenerative agriculture, having managed organic beef and sheep enterprises. Michael also loves his bees and is the President of the New England branch of the Amateur Beekeepers Association. For th...
Episode 111: Stuart Sutherland from Electrotherm Pty Ltd. VIC
May 17, 2023 20:56 - 31 minutes - 25.1 MBBen’s special guest this week on the Bees with Ben podcast is Stuart Sutherland from Electrotherm Pty Ltd. Electrotherm is an Australian manufacturer of specialized industrial heater jackets and pads. The company was established in 1991 with the aim of introducing energy efficiency to the traditional industrial heating market; their customer base includes industry, government, defence and research. And these unique heater jackets have an important application in the honey industry. As Be...
Episode 110: Helen Charles, Friends With Honey, Victoria, Australia
May 13, 2023 09:57 - 30 minutes - 24.8 MBThis week’s guest on the Bees with Ben podcast is Helen Charles from friendswithhoney.com.au. Helen is passionate about educating people about bees and has recently been working on a community project to encourage bees in a permaculture garden. She even roped in the local men’s shed in Brighton East to help construct the hives, and apparently the men had a ball! Helen explains that she has always been interested in nature and was introduced to bees by family members in Canada who run a ...
EPISODE 109, George McGee, Mineral Bee, NSW
April 27, 2023 10:01 - 35 minutes - 29.1 MBBen is back, with a new edition of the Bees with Ben podcast! A scheduled break of around 2 weeks quickly turned into over 3 months, with a hectic season that really finished with a bang. In fact, Ben has just pulled the last boxes of honey from his hives, with a fantastic season of mealy stringybark (Eucalyptus cephalocarpa) in the Yarra Valley. Stringybark honey is relatively slow to crystallize, and Ben has a good income stream selling honeycomb. Much of the demand is in late winter a...
Benny's Back! Hope everyone had an awesome festive season and your bees are doing well!
January 01, 2023 06:27 - 11 minutes - 10.9 MBIts been over 3 months since the last Bees With Ben Podcast! Stay tuned over the coming weeks as we have some incredible guests lined up!
EPISODE 107, Jay Turner from Pestie Profiles and Ben Moore
October 10, 2022 06:23 - 52 minutes - 64.9 MBEarlier this year NSW DPI detected Varroa mite in surveillance hives at the Port of Newcastle, and then subsequent areas following more hive inspections. NSW DPI then released the Biosecurity (Varroa mite) Emergency Order 2022 in an attempt to eradicate this parasite that has the potential to seriously impact the Australian Honeybee Industry. This week we chat to Ben Moore from Ben's Bees (our resident bee guru) to get the latest updates on the Varroa Mite outbreak status, we chat about the ...
Episode 107, Having A Beekeeping Business, Ben's Bees!
September 20, 2022 05:35 - 40 minutes - 46 MBEpisode 107 of the Bees with Ben podcast is likely to be the last for two or three months, as spring has sprung and Ben is busy contending with his usual hectic workload at this time of year. This episode is also a little different, as Ben gives us some insight into his journey thus far and offers some advice for those possibly thinking of setting up a beekeeping business. First of all, it’s hard work; Ben tells us that his next day off is likely to be Christmas Day, so you have to love ...
Episode 106, One Moment Please, With Fiona and Ben!
September 12, 2022 03:59 - 1 hour - 44.4 MBBen Moore is one of the top bee keepers in Australia and has been on the podcast before on episode 16, discussing homelessness, prior careers, police raids and his passion for all things Bees. Given the incredibly serious invasive pest new to Australian shores, the Varroa Mite, we chat what is being done to combat the pest and the impact on the food production if we don’t. Plus we talk why some people are risk adverse when it comes to following their passion. Check Out The Podcast, One Mom...
PODCAST EPISODE 105: Kristofer Fricke Travels To Africa! Beekeeper and Traveler, Australia and Abroad
September 08, 2022 12:05 - 37 minutes - 38.9 MBWhen we last met Kristofer Fricke, some months back in episode 94 of the Bees with Ben podcast, he was preparing to head to Africa to work on a couple of beekeeping aid projects. Well, he has just got back, and Ben couldn’t wait to hear what he has been up to. This episode of the podcast is also being broadcast on YouTube, and Kris is aptly dressed for the occasion in what he describes as a ‘Ghanaian smock’. Ghana was in fact his first stop, where he was to spend three weeks working on ...
