;- while you are sleeping..... while you are working..... while you are playing..... our bees are busy. Moving, searching, fixing, helping, they never stop.

Out of sight and under cover of darkness we transport our hives on bicycle rickshaws along the network of bicycle paths, waterways and hidden lanes that snake through Melbourne.

Away from the bustle of busy traffic they slowly glide on their journeys to undisturbed foraging grounds from where they begin the process of quietly searching out their source of life and in return help ours along with a gift of pollination.

Our bees are treated with the respect they deserve, it is important to us that they are well cared for and get to enjoy the honey they work so hard to produce therefore our focus is on surplus honey extraction which means only taking honey that has been stored by the bees above what they would need to live a very comfortable life.

The hives have never been treated with antibiotics and during extraction in the colder months half the honey in the comb is left for the bees, which means they are not fed on sugar supplements off season to boost quantity at the expense of quality. The bees are left to rest through Winter.

It's not all honey, we enjoy sharing our love of bees by training others to responsibly take up the art of keeping them and many have gone on to start their own honey projects around Australia.

We are often called on to give talks about bees and sustainable ways of doing business at Melbourne events, our live bee display has proved popular and been booked solid since we started touring schools and kindergartens. Given that industry has been quoting a steady decline in take-up of bee keeping as a profession it's encouraging to see so many young people showing an interest in these amazing creatures who we depend on for much of our food.

Those keen to build their experience after taking our beginners bee keeping course find our free monthly bee groups a good way to progress through to getting their own hives and familiarise themselves with the responsibilities involved in keeping urban bees.

We welcome everyone to drop in and join the free bee groups which attract people from all walks of life from curious passers-by to serious enthusiasts. Our regular attendees of entomologists, horticulturists and teachers are just a few of the many specialists who provide a wealth of knowledge and resources to keep this wonderful craft a safe and enjoyable past time.

Setting up for the live bee display at a local primary school.

The ceres bee group get stuck in. Now in its 4th year the bee group is a great way for those looking to get a hive to practise.