Bees With Ben

Ben 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.

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When 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 a project funded by the German government, in partnership with

QSI, a major European food testing laboratory. The objective was to make Ghanaian honey fit for

export, and the enterprise was rather unimaginatively entitled the ‘Make Ghanaian honey fit for

export project’!

The problem was that although Ghana has lots of beekeepers that are reasonably proficient at their

craft, the honey simply doesn’t measure up to international standards. Kris stayed a week in three

different locations talking to groups of 50-70 trainees about the best practices for harvesting honey,

as well as common problems associated with the top bar hives, which are universally used by

Ghanaian beekeepers.

Quality issues are created by the common practice of harvesting honey at night - primarily because

the bees are less aggressive. However, in the dark, it is easy for beekeepers to contaminate the

honey with brood, or uncapped honey. Kris says that he saw a lot of honey that was cloudy -

indicating the presence of brood - and tasted some which was part fermented, or unripe. Testing

also indicated the presence of significant amounts of smoke in the honey, but Kris doesn’t believe

this is attributable to the use of smokers. It is more likely to be due to the traditional method of

lighting a fire under the hive to chase the bees out before harvesting honey.

Undaunted by the beekeepers’ reluctance to work their hives during daylight hours, on the first day

Kris inspected some hive in which the bees did indeed seem quite agitated. On the second day, three

hives were opened. The first two were reasonably easy to manage, but the third quickly became

very aggressive. Kris admits to perhaps becoming a little complacent due to his previous experiences

in Africa, and was unwilling to admit defeat due to the adverse effect this would have on the local

beekeepers, so he attempted to power through, but was soon forced to abort as people within a

200-metre radius were being harassed by the bees. It took 45 minutes for the enraged insects to

calm down!

A similar incident happened the next day, at a different location. Invoking the mantra that ‘I do not

run from bees’ Kris was attempting to beat a dignified retreat from an angry hive, but soon his face

became covered in bees, and he was forced to run for it.

These events compelled Kris to admit that Ghanaian bees were far more aggressive than those that

he had experienced in other parts of Africa. Consequently, after that, hives were generally opened in

the last hour of daylight, and not around people working, and there were no further problems. The

local beekeepers were convinced that their bees would be more docile in the early morning, so they

also ended up opening a lot of hives between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m. and this worked quite well.

Episode 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

shape, and decided to look further afield to find uses for this product. The Banana Feeds Australia

website notes that for centuries, bananas have played a vital role in the healthy diet of both humans

and animals alike and have been used by many elite athletes to help achieve peak performance. The

business owners decided initially to focus on the possibilities of an equine supplement, but research

was hard to find. Bananas had been shown to reduce the incidence of ulcers in rats, and to assist to

prevent mastitis in dairy cattle, but this was unlikely to convince racehorse owners to try a product

made entirely from dehydrated green bananas.

So a research project was undertaken with the University of Adelaide, in an effort to identify and

analyse the beneficial components of green bananas. In contrast to ripe bananas, which have a

much higher sugar content, green bananas are high in carbohydrates. They also contain beneficial

polyphenols and flavonoids, along with dopamine and serotonin, all of which are chiefly found in the

peel.

Banana Feeds Australia then constructed a state of the art factory in Far North Queensland, where

whole green bananas (including peel, stems and flower ends) are washed, sliced, dried (raw bananas

consist of 85-90% water) and then milled in a simple and safe process that produces a product that

can easily be shipped anywhere in the world.

B-Complete, the initial equine supplement, was launched with very little marketing and promotion;

as John says, when you have a world-first product it’s ‘pretty important’ to be able to travel, in order

to tell people about it, and this was impossible at the time. Nevertheless, B-Complete took off,

thanks to some fantastic results and endorsements - a Blue Diamond Stakes winner was among the

horses to have used the product. It wasn’t long before dog breeders and greyhound trainers started

to purchase the equine supplement, and this soon resulted in B-Complete for dogs, which is milled

to a somewhat finer consistency.

