Ben's Bees in Blackburn North, Victoria | Urban Farm

Ben's Bees

Locality: Blackburn North, Victoria

Phone: +61 437 077 792

Address: 15 Marilyn court 3130 Blackburn North, VIC, Australia

Website: http://www.bensbees.com.au

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25.01.2022 Drone Bees Hatching !

24.01.2022 PODCAST EPISODE 23: Sarah Hamilton, Native Beekeeper and founder of BeeYourself, Brisbane, Australia These days the honeybee is well-known and well-loved. Of course, I completely understand why these little darlings pollinate 70% of the world’s food crops, so what’s not to love! In comparison, native bees don’t get nearly as much press as they deserve. Hugely diverse across the globe and each with their characters and unique abilities, native bees are the unsung heroes of... the bee world. With smaller populations and less understood needs, their food supplies and homes can be threatened, with some species even facing extinction. Australia is also home to a number of very special, unusual and useful native bees, that are an important part of the bushland. Before the introduction of honeybees in 1823, there were, and still are, some 1600 species of indigenous bee in Australia! They come in all shapes, sizes and colours, be that black, yellow, red, metallic green, blue polka dotted and striped! Some are fat and furry, while others are sleek and shiny. At their extremes, Australia’s tiniest native bee of just 2mm comes from Cape York and is known as the Quasihesma bee; on the other end of the spectrum, Australia's largest native bee, the 24mm long Great Carpenter Bee, can be found in the tropical north and northern NSW. Due to their general small size, some native bees can be confused for flies. To my knowledge, of the ten major groups of native bees in Australia, stingless bees prefer warm climates (and not residing in Victoria) and is the only bee currently available for sale in Australia. And with that introduction, I would like to make a second introduction, and welcome the wonderful Sarah Hamilton to the BEES WITH BEN beekeeping podcast for episode 23. Sarah is an Australian native beekeeper based in Brisbane, who sells her hives down the east coast of Australia and runs the website and venture BeeYourself. According to Sarah, Australian native bees help pollinate your gardens and or crops, helping them bloom to their greatest potential, they produce a unique honey and they are stingless. The good news is that it is very simple to install and maintain a hive of your own; with that in mind, I would highly recommend anyone interested in native bees gets in touch with Sarah to discuss how they can come to own and nurture some native colonies a fantastic and worthwhile addition to the local fauna-scape. Listen in to hear Sarah and I chat about threats to native bees, the huge price tag attached to stingless bee honey ($250-$500 per kilo!), honey production levels, and the benefits of keeping stingless bees in schools, kindergartens and hospitals. Let’s learn about and from native bees in Australia, with the help of Sarah Hamilton. Tune in! https://open.spotify.com/episode/5UMLqyCzX8wFqQSGPFom2S http://www.beeyourself.com.au/

24.01.2022 Our boutique hampers are packed with healthy, natural products that anyone will cherish: premium, raw honey; candles made from pure, ethically-produced beeswax that can help purify the air. All of our products are manufactured in Australia by a small, family-owned business. Anna Jarvis believed that a mother would do ‘more for you than anyone in the world’. Pamper the most important person in your world with a fine, hand-crafted hamper. Click this link to learn more ... https://www.bensbees.com.au/product/bens-bees-hamper/

