HoneyBee Hives
A LOVE STORY. A BEE STORY. OUR STORY.
We’re Di and Scott. Together, we built multi-award-winning HoneyBee Hives — a business full of bees, determination and community spirit. We have now retired from commercial bee breeding, with so much to be proud of and so much to be thankful for.
New adventures are calling, but bees will always hold a place in our hearts. The business is for sale, and we hope its next owners will continue our legacy, build on what we’ve created and take Honeybee Hives to even greater things. Our beekeeping library remains here for you to enjoy.
For to the bee a flower is a fountain of life, and to the flower a bee is a messenger of love.
Kahlil Gibran
We are no longer taking new bee orders. Honey can still be supplied, and pre-loved beekeeping equipment, venom collectors and extraction equipment are available for sale. Please enquire about what you need.
01 / A LEGACY WE’RE PROUD OF
From our Northern NSW apiary to international markets, HoneyBee Hives became more than we could have imagined.
We met in 2017 and founded HoneyBee Hives in 2018.
Our beekeeping and business experience came together in a shared venture — and a shared life.
We began by responding to local demand for bees, and went on to supply more than 1,000 nucleus hives. Along the way came honey, handcrafted beeswax products, workshops, friendships and a growing community of people discovering the wonder of bees.
Drought, bushfires and floods tested us and our business. In 2019, bushfires destroyed bee-foraging areas and left us unable to breed bees for sale. We had to find another way forward.
We began making beeswax-based balms as Christmas gifts for family and friends, using wax from our own apiary. Those humble gifts grew into a whole new part of HoneyBee Hives — a reminder of what creativity and determination can make possible.
Our journey took us beyond Australia. We exported our products to Vietnam. We also explored opportunities in China, which remained an ambition we worked towards.
In 2022, we joined the Vietnam Business Booster Program, including a trade delegation, followed by Investment NSW’s Going Global Export Program for Vietnam. Our honey and beeswax products were also purchased by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for diplomatic gifts overseas — a special moment for our small regional business.
RECOGNITION ALONG THE WAY
Every award carried the hard work behind it — and the encouragement of the people who believed in us. We’re proud to look back on a multi-award-winning business built together.
Our early national milestones were runner-up for Excellence in E-Commerce in 2022 and Rural Business to Watch in 2023 at the Australian Rural Business Awards, presented by Spend With Us.
Australian Rural Business Awards
Northern Rivers Business Awards
Rural Business to Watch — runner-upAustralian Rural Business Awards
Business NSW recognition
From 2022 to 2025, our honey, honeycomb and balms earned first-place awards across a range of categories every year, alongside Most Outstanding Exhibit recognition.
Clarence Valley Business Awards
SHARING WHAT WE LOVED
Sharing our love of bees was always at the heart of HoneyBee Hives. We welcomed people into beekeeping, visited schools and community groups, and helped curious minds discover the life of a hive.
After the floods, we ran free workshops. We also worked with the not-for-profit The Mend & Make Do Crew to offer free community workshops, sharing the joy of creating with beeswax. For World Bee Day on 20 May 2023, four free sessions shared “The Buzz About Bees” and “DiY Products From A BeeHive”, with support from the NGO Flood Support Program. Our May workshops invited participants to make lip balm, timber and leather restorer, and beeswax wraps to take home.
From a child’s first questions about bees to an adult making something with their own hands, these were moments that made the work worthwhile.
OUR STORY, SHARED MORE WIDELY
On 28 October 2023, we were honoured to welcome the Governor of New South Wales, Margaret Beazley, and Dennis Wilson to HoneyBee Hives. We were also recognised through mentions of our work in Parliament. Our story appeared in local newspapers, television interviews and on radio, and the ABC often called on us to comment on beekeeping issues.
These opportunities gave us a chance to talk about the bees we loved, the challenges beekeepers faced and the work happening in our community.
Read the Governor’s official visit diary ↗
Watch our ABC Weekend Breakfast interview · May 2021 ↗
WITH PRIDE, GRATITUDE & A LITTLE EXCITEMENT
02 / THE NEXT CHAPTER
HONEYBEE HIVES IS FOR SALE
Interested in making Honeybee Hives part of your future? Get in touch with us to enquire about the whole business or any part of it.
Make a business sale enquiryAVAILABLE FOR SALE & BY ENQUIRY
Please get in touch about any part of the business, equipment or honey supply. We can discuss your enquiry and current availability directly.
Our pre-loved beekeeping equipment is available for sale. Tell us what you’re looking for.
Enquire about equipment ↗Honey can still be supplied. Contact us to discuss what you need and what is currently available.
Enquire about honey ↗Venom collectors and extraction equipment are available for sale. Get in touch for details.
Enquire about collectors & equipment ↗A BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY IN ITS OWN RIGHT
After the 2019 bushfires, we lost all the foraging land our bees depended on. With an abundance of beeswax on hand, we needed to find a new direction.
Di drew on her naturopathic background to develop our beeswax balm formulations. What began as handmade Christmas gifts grew into a much-loved part of HoneyBee Hives.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade purchased our products as diplomatic gifts for Australian embassies around the world. It was a proud moment to see something we had created reach so far.
Our beeswax balm business is now available for sale separately.
You’re welcome to enquire about the balm business on its own, or as part of a wider discussion about HoneyBee Hives. Contact us to discuss the opportunity and what a sale could involve.
Inquire about the balm businessKEEP YOUR CURIOSITY BUZZING
The article introduces small hive beetle and practical ways to reduce risk in the apiary, with links to NSW management guidance.
Beekeeping starts with the basics: a suitable hive, protective clothing, tools and the knowledge to care for a colony. Beekeeping also means making time for regular inspections and learning to recognise pests and disease.
Start by building your skills and checking the requirements where you live. In NSW, keepers of European honeybees must register with NSW DPIRD. The department’s guidance covers registration, hive management and biosecurity.
NSW beekeeper registration ↗BeeAware learning resources ↗Our “Native Plants For Bees” article celebrated banksias, grevilleas, eucalypts, bottlebrushes, hakeas and tea trees. The lasting idea is simple: think about the food and habitat your garden can offer pollinators.
Choose plants suited to your local conditions and available space. The Wheen Bee Foundation’s regional Powerful Pollinators guides are a useful place to explore native trees, shrubs and flowers for your area.
Explore regional planting guides ↗Regular attention to colony condition is central to beekeeping. Keep a record of what you observe and learn how to recognise changes in your hive.
For current inspection, disease management and record-keeping requirements, use the Australian Honey Bee Industry Biosecurity Code of Practice and your state or territory authority. NSW DPIRD identifies these as part of the minimum standards for registered beekeepers.
Read the Biosecurity Code of Practice ↗Based on our “Beekeeping FAQ”.
04 / GET IN TOUCH
For business, balm business, equipment, honey and general enquiries:
buzz@honeybeehives.com.auThe link opens your email app. You can also copy the address into your preferred email service.