So how, exactly, is this relevant to bees? Well, Banana Feeds Australia received a telephone call from

a well-known apiary in Tasmania, which had experienced some beneficial effects using green

bananas in the bottom of hives (although no-one quite understood why), with a request to provide

their product in a powdered form. Trials of the green banana powder were overwhelmingly positive;

the apiary used the product on some of their weakest hives, and these subsequently became their

best performing colonies. General colony health and strength was enhanced, and chalkbrood

eliminated. Similar feedback came from other beekeepers, and so 'Bee-Complete’ powdered

supplement became a reality. The product may be sprinkled over the top of frames or used for open

feeding. Many apiarists choose to use it as a supplement in the off season, in order to strengthen

colonies, but it has proved effective all year round.

https://www.bananafeedsaustralia.com/

Antony 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. Having

used propolis to treat cuts, abrasions and sore throats in his own family, Antony knew that it

worked. He began to talk to people in the industry, and eventually launched his first two products, a

propolis and manuka honey spray and a propolis tincture; so in 1996 the Natural Life brand was

born. Antony managed to get those first two products onto shelves in Sydney airport, which proved

a masterstroke, as a single Japanese tourist would often purchase all the stock, meaning there was

little need for marketing!

Over time, new products were added including royal jelly capsules, propolis candy and toothpaste

and Australian manuka honey. Natural Life now sells to Singapore, Malaysia, the UAE, Vietnam and

Kuwait, as well as to Japan, China and Korea. There is also a solid customer base in the Middle East,

and prior to the onset of Covid, Natural Life’s products were in all duty free stores and Asian markets

around Australia. Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) regulations are amongst the

toughest in the world, and Natural Life works continuously with manufacturers, suppliers and

regulators to ensure the products remain of premium quality and potent activity.

But it hasn’t all been plain sailing. Retail closures due to Covid resulted in a 40% drop in sales.

Antony recalls that the whole travel industry ‘evaporated’ meaning that he had to push the online

side of the business. And although the airports have reopened, we are yet to see a real influx of

Asian tourists, who traditionally drive sales. Furthermore, Antony says whereas propolis is big in

pharmacies across Europe, he is banging his head against a wall trying to get propolis products into

health food stores in this country. Consequently, he has taken it upon himself to educate Australians

about the benefits of propolis, in the hope of generating a significant domestic market. Antony says

he would love see propolis in more stores, as this would increase demand, which in turn would

provide extra income for beekeepers. Just before Covid struck, Natural Life released their ‘Wild Bee’

skin care range, which is 100% Australian produced, and combines royal jelly, propolis from native

stingless bees, Australian manuka honey and botanicals collected by Aboriginal communities in the

Northern Territory.

www.naturallife.com.au

Originally 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 New

England; her main interests involve understanding the diverse effects of large crops on native

vegetation, together with the behaviour and efficiency of pollinators within these crops. She

presented an intriguing paper at the 4 th Australian Bee Congress in April of this year and is our very

special guest on episode 102 of the Bees with Ben podcast.

Karen says it was exciting to be able to return to conferences after Covid lock downs; she normally

attends more ecology-based forums, and the Bee Congress provided an opportunity to learn about

different research and to chat with a variety of people, including beekeepers. She explains that she

had zero knowledge about bees when she embarked on that first project in 2012. This involved

analysing pollen grains collected in pollen traps amongst colonies of Africanised honey bees to

determine what sort of resources they were collecting in a given area. Although people were telling

her that the bees were ‘crazy’ or ‘killers’, Karen had nothing to compare them to at the time. She

does acknowledge that precautions had to be taken to ensure the bees did not become agitated -

such as avoiding noise or wearing perfume - and that Australian honey bees have a far more mild-

mannered disposition and tend simply to ‘mind their own business’.

Karen’s presentation at the Congress concerned the diet of bees in almond orchards and was based

upon data collected in Victoria. The results were surprising, as although almond pollen is extremely

attractive to honey bees (it is a good source of protein), the bees nevertheless also seek out and

collect complimentary resources, even at the height of the flowering season. Results varied

significantly between hives, but the lowest proportion of almond pollen encountered was around

62%.