21.01.2022 PODCAST EPISODE 40: James Dorey, scientist, PhD candidate, and re-discoverer of the native Pharohylaeus lactiferous bee species We do a lot of talking about the wonderous, superhero honeybee. However, Australia is home to a huge 1654 species of native bees that don’t get anywhere near the attention they deserve. Coming in all shapes, sizes and colours, with a range of behaviours and living habits, native bees are fascinating, nuanced and mystifying creatures, even for beekeep...ers. In some ground-breaking news that’s hot off the press just this week, an incredible re-discovery has been made in Queensland: a native bee species, Pharohylaeus lactiferous or the rare cloaked bee, was found for the first time in 100 years! So, I am completely thrilled to bring James Dorey the scientist and PhD candidate who found the cloaked bee after its long hiding to the BEES WITH BEN beekeeping podcast for episode 40. As James described recently in his article on The Conversation, the cloaked bee (its name, pharo meaning cloaked), has three abdominal segments that overlay one another in a cloak formation. And as a bee wearing a big cloak might suggest, this mysterious little insect has always been tricky to find between 1900 and 1923, two bee collectors found six specimens of P. lactiferous, but no more have been discovered until now. James describes: I found the cloaked bee P. lactiferus during a major east coast sampling effort of more than 225 unique sites. The discovery, and what I learnt from it, helped me find more specimens at two additional sites. It also made me wonder why P. lactiferus had been missing for so long. Is it naturally rare, hard to find, or perhaps threatened? Interestingly, the cloaked bee was found on two plants, both with fiery red flowers: the firewheel tree and the Illawarra flame tree. As bees don’t see red, red plants are often pollinated by birds, and scientists therefore potentially don’t sample this type of flora. Who knew, this would be where James would make his remarkable discovery. Tune in to hear James and I discuss the fascinating and rare cloaked bee, how James made his discovery, and the wonderous world of native bees! https://podcasts.apple.com//po/bees-with-ben/id1512755530 https://www.jamesdoreyphotography.com.au/

21.01.2022 Interested in hearing about my life before bees? Well it’s not the usual Bee man that you know and love this is the story of my life before I got into bees which includes police raids, addiction and homelessness. If you haven’t listened to the One Moment Please podcast yet the question is ...where have you been? Guests have included ex-spies, former undercover cop, ex-prison officer, parachute accident survivor turned YouTuber, an ex homicide detective just to list a few and ...now ME! All of the guest have something in common... they have overcome adversity. Here is the link to my episode. https://open.spotify.com/episode/09KlIIw8cuCSQvIUpjhNZG https://podcasts.apple.com//one-moment-please/id1501643057 Thank you Fiona Insta : @onemomentpleasepodcast Facebook; One Moment Please Podcast

20.01.2022 This is the most pure form of honey you can get, natural honey comb straight from the hive! Its has the best health benefits as it natural and contains bits of pollen which is perfect to help those suffering allergies like hay fever. 400 gram blocks.... Click on kink to know more https://www.bensbees.com.au/product/pure-honeycomb/

17.01.2022 Trust me he wants to.....

16.01.2022 PODCAST EPISODE 24: Ben the Busy Bee says hi and goodbye but only for six weeks! For beekeepers, the annual cycle of work and rest is a rollercoaster. As bees rug up and hibernate for the winter, beekeepers wait around, twiddling their thumbs, dreaming of bees, painting bee boxes, and drinking long cups of tea doused in their favourite honey. To be honest, the cooler months of the year can be quite excruciating! And then, FINALLY, the first blooms of spring peek out int...o the world, the first rays of sunshine meander down between the branches of the trees above, and bijingo, there you have it, bees as far as the eye can see! That’s right, bee lovers, the bees are well and truly back in Melbourne and Victoria and (you guessed it) I’m happy as a bee could be! Being reunited with my colonies and those of others has me grinning ear to ear. However, it also has me well and truly run off my feet with work! That is why I bring you none other than myself to episode 24 of the BEES WITH BEN beekeeping podcast to wish you a monetary goodbye from the airwaves. What? you ask, Not, the podcast? Don’t tell me there are no more chats with world-class beekeepers and lovers?! Fear not, the podcast is well and truly here to stay in fact, it’s so popular that I am constantly receiving requests and queries about what’s up next, and how people can get involved. I absolutely love having a platform to introduce the Ben’s Bees community to bee-related professionals from near and far; it’s a true delight, and one I can’t wait to get back to! However, right now, I am flat out rehoming swarms around Melbourne; helping bees pollinate orchards like blueberries, raspberries and pears; mentoring beekeepers; stocking the online store; and getting bees ready for their new owners (believe me, the backyard in full of ‘nucs’ for people to collect when the time is right). So, while I get to work keeping Victoria’s bees happy and healthy, my mind will be ticking away with new ideas and guests for the podcast when I return to your airwaves in six weeks’ time. So, who can you look forward to meeting when I return, you ask? Some special guests include Ian Steppler from A Canadian Beekeeper blog and YouTube channel and Trevor Monson from WA who helps coordinate the biggest movement of bees in Australia! Also in case I wasn’t busy enough get set for me to launch my first ever book (!!!), just in time for Christmas (more on that soon). While I say ciao for now to the BEES WITH BEN podcast, check-in on my social media and blog for busy-Ben updates over the next six weeks! Love Ben x https://open.spotify.com/episode/045dRgsWSDfMViCUTM1ecb https://podcasts.apple.com//po/bees-with-ben/id1512755530

