THE BEE COLLECTIVE
jenni mcleod
Beekeeper, Educator, Consultant
more than honey
projects
leatherwood
project pollinator First
No Spray register
the bee book
Bee Queens
The Rolls-Royce of Honey.
This is according to Honey Barbara in Peter Carey's famous novel 'Bliss'.
Save the Bees Australia has collaborated with the Bee Collective to offer a limited release of this honey while helping to save the bees.
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Leatherwood (eucryphia lucida) is a rainforest tree that has evolved deep in Tasmania’s Gondwanan rainforest.
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This forest is under threat from climate change and continued logging. This is a chance for you to taste this threatened rainforest for yourself-$1.00 from each jar of honey will go directly to Save the Bees Australia to continue the valuable work they do.
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You can find out more about Leatherwood here and purchase your taste of this threatened wilderness here.
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Why pollinators first?
We rely on pollinators to provide us with the food we eat. So many of the decisions we make in our homes, gardens, road verges and how we decide to grow food directly impacts pollinators.
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Project Pollinator First started in my backyard, has spread to community backyards and has resulted in lobbying action to local councils, state government and peak bodies. This is an ongoing project and the community is invited to participate. The Bee Collective has produced a library of resources for the community.
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Find out more here.
What is a No Spray Register?
Placing your address on a No Spray Register allows you to ‘opt out’ of chemical spraying on your property boundaries. In Australia, most No Spray Registers are managed by local councils under various state, territory and federal legislation. At this time there is no consistent implementation of No Spray Registers - you can find out more about No Spray Registers here.
In July 2020, the Bee Collective wrote to each of Tasmania's 29 Local Government Areas to enquire about the status of a No Spray Register with council.
Find out more here.
A community collaboration.
Mr Fred House was a Beekeeper of 92 years, a long term resident of Goodwood in Hobart's northern suburbs and the only survivor of the HMAS Sydney. Fred and I shared a love of bees and met weekly for a coffee and a chat. One day, I asked Fred to start writing about his life as a Beekeeper and a few days before he died, he presented me with his book 'My Life with the Honeybees.' Fred was 99 years old.
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Fred's sad passing changed the project to become a book written by children in Goodwood. Project partners include the Goodwood Community Centre, Tasmanian Junior Beekeepers, the Story Island Project and Beautiful Girls Bees (now the Bee Collective) to form Bee Literate Tasmania.
Now in its 4th print run, shaping the book became a story of discovery, inspiration and learning for everyone involved.
Find out more here.
Be the Change.
Bee Queens is a women's beekeeping program a program supporting women+ in beekeeping. In Australia, 20% of the beekeeping workforce are women - the national average in other industries is 48%.
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Bee Queens offers a comprehensive 12 month beekeeping program combining theory and practice whilst building community for women beekeepers. The program is now scaling to other communities by building leaders.
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Further information can be found at www.beequeens.org
the pollination book
A New Book Project with Children.
We are excited to announce a new book project written by children in the Huon Valley for children everywhere.
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The Huon Valley is a major food producer of cherries, apples, berries and other pollinator reliant crops.
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This book aims to connect children to thriving local industries, such as our major sponsor and partner for this project, Rand R Smith Orchards (pictured) and with the the important role of pollinators in producing the food they eat. This book was completed through a series of workshops and can be purchased through the Bee Collective shop.
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ABOUT ME
I started beekeeping over 20 years ago in Tasmania's SW wilderness. and is founder of the Bee Collective.
A community builder, I'm passionate about unlocking capacity and has spent decades working with marginalised communities developing strategies and programs to make the invisible, visible.
This has included initiating book projects with children, and in 2023 she led out two Beekeeping World Records reaching 27 countries. I also have a beekeeping book in publication.
With 10 years experience working as an on ground political staffer and as a Board Director with AusCycling, I bring a strong governance focus to my professional life.
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