EPISODE: 104 John McArthur, Bee Feeds Australia
August 31, 2022 02:11 - 32 minutes - 33 MBEpisode 104 of the Bees with Ben podcast documents the extraordinary progress of a ground- breaking Australian small business. Against all odds, they launched their product just a week before Covid restrictions were announced in February 2020. John McArthur, of Banana Feeds Australia, says that he and his business partner, Robert Borsato (who is a third generation banana grower), were sick of seeing high quality bananas being downgraded because of minor skin blemishes, or the wrong shap...
EPISODE 103, Antony Adare, Natural Life, NSW, Australia
August 22, 2022 05:44 - 37 minutes - 29.2 MBAntony Adare from Natural Life is our featured guest on episode 103 of the Bees with Ben podcast. Almost 30 years ago the chance discovery of a native beehive in a Sydney backyard developed into a daily source of fascination for Antony, who soon established a hobby hive for himself. Then in 1994, a Japanese scientist published a paper extolling the anticarcinogenic properties of propolis, which resulted in booming sales in Japan, where a small bottle of propolis could sell for up to $800...
EPISODE: 102, Karen Santos, Researcher, University of New England, Australia and Brazil
August 14, 2022 03:59 - 33 minutes - 29.4 MBOriginally from Brazil, Karen Santos was an undergraduate biology student when she volunteered for an intern project working with beekeepers and palynologists (who specialise in the study of pollen) to examine the diet of honey bees on the Brazilian savannah in 2012. This triggered a fascination with bees and led to further research, particularly in the different aspects of pollen ecology. In 2019, Karen moved to Australia to continue her research as a PhD candidate at the University of ...
EPISODE 101: Dr Trong Tran, University of the Sunshine Coast, QLD
August 06, 2022 22:01 - 28 minutes - 18.3 MBEpisode 101 of the Bees with Ben podcast showcases the research of Dr Trong Tran, who lectures in chemistry at the University of the Sunshine Coast, and the magical substance known as propolis! Ben met Trong at the recent 4 th Australian Bee Congress in Sydney and knew immediately that his work on propolis would make for a fascinating chat. Propolis is well known to have antioxidant qualities that may have great therapeutic potential for humans. It helps promote healthy bee hives and ca...
EPISOSE 100!!! Bob Binnie, Blue Ridge Honey Company, Georgia, USA and Co-Hosted with Dan Curless, Curless Aussie Apiaries, QLD.
July 31, 2022 06:43 - 1 hour - 50.9 MBWe’re celebrating! The Bees with Ben podcast has reached 100 episodes. And the 100 th episode is very special, being co-hosted Dan Curless from Curless Aussie Apiaries. Our distinguished guest is Bob Binnie of the Blue Ridge Honey Company from Northeast Georgia in the US. Bob has been a commercial beekeeper since 1981; after reading a book on bees he was introduced to a commercial beekeeper and pollinator in Oregon and the rest is history. He is a past President of the Georgia State Bee...
EPISODE 99: Barry Roberts, Backyard Beekeeping Australia Facebook Page, Victoria, Australia
July 24, 2022 22:32 - 52 minutes - 38.9 MBAs Ben observes, there are so many ways in which beekeepers can no learn about the hobby: books, clubs, mentoring, and of course the internet. And a good source of online information for beekeepers in this country is the Facebook group ‘Backyard Beekeeping Australia’. Barry Roberts, the founder of the group, is the special guest on episode 99 of the Bees with Ben podcast. The group was founded in 2018 and now boasts more than 19,500 members, making it the largest Australian Facebook gro...
EPISODE 98, Dale Armel, DAP Pest Control & TikTok Viral Video Poster, Melbourne, Australia
July 19, 2022 10:50 - 33 minutes - 30.2 MBA ‘viral video’ may be described as a video that rapidly gains popularity through a process of sharing on the internet, through a variety of platforms such as social media, emails and websites like YouTube. But how does a video qualify as viral? The most basic measure is the total number of views, but the goalposts have changed over the years. In the early 2000s, a video could have been considered viral if it hit a million views, but by 2011 YouTube personality Kevin Nalty considered the...
EPISODE 97: Jessica Locarnini, Professional Honey Sommelier, The Honey Merchant, Australia.
July 11, 2022 23:34 - 55 minutes - 47.5 MBA ‘sommelier’ is typically associated with wine - a highly trained and knowledgeable professional normally only found in fine restaurants, who specialises in the service of wine, as well as pairing wine with food. It follows equally that the term could also refer to an expert in honey, trained to distinguish all the different nuances of flavour, texture and aroma. Melbourne-based Jessica Locarnini is in fact a qualified honey sommelier, and she is the featured guest on episode 97 of the Bee...