13.01.2022 I’ve always been fascinated by the creatures that roam our earth. Me as a youngster. #nature

12.01.2022 PODCAST EPISODE 41: Drew Maddison, beekeeper and co-owner of Ministry of Chocolate, Croydon, Australia Other than bees and honey of course, there are two other things that I love dearly small business and CHOCOLATE! Ministry of Chocolate is a family-owned and run business based on Croydon, Victoria, producing high-quality chocolate made on-site and supplied to a number of businesses across Melbourne, including luxury hotels, wineries and specialty chocolate stores. The Mini...stry started out at local farmer’s markets across the city, before husband-and-wife team Drew and Karin Maddison found it increasingly difficult to produce their wares at home with two young boys wanting to taste test EVERYTHING! At that time, they took the brave but worthwhile leap and opened a large-scale kitchen. (Believe me, if I were their sons, I too would want to taste test all their delicious chocolates!) So, from one sweet tooth to another (and I know there are a lot of you out there), I am blissful to introduce you to co-owner of the Ministry of Chocolate and beekeeper Drew Maddison for episode 41 of the BEES WITH BEN beekeeping podcast. For Drew, his love of chocolate started when he was just a little tacker. The smell of melted chocolate would hover over his schoolyard from a local chocolate shop; and Roald Dahl’s Charlie and Chocolate Factory was a definite well-loved read in his bookshelf. When Drew and Karin met while working for a large-scale bakery in Melbourne, they never imagined that some years down the line they would be running a high-end chocolate business together with a penchant for local produce: We pride ourselves on using locally grown ingredients where possible. Our strawberries are form the Mornington Peninsula, our Almonds from South Australia and even our Salt from the Murrey River. But our pride and joy is being able to use our every own honey in our honeycomb chunks and bars. Drew and Karin keep their own hives in the outdoor courtyard section of their factory space in Melbourne’s east. And they LOVE their bees: It’s great having bees it’s similar to watching goldfish in a tank, however there are 60,000 of them, and their much smarter too! Also knowing your helping the environment and supporting the bee numbers is important to us. Tune in to hear Drew and I chat about all things chocolate, bees, running a small business and our joyful business collaborations. https://podcasts.apple.com//po/bees-with-ben/id1512755530 www.ministryofchocolate.com.au The Ministry Of Chocolate

12.01.2022 The keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams ~Henry David Thoreau~

11.01.2022 Westfield Shopping Bees

10.01.2022 Who’s excited to hop on a plane soon!?

09.01.2022 Competition Winner! Massive thank you to all those that entered! I missed a couple today to add to the video but thank you all so much ! ... Here is the link, sorry had to upload to Youtube as it’s a big file and FB was being insubordinate! https://youtu.be/LVvKeIvTDNQ

09.01.2022 I lived in Noosa for a few years and this ludicrous thinking ! My guess the person who made the decision was stung as a child and suffered childhood trauma and hates bees! https://www.facebook.com/1485185251762708/posts/2811362539144966/

08.01.2022 No matter where in the world you are support your local beekeeper! Hi Ben, Thank you for your honey.... I am not a fan of honey, have never been. This morning I exploded with hay fever, one of the worst attacks for me. I did the usual things: sucked an anti histamine (you get a quicker result if you do let it dissolve under your tongue) and I used my nasal spray. None of it helped. Then I decided to put honey on a crisp read and oh my, was it sweet. Not surprising as it was your Orange Blossom honey. I noticed my symptoms settling, so I had another dose of the honey on a crispbread. Now, no more nose blowing , sneezing, eyes streaming, just a residual sniff and swollen sinuses. So, thank you for your honey and it's wonderful medicinal properties. I am still not a fan of the taste of honey, but I will always use it for my health. Warm regards to you and your wonderful bees, Liz

08.01.2022 Thank you everyone for the incredible support It’s at the printers and ready around mid December Here is a link to the book. ‘For The Love Of Bees’ ... https://www.bensbees.com.au/product/5960/