Karen is currently working on other crops including blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and apples,

and was lucky to finish her PhD data collection just prior to the onset of Covid restrictions -

particularly since she was working with blueberries at Coffs Harbour, which is now the subject of a

varroa mite incursion. However, plans to visit apple farms in Queensland had to be abandoned in

2020 and again in 2021 due to border lockdowns. Eventually, Karen is hoping to conduct a fieldtrip

to gather data on the pollen flow between apple cultivars. Like some almonds and blueberries,

apples also require cross pollination, and growers often interplant two or three cultivars in the same

area. Fluorescent pollen dye is used to track the movement of bees via UV light, which Karen says

can create quite a beautiful scene at night.

 Episode 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 can

inhibit foulbroods and chalkbrood.

Trong originally came to Australia from his native Vietnam 14 years ago to work on his Masters

project, which involved searching for bioactive compounds that exhibited anticancer properties in

marine organisms, with a special emphasis on attempting to identify compounds that may be

valuable in the treatment of prostate cancer. He was awarded a PhD degree in Organic Chemistry

from Griffith University in 2015, and then undertook postdoctoral research in the National Cancer

Institute - US National Institutes of Health. In 2019 he was the recipient of an Australian Endeavour

Executive Leadership Award. Trong has thereby gained extensive research experience in natural

product drug discovery but explains to Ben that it can be a very long road from identifying a

beneficial bioactive compound to getting it approved for human use; involving significant investment

from pharmaceutical companies and substantial clinical research. A lot of time and expense can be

spared by focussing on agricultural research - dealing with raw, natural products that are already

consumed by humans with no ill effect. The raw material (rather than an isolated chemical

compound) therefore becomes the product. Trong says this was part of the reason he switched the

subject of his research to agriculture, and then specifically propolis, about 3 years back.

Starting with propolis derived from native stingless bees, he was able to demonstrate wound healing

properties; the propolis helped to improve scars and exhibited anti-scarring activity. Trong then

turned his attention to honey bee propolis, aware that this could represent another significant

source of income for beekeepers. The beneficial properties of propolis appear to derive largely from

bioactive components of plant resins, in particular polyphenols. This large family of organic

compounds is abundant amongst plant species. Trong tells Ben that most premium propolis contains

a high level of polyphenolic compounds, which act as antioxidants and can assist in boosting

immunity and in the treatment of diabetes and other conditions.

How does one consume a daily dose of propolis? Trong says that some people like to make a

tincture, but that this is best stored under cold and dark conditions. Propolis can also be processed

into a powder which can be mixed into drinks or sold as capsules or tablets. And the appropriate

amount? This is currently the subject of further research. The resins in Australian propolis are very

different from those overseas. The recommended dosage for Brazilian green propolis, for example, is

up to 500mg per day. However, when used as a treatment to boost immune function in Covid

patients, 1500mg was used daily. Trong stresses that propolis is not a food, and that more research

is required with Australian propolis to establish, for instance, if there is any toxicity associated with

ingesting large quantities. He says that the propolis industry in Brazil has been going for 30 years,

and that they are consequently far more advanced in understanding level of polyphenolic compounds.

We’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 Beekeepers Association as well as the Northeast GA. Mountain Beekeepers Association and the

Macon County Beekeepers Club. In 2003, he was voted the Georgia State Beekeeper of the Year. Bob

runs over 2,000 colonies; he also teaches beekeeping and is a popular guest speaker, as well as

having a popular YouTube channel.

The Blue Ridge Honey Company is a family business; Bob manages the apiary while his wife Suzette

handles shipping and administration. Honey, pollen and beeswax products are offered for sale; the

honey is pure, natural and raw and is not pasteurised or micro-filtered. Varieties include Sourwood,

Tupelo, Orange Blossom, Gallberry, Tulip Poplar, Purple Starthistle and Wildflower.