EPISODE 96: Hive Buddy Varroa Mite Conversation, Daz & Mandi, NZ Postcode Honey, NZ & AUS
July 01, 2022 09:48 - 1 hour - 66.7 MB"Given the recent Varroa incident in NSW, Daz and Mandi, from Mandi's New Zealand Postcode Honey have kindly offered to help inform us with some sensible, down to earth advice. With over 25 years experience in beekeeping, 15 years working with varroa and experience beekeeping in Australia, NZ and the USA, Daz and Mandi will give a short no nonsense chat and then we will open up the discussion so your questions can be answered. Basically, there is NO need to panic and we are just taking th...
EPISODE 95: Richard Noel & Ben Moore The Affects and Control Of Varroa Mites.
June 28, 2022 03:58 - 1 hour - 91.7 MBWay back in episode 16 of the Bees with Ben podcast, Ben introduced Richard Noel as a dear friend, a lovely English chap, an ex-paramedic, a landscape gardener, and now passionate beekeeper with a full-time bee-oriented business. A few years back, Ben was lucky enough to stay with Richard for a week at his home in Corseul, a town in Brittany, northwest France, and during this period Ben was able to see the effects of varroa mites upon Richard’s bees, and to gain some insight into Richar...
PODCAST EPISODE 94: Kristofer Fricke, Beekeeper and Traveler, Australia and Abroad
June 22, 2022 22:07 - 52 minutes - 42.9 MBKris Fricke is our featured guest on episode 94 of the Bees with Ben podcast. Kris became a professional apiarist in 2005 and has kept bees in both California and Australia - at one time maintaining more than 500 hives. He has also worked with bees on projects in various parts of the African continent, amongst other destinations. In 2015, Kris founded Bee Aid International after attending a conference on African Beekeeping held in Arusha, Tanzania. He realised that there were many commu...
EPISODE 93: Alex Mazur, Full Time Beekeeper, Ukraine & Australia.
June 18, 2022 09:37 - 36 minutes - 29 MBAfter a break for a couple of weeks, Bee’s with Ben is back with episode 93 of the podcast. In the interim, Ben attended the Australian Bee Congress in Sydney. This was just the fourth event of its kind, despite the inaugural one being held way back in 1972, but bee enthusiasts will only have to wait four years for the next congress, and Ben encourages anyone with an interest to take part. There were some fascinating speakers along with innovative trade shows. A couple of things that st...
Episode 92, Carmel from CMG Honeybee, Melbourne's West, Australia
May 24, 2022 04:14 - 35 minutes - 28.6 MBOur guest for episode 92 of the Bees with Ben podcast is Carmel from ‘CMG Honeybee’. Carmel hails from Melbourne’s west and had a varied career before turning her passion for bees into a business. Originally from Kangaroo Island in South Australia, where she grew up on eighty acres and was always surrounded by wildlife and the bush, Carmel moved to Queensland after completing high school to study music. She worked as a professional musician in a marching band before studying hairdressing, an...
Episode 91, Jay turner & Ben Moore, Pestie Profiles PART 2, Australia.
May 09, 2022 07:30 - 1 hour - 73.5 MBThis episode we continue our chat with Ben Moore all about bees. Ben actually hosts his own podcast https://www.bensbees.com.au/category/podcasts/ and literally lives and breathes everything bee related. This episode is the second installment of a series of episodes Ben and I will produce all about stinging insects. So we will touch on social wasps, solitary wasps, our native bees and of course European Honey Bees. We talk about their ecology, lifecycles, and tips on working with stinging in...
Episode 90, Maurice Damon, Beekeeper, FN Queensland, Australia
May 01, 2022 09:58 - 30 minutes - 21.5 MBFor episode 90 of the Bees with Ben podcast, we are heading to the tropics to catch up with Maurie Damon. Maurie has been keeping bees for decades in the Cairns region and remembers as a twelve-year-old being intoxicated with the intense flavour of honey from a nest of native bees. Maurie tells Ben that one of the main differences about beekeeping in the tropics is that hives must be placed on stands to lift them about forty centimetres off the ground. One reason is the heavy ‘dew’ (there c...
Episode 89, Tommy Daniels, Commercial Beekeeper, Yarra Valley, Victoria
April 27, 2022 09:21 - 34 minutes - 24.5 MBThis week’s podcast is something quite different. Bees with Ben episode 86 consists of a candid chat with commercial beekeeper Tommy Daniels, from Melbourne’s Yarra Valley. Candid because Tommy had no idea that he was being recorded, as Ben called him under the guise of merely having a friendly chat. Ben explains that sometimes beekeepers are quite reticent, and he wanted to make their conversation raw and natural. Of course, immediately after the phone call, Ben called Tommy back to ask for...
