About Us

Hello and welcome to Odd Acres Apiary

We are a small, motivated business specialising in queen bee breeding, appreciating the pressure bees are under and working towards regenerating an environment that is not so hostile to their day-to-day existence. We believe passionately in healthy bees, quality bee products and excellent service. We commit ourselves to give you the best our sustainable business can provide.

Mission

At Odd Acres Apiary, we strive to promote the genetic suitability of bees to cope with the world around them as an alternative to using chemicals and unsustainable beekeeping practices.

Purpose

Our purpose and social responsibility are founded upon producing sound, healthy queen bees as a basis for regenerative and sustainable beekeeping practices. We share our knowledge and skills with our beekeeping community in ways that equip current and future beekeepers for the increasing challenges ahead.

Focus

Our primary focus is queen bee breeding, yet we provide additional services such as supporting bee research in our region and providing training in regenerative and sustainable queen rearing and breeding techniques. If this resonates with you, Contact Us – we’d love to hear from you.

Peter, What moved you to start your business?

“I recall 50 years ago, driving from Sydney to the Snowy Mountains in NSW, and my Dad would secure fly screens under the bonnet of the car, in front of the radiator, to protect the engine bay from the number of insects collected on the drive trip. Drivers would frequently stop at service stations to wipe windows, clear grills, and sweep the front of their cars. These days, you can drive from Sydney to Melbourne with hardly a bug on the windshield. Is that normal? I’m unsure, and it got me thinking – “What have we humans done to the environment that has killed off the bugs?”

Why bees?

“My background is in computer programming and geospatial science. On the one hand, bees are much like large, very complex computer programs. On the other, they are part of a complex relationship with the environment – particularly plants. As a keen gardener, I’ve had bees for many years, and it seemed such an interesting fit – bees, plants and programming. What could go wrong ?? Well, I progressed to 200 colonies and realised I had to choose between my computing job and bees. I chose bees…..”

Kim, What moved you to start your business?

“Like Peter, I, too, wondered why the insects are disappearing. Every summer, the beehive in our backyard would have dead bees on the ground outside the hive’s entrance, and I wondered how many neighbours were spraying their gardens with insecticides. Seeing the carnage outside the beehive, I knew that if improvements were to occur, I needed to be part of something that could make a difference: our business model.”

Why bees?

“I’ll be honest, bees are an exciting choice to establish a business upon. In the early days, I helped Peter at the apiaries where I could. The hands-on activities in the field and being out in the open air gave me time to chill and learn to interchange with nature again. My commercial and corporate background in business and IT guided me in establishing a solid business structure and operations. I photograph and video our beautiful bee-related media for Odd Acres Apiary to soothe my creative side and decide which apiary snaps and footage make it to our IT platforms.”

And the Family?

“Apart from a good dose of outdoor fun, our family helps with apiary activities, operates the video and IT recording for our maintenance records on the apiary sites, takes experimental photographs and videos while learning about the importance of connecting with nature, witnessing nature deciding what stays, what goes, and what changes.”

Our customers are our top priority, and through our products, we work hard towards building long-lasting and meaningful relations with you. Contact us for more information. We would love to hear from you.