08.01.2022 Amongst the Bees

07.01.2022 Big Brother is not impressed with Little Brothers Bees! @swarmboy #beesting

06.01.2022 Are you social? The 17th century English poet John Donne famously observed that, ‘No man is an island, and everyone needs a little company sometimes, but eusocial organisms have taken social organisation to extremes! Their closely-knit colonies are divided into castes, each with their own tasks (often some are sterile); there is cooperative care of the young, and overlapping generations exist side by side. Eusociality is best known amongst insects. Almost all ants - estimate...d to be more than 20,000 species - are eusocial, with one or more egg-laying queens and sterile worker and soldier castes. Termites comprise another highly successful eusocial group - more than 3,000 species - that may be found on every continent except Actarctica. Termite colonies have a king and a queen, as well as sterile workers and soldiers, some of which have jaws so large they cannot feed themselves. A relatively small percentage of bees and wasps are eusocial; amongst the latter, honey bees display the highest level of organisation. There are also eusocial aphids, thrips and beetles, together with several species of shrimps and, surprisingly, two mammals - both burrowing mole-rats from Africa. Eusocial species typically construct communal nests which afford protection, the ability to store resources and the provision of a suitable environment in which to raise the young. These may be positioned to take advantage of abundant food sources. Pheromones are commonly important in regulating the colony, and in many instances are responsible for suppressing reproductive capabilities in workers. See more

06.01.2022 Just like Melbournians and the restrictions these bees wanted out to go shopping! #doncastershopping #westfieldshoppingcentre #beerescue

05.01.2022 Really interesting to see a virgin queen compared to a fully mated laying queen!

04.01.2022 Long live the queen! Normally, each colony of honey bees contains a solitary queen. The queen is solely responsible for reproduction and can lay up to 2,000 eggs every day - more than her own body weight! Throughout the year, worker bees construct a number of special, incomplete, larger cells called ‘queen cups’. These are oriented vertically, unlike the rest of the brood comb, which is in a horizontal plane. The advent of warm spring weather coincides with an abundance of ne...Continue reading

02.01.2022 ~Spring~ Show me photos of your spring weekend

02.01.2022 First time in the city of Melbourne since the start of the year! #774abcmelbourne #talkingbees

02.01.2022 Santa is delivering something very special for Christmas this year And it makes a BEEautiful gift! Comprising more than 200 full-colour pages and complemented with beautiful photography, For the Love of Bees is the result of years of experience and research. Covering every conceivable aspect of bees and beekeeping, this labour of love is bursting with amazing facts and figures and intriguing information you won’t be able to put it down!... ‘Honey bees have evolved a complex social system and, in the construction of their nests, have scaled the heights of engineering perfection. They produce a natural sweetener that keeps forever, plus an incredible ‘superfood’ with magical properties and a utilitarian substance beeswax that is almost unparalleled in its versatility. Constrained by a brain the size of a sesame seed, these enigmatic insects can nonetheless perform the complex calculations necessary to navigate unerringly to a food source the coordinates of which are communicated to the colony using the only known abstract language not invented by humans. Honey bees are armed with a battery of sensory equipment capable of detecting temperature, humidity, wind speed, chemical signatures and polarized light, as well as magnetic and gravitational forces, and have also acquired the ability to see ultraviolet light. As essential pollinators, they are vital for the continued integrity of the floral landscape and, by extension, for the very survival of the human race. Blessed with an enquiring mind thirsting for unusual facts and figures, together with an ‘organic’ philosophy that embraces anything homemade or bespoke, Ben Moore also possesses an innate regard for the merits of determined labour and exudes boundless enthusiasm. It seems almost inevitable therefore that he was destined to be drawn to bees and beekeeping. For the Love of Bees is a tribute to one man’s voyage of discovery, fuelled by a desire to give back something to his chosen calling, and to promote awareness of bees and beekeeping, and a lifestyle more attuned with the natural world. It is packed with fascinating information and imbued with a shared sense of wonder, which emanates from every page.’ (Estimated dispatch 17 December) Click this link to pre order your very own copy! https://www.bensbees.com.au/product/5960/

02.01.2022 Really interesting to see a virgin queen compared to a mated queen.

01.01.2022 Cute! https://youtu.be/F0HIofjlkM0