Episode 88, Jay turner & Ben Moore, Pestie Profiles, Australia
April 12, 2022 05:09 - 1 hour - 101 MBThe podcast series where we put the spotlight on the best in the pest business. Hear their stories, their successes, their failures, and ultimately what lead them to where they are today! Join Jay Turner as he interviews some of the most inspirational pest managers in the Australian Pest Management Industry. Check it Out! https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/pestie-profiles/id1586241937
Episode 87, Simon McEvedy, Veteran, Ivanhoe Melbourne.
April 04, 2022 06:55 - 42 minutes - 29.6 MBHELLO, NAME IS SIMON MCEVEDY I'M THE FATHER OF TWO GIRLS I'M INFANTRY BY TRADE & NURSE BY PROFESSION I'M ALSO A VETERAN WHO HAS FINALLY FOUND A HOBBY @ THE RIPE OLD AGE 49 AND IM ALSO KNOWN AS A NEWBEE BEE KEEEPER I HAVE NAMED BOTH OF THE HIVES ONE IS A CONBINATION OF MY DAUGHTERS NAMES ELLE & LEAH AND JOYBELL IS NAMED AFTER MY MOTHER AS YOU CAN SEE, I HAVE BEEN A LITTLE CREATIVE WITH THE SPRAY PAINT ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE HIVE BEE CREATIVE I SAY AT THE START OF LOCKDOWN I STARTED...
Episode 86, Stephanie Parsons, Edmonds Honey, Geelong, Victoria
March 19, 2022 07:52 - 51 minutes - 38.8 MBEpisode 86 of the Bees with Ben podcast features a young, up-and-coming beekeeper, Stephanie Parsons. Ben met Stephanie a few weeks back when he was asked to talk at Geelong Beekeeping Club and was impressed by her obvious enthusiasm, upbeat personality and love of beekeeping. Steph is living proof that beekeeping can become a rewarding profession for young people - and particularly young women - in the 21st century, especially those that prefer learning in a practical environment, and don’t...
Episode 85, Co-Hosted with Dr Anna Carrucan, Simon Mildren and Dr Erica Shelley, ProtectaBee, Australia & Canada
March 10, 2022 06:23 - 1 hour - 74.8 MBEpisode 85 of the Bees with Ben podcast is co-hosted by Dr Anna Carrucan, a second-generation beekeeper and botanist, and the driving force behind Buukaar Waaruung boutique apiary and artisan honey. Also along for the ride (but taking something of a back seat on this occasion) is Simon Mildren from The Hive Buddy, a website dedicated to bees and beekeepers. In this podcast, Ben and Anna discuss the merits of the ProtectaBEE all-in-one adjustable hive entrance that is currently exceeding exp...
The 4th Australian Bee Congress: Celebrating Honey Bees at the Heart of a Healthy Australia
March 06, 2022 06:11 - 4 minutes - 4.05 MBThe 4th Australian Bee Congress: Celebrating Honey Bees at the Heart of a Healthy Australia. Registration is now open for the 4th Australian Bee Congress, to be held at Rosehill Gardens in Sydney from 8-11 June 2022. Proudly hosted by the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council, this year’s congress is particularly auspicious, as it coincides with the 200th anniversary of the successful introduction of the honey to Australia. The Congress Organising Committee has been working hard to make thi...
Episode 84, Joe Horner, Commercial Beekeeper & Queen Breeder, Rylstone, New South Wales.
March 04, 2022 22:08 - 29 minutes - 21.6 MBBen likens his special guest for episode 84 of the Bees with Ben podcast to ‘The Jackal’ - everyone has heard of him, but no one has ever seen him! As well as being hard to track down, and something of a character, Joe Horner has developed a reputation amongst Australian beekeepers that approaches legendary status. In particular, the Joe Horner line of queen bees are considered by many to be second to none. When Ben finally does manage to nail Joe down for a chat, he admits to being a bit sk...
Episode 83: Sarah Calleja, Randox Food Diagnostics, Australia
February 28, 2022 07:07 - 28 minutes - 22.7 MBIn episode 83 of the Bees with Ben podcast, Ben chats with Sarah Calleja of Randox Food Diagnostics, a subsidiary of Randox Laboratories. With over 1,300 employees and offices in more than 145 countries, Randox is a world leader within the in vitro diagnostics industry, committed to innovative diagnostic solutions for hospitals, a wide variety of laboratory applications, and food testing. Their vision is to improve health worldwide. Amongst recent achievements, Randox has launched mobile CO...
