Latest News — leptospermum

Have you heard about wax candies? Neither had we until recently! A lot passes us by when our heads are in the hives out in the bush, but thankfully our beeswax customers who are mostly balm and candle makers, crafters, creators and artisans keep us up to date.  So yes, craftspeople make all sorts of things with our beeswax, but it’s the first time we’ve heard of it being used for what are basically sweet syrups contained in fun-shaped beeswax lollies… or candies as they say in the US. You can buy our bees' manuka beeswax and beeswax from our...

The best time to moves bees is at night. We do this to ensure all the worker bees are home as we don't want to leave any bees behind. They also settle in for the night as we travel, and by the time the sun comes we've unloaded them and they're ready to fly and start discovering new nectar and pollen sources. The nectar and pollen sources they're enjoying right now are those of the marvellous Manuka plant. Also known as Leptospermum, and by us beekeepers as Jellybush, there are wonderful pockets of Manuka in the bush along parts of the Australian...

Spring has definitely sprung and the first of the Manuka flowers have appeared at some of our beekeeping sites. In Australia, we beekeepers often call the plant Jellybush, so named because of the thick, gummy honey the bees produce. With more than 80 species of Leptospermum in Australia, at least 10 of which produce bioactive honey, flowering can occur at different sites over a number of months. As the flow of nectar finishes at one site, it might be starting at a different site. That's why as beekeepers we're regularly on the move. We do this to check the health of our...

Fourth generation Australian beekeepers begin offering medicinal Manuka honey for sale direct to customers.