Hello, I'm Nathan

Hello, I’m Nathan, a backyard urban Beekeeper that has grown to have 7 separate apiaries with around 40-50 hives. I’m based in far northern suburbs of Melbourne Australia at a place called Doreen and have hives in small suburban backyards, a local nursery & wellness centre, on large rural properties and even on the roof of a garage all within my local area. I live in Doreen with my Partner, Candice and my two Sons, Kai and Levi.

Beekeeping for me is more than just a hobby gone wild, its a passion. A hobby is something you do outside of your normal occupation, primarily for relaxation and enjoyment, but a passion, when you discover it, truly grips you and provides you with a new drive and determination. Beekeeping put me more in touch with nature, my local community and genuinely helps me de-stress and be a happier version of myself.

Thanks to the Flow hive

I owe thanks to Cedar Anderson and his father Stuart Anderson the inventors of the Flow hive. Not only did they raise a record-breaking A$16.9 million in just 6 weeks but they have now sold over 51,000 beehives to 130 countries. Besides their phenomenal business achievement, I sometimes wonder if they realize the joy and happiness they have brought to the lives of so many others throughout the world who became Beekeepers, of which I am just one.

I have experimented with numerous hive formats including Flow Hives, Kenyan Top Bar Hives, Warre Beehives, to name a few. I now universally use hives with a standard 8-frame Langstroth format (either Flow Hives, Poly Hives or I buy traditional wooden Langstroth Hives). I have found ventilated bottom boards, good hive insulation and using ideal size honey supers works well for me. More recently, I have taken a fancy to the Paradise Honey BeeBox polystyrene beehive system. I am a Certified Flow Hive Ambassador and approximately half of my Mentoring clients opt for a Flow Hive because of its benefits for smaller Backyard Beekeepers.

My First Hive and Apiary

My first apiary was on a beautiful 20 acre rural bush block of land. There were plenty of eucalyptus trees but honey flows were rare and I quickly realised the block had a lack of biodiversity and regularly flowering plants. Any more than about 7 hives and the bees would either abscond or starve. There were two huge dams of water and beautiful tranquil surrounds that added to the whole relaxing beekeeping experience.

An Allergic Beekeeper!

An experience no Beekeeper ever wants to experience is anaphylaxis. Within 30 minutes of my third bee sting, I experienced a severe allergic reaction or anaphylaxis. Fortunately, I recovered and later visited a Specialist Doctor and was given a choice. Stay away from bees or undergo allergen immunotherapy. I now have regular bee venom injections. While the treatment is ongoing and not overly pleasant, I have managed to build up some immunity so my bee stings now react less than most people. Like most Beekeepers, I get stung fairly regularly, but take added precautions including almost always wearing my suit and carry two EpiPens at all times.