EPISODE 82, Matthew Petersen, Dividing Creek Farm, South Gippsland, Australia
February 20, 2022 22:56 - 41 minutes - 32.7 MBEpisode 82 of the Bees with Ben podcast focusses on the transition from hobbyist to full-time commercial beekeeper, with the aid of Ben’s special guest, Matthew Petersen from Dividing Creek Farm. Matt says he grew up on a dairy farm with a large orchard, and his dad always had five or six hives, so he was bitten by the bee bug very early in life. However, Matt’s father passed away when he was still quite young, and Matt moved to Melbourne to make money to buy the farm. He tells Ben he start...
Speaking at Geelong Beekeepers Club 18/2/22
February 19, 2022 22:55 - 59 minutes - 51.5 MBThis one is bit of a bonus/extra podcast episode. I did a presentation at the Geelong Beekeepers Club 18/2/22 https://geelongbeekeepersclub.org.au/
EPISODE 81: Randy Oliver, Golden West Bees, North California, USA
February 11, 2022 21:35 - 45 minutes - 39.1 MBWelcome to Bees with Ben podcast episode 81. Randy Oliver is a commercial beekeeper in California who currently runs around 1,000-1,500 hives with his two sons. He started keeping bees as a hobby back in about 1966, and later obtained science degrees specialising in entomology. In 1993, the varroa mite arrived in California, and after having his apiary wiped out for the second time in 1999, Randy decided to fight back, devouring every scrap of data he could, in order to learn more about beek...
EPISODE 80: The Bee Bushman & Son, Riverina, SA
February 04, 2022 09:36 - 31 minutes - 24.4 MBBees with Ben podcast episode 80 features the father and son combination of Mark, the eccentric ‘The Bush Bee Man’, and John (his son) who is responsible for holding the camera. Their website describes Mark as a ‘quintessential farmer from the Australian outback region of the Riverland’. He is noted for his humorous YouTube videos, and Ben struggles not to laugh as he recounts Mark’s hilarious attempts to keep his language in check! Asked first up about the funniest incident on camera, John...
EPISODE 79: Jay Curtin, Australian Honey Ventures, WA
January 27, 2022 01:40 - 53 minutes - 39 MBIn 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 market...
PODCAST EPISODE 78: Kevin Tracy, BeeZone Apiaries, Queensland
January 20, 2022 23:46 - 45 minutes - 35.9 MBPODCAST 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...
Podcast Episode 77: Keith Johnson, Hobbyist Beekeeper, SE Melbourne
January 13, 2022 11:15 - 32 minutes - 23.6 MBWelcome to episode 77 of the Bees with Ben podcast! It has been said that age is of no importance unless you are a cheese, and that the only thing that comes automatically as a result of old age is wrinkles! Bill Vaughan once remarked that, ‘By the time you’re eighty years old you’ve learned everything - you only have to remember it!’ But, jokes aside, it has also been observed that life is about the accumulation of wisdom, love and experience, and of obstacles overcome. Those who improve w...
Podcast Episode 76: Gruffydd Rees from Carmarthenshire, Wales UK
January 04, 2022 02:34 - 37 minutes - 27.6 MBPodcast 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...
Benny's Back!
November 28, 2021 02:04 - 10 minutes - 9.4 MBIts been 3 months since the last Bees With Ben Podcast! Stay tuned over the coming weeks as we have some incredible guests lined up!
PODCAST EPSIODE 75: Col Wilson, commercial beekeeper, Hunter Valley, New South Wales
September 27, 2021 05:42 - 42 minutes - 30.4 MBPODCAST EPSIODE 75: Col Wilson, commercial beekeeper, Hunter Valley, New South Wales As life has moved more and more online, it’s often quite easy to find out about a person, their life and business, just by a quick Google search. And while I love the magic and connection and potential the internet and social media has to offer, there is something to be said for living outside of this realm of technological communication. At the end of a seriously busy day, possibly after a seriously busy m...
PODCAST EPSIODE 74: Michael Johnson, Co-founder of The Basin Backyard, Knoxfield, Victoria
September 25, 2021 23:43 - 37 minutes - 27.1 MBPODCAST EPSIODE 74: Michael Johnson, Co-founder of The Basin Backyard, Knoxfield, Victoria The Melbourne suburb known as The Basin (of the City of Knox) is, as the name suggests, a basin-like area surrounded by the majestic Dandenong Ranges. A part of the world I know well, I was over the moon when I first stumbled upon a fantastic bee business aptly named The Basin Backyard – a garden paradise in the outer eastern suburbs with an abundance of edible plants, as well as bee mentoring and bee...