Our Philosophy

Darwinian Beekeeping with a dash of Permaculture

The pressures on pollinators from environmental degradation, unsustainable agricultural practices, pests and diseases all require innovative approaches from the modern beekeeper.

At Odd Acres Apiary, we have built our practice with guidance taken from the principles of Permaculture, as described by Bill Mollison and Dave Holmgren, and Darwinian Beekeeping, as defined by Thomas Seeley.

We work hard to balance productivity on the one hand and the welfare of our bees on the other.

Each year, we have a new challenge to keep our bees healthy. We encourage the husbandry of bees to be as close to their evolutionary circumstances as possible.

This means honeybees may likely produce less honey than if they were farmed using more industrial techniques.

Lost production, however, will be offset by avoided costs from increased labour and expenses spent in recovering from colony losses and ongoing chemical treatments.

Bees on Leptospermum

Observe and Interact

We work with bees that are adapted to our location. By taking time to engage with nature, we can design solutions suited to our particular situation.

beehive patterns

Minimise Interference

We only interfere with the colony's brood nest to conduct inspections as required by Government mandated biosecurity requirements.

Yield

Obtain a Yield

Make sure you're getting truly useful rewards as part of the work you're doing.

award

Self Regulate and Welcome Feedback

Be critical of what you are doing. Encourage what is working and change that which is not.

Widely spaced hives

Widely Spaced Colonies

Spacing our bees as widely as possible increases their welfare, reduces competition for forage and reduces opportunities for disease and pests.

Gold Standard Beehive

Integrate Rather Than Segregate

By putting the right things in the right place, relationships develop between them, and they work together to support each other.

Gloves

Produce no waste

Value and make use of all the resources that are available to us, turning waste into a resource

Bee and Rain

Reinforce the Patterns of Nature

By stepping back and observing nature and society, we can better identify patterns that inform our designs.

Beehive in a tree

Use Edges and Value the Marginal

The edge—the interface between two different environments—is the most diverse and productive area.

Bee and Flower

Use and Value Diversity

Diversity reduces dependency and takes advantage of multiple opportunities that leverage the environment in which it resides.

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