Obviously, the recent varroa incursion in Newcastle is foremost in the minds of Australian

beekeepers at the moment, and although no-one would wish the varroa mite on their worst enemy,

it is appropriate in one sense that this constitutes our 100 th episode, as Bob’s experience and advice

makes for essential listening. Combatting varroa is a complex, expensive and labour intensive

process, as demonstrated by the excerpts that follow, but to get the most out of this podcast, you

really need to listen to the whole thing.

Bob starts with some sobering comments about the varroa invasion in the US. He says that initial

attempts to eradicate the mites were ‘absolutely unsuccessful’ and that colonies were killed, and

beekeepers forced out of business before the authorities threw up their hands and said, ‘You’re on

your own.’ Bob doesn’t think we can stop varroa here in Australia, but is certainly of the opinion that

it is a good idea to get educated ‘ahead of the game’ and be prepared before it turns up In our

apiaries.

It is immediately apparent that Bob’s integrated pest management programme has been the result

of a lot of research, thought and experimentation. For example, varroa often wipes out colonies in

winter, but he treats his hives well beforehand around August 1, the idea being that he is treating

the bees that will raise the winter bees. Oxalic acid vaporisation only kills mites that are on bees, not

brood, so this is applied twice in early to mid-winter during the broodless period.

Bob has used Apivar (active ingredient is amitraz) and Apiguard (active ingredient is thymol)

effectively for his early August treatments, but the latter is temperature sensitive. Apivar in

particular is very expensive (Bob’s bill three years ago was $18,000 US) and some colonies are now

starting to show resistance to amitraz. Bob is not a fan of Apistan; its active ingredient, fluvalinate,

proved very effective early on, but the mites quickly became resistant. Fluvalinate has a very long

half life and will persist in comb for many years; it can also pose problems when mixed with other

chemicals. This is an extremely informative podcast that should be listened to in its entirely. And it’s not all

doom and gloom. Bob says that beekeepers in the US had to learn the hard way, but we need not

‘go down fast’ as there is now so much information available to help.

As 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 group supporting backyard beekeepers. It is focussed upon educating

beekeepers and assisting them to improve their beekeeping techniques. Barry says that he originally

created the group because the existing local Facebook pages were dominated by commercial

apiarists and he wanted to provide a hobbyist perspective. Initially, he spent a lot of time putting

together a library of resources and materials. Membership is open to anyone; currently about 90%

are local beekeepers, but overseas members are also encouraged, particularly since they are able to

provide valuable insights into the management of pests and diseases with which we have

comparatively little experience.

Barry believes the identification and control of pests and diseases is something that many hobbyists

struggle with. He details the effectiveness of ripe bananas (which give off the gas ethylene) in

eliminating European foul brood and chalkbrood, and the lack of clear direction provided by the

authorities. Ben brings up the bee vaccine developed in the US - this will be the subject of a

forthcoming article.

Ben and Barry discuss a range of topics, from the upcoming honey season to the divide between

commercial and hobbyist beekeepers, and the decline of honey on the supermarket shelves. But the

current varroa outbreak in NSW is never far from the surface, and this is the basis of a fascinating

discourse.

Comparisons to Covid have become commonplace, and Barry tells Ben that living with varroa will be

similar to living with Covid, in that if it is not quickly eradicated, it is here for good and you will never

get rid of it. If that happens, then beekeepers will be forced to absorb additional workload to

implement a range of ongoing control methods.

Barry’s best guess, based upon the limited information supplied by officials, is that they have

‘already thrown in the towel’ given the removal of the standstill order in NSW. He notes that the

impending almond pollination could well be a ‘super spreader’ event, and that the almond industry

is putting a lot of pressure on Victoria to open up to the importation of bees from NSW. Barry says

that varroa may be contained, due to an ‘absolute fluke’, but that he is concerned that there are

queen breeders in the contaminated zones, and that queens are routinely posted hundreds of

kilometres away. Given the lack of real compensation available, he finds it highly doubtful that a

commercial apiarist with hundreds or perhaps thousands of hives, is going to admit to purchasing

queens from someone in the ‘red’ zones.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/BackyardBeekeepingAustralia/

A ‘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

benchmark to be ‘more than five million views in a three to seven day period’. Some viral videos can

also earn their owners some serious pocket money; one such video entitled ‘David after Dentist’

(depicting the humorous effects of anaesthetic) earned more than $100,000.

And so we come to the subject of the Bees with Ben podcast episode 98; joining Ben in the studio is

owner of DAP Pest Control and TikTok celebrity Dale Arnel. Dale has been in pest control for about

11 years and specialises in the installation of termite barriers. However, his favourite pest is the

European wasp - he is also a budding beekeeper.

Dale describes in some detail the difficulties of working in tight crawl spaces, and explains that the

termites found around Melbourne are subterranean in nature and come up from the ground,

building little mud ‘leads’ (or tubes) so that they can gain access to floors and walls. Ben reckons that

beekeepers are not designed to crawl around under houses and says that although he is also a

licensed pest controller, he has a couple of major issues in that he is claustrophobic and scared of

heights!

Back to our viral video. About three months back, Dale had a call from a client who had a wasp

problem in Healesville on Melbourne’s eastern fringe. She sent through a photo, which depicted a

nest that looked about the size of three basketballs, and Dale thought this may be a good subject for

a video. Upon arriving at the abandoned house - which Dale says looked like it could have been

haunted - large numbers of wasps were observed flying in and out of windows and the roof, so Dale

got suited up and went inside to investigate.

The resultant video records Dale’s initial reaction when he opens the bathroom door. The photo was

‘nothing like real life’ as the nest took up a whole corner of the room, measuring approximately 1.7

metres across and protruding out of the wall ‘like a verandah’! Dale says it looked like it some sort of

pulsating alien and felt like it was somehow telling him to stay away. He explains that European

wasp nests are normally subterranean and above ground nests usually attract attention and are

dealt with before they reach these mammoth proportions. Hidden away inside this vacant dwelling

and protected from the elements, Dale says this nest contained tens of thousands of wasps and,

“Was going to survive the winter and keep going!”

https://www.tiktok.com/@dappestcontrol/video/7076821304434822401?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1

https://www.dappestcontrol.com.au/

A ‘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 Bees with Ben podcast. Jessica received official certification from the American Honey Tasting Society after completing sensory analysis training in the US - learning to detect hundreds of different aromas and even distinguish the type of flowers from which nectar and pollen were originally collected purely from the honey produced.

On website honeymerchant.com.au, Jess explains that she returned to Australia with an even deeper appreciation for the complex flavours of Australian honey: ‘Australian beekeepers work their magic in a land of extremes filled with challenges like fire, flood and drought while being surrounded by some of the most diverse landscapes and flora on the planet. All this is reflected in the unique and varied flavours of our honey.’ In an interview with goodfood online in 2021, Jess runs through the evaluation process using a wine glass in which has been placed a sample of honey. She first holds it up to the light, then examine  the aroma, and finally rolls a small sample round in her mouth. It certainly sounds like she could be talking about wine, as adjectives such as ‘caramel’, ‘camphorous’, ‘spicy’ and ‘medicinal’ start to emerge. In fact, Jess finds many similarities between tasting honey and wine: both have complex aromas and flavours, and honey tasters also use a palette cleanser between samples (in this case, green apple).

‘When you smell honey, it inevitably evokes memory,’ she says.

Locarnini now works with beekeepers to promote the unique character of local honeys, and is dedicated to developing an appreciation for our honeys through tasting, pairing and education. She likes to pair honey with cheese of a similar intensity, one such example being orange blossom honey with goat’s curd. ‘And you can increase the textural experience of a good crumbly cheddar with honey that has crystalised.’

But she is also mindful of the need to conserve our unique Australian environment, and the health of our bees. Jess joins Ben in the studio for this truly fascinating and engaging episode, in which she walks Ben through a ‘live, non-visual honey tasting’ that she reckons could well be a first for a podcast. It will certainly be a revelation for many listeners. Ben describes Jess as, ‘An absolute guru.’ She responds by saying that being a ‘honey sommelier’ is her super power!

http://honeymerchant.com.au

https://www.instagram.com/honeymerchant/