Victory bee sweet

A HONEY produced from a beehive in Alexandra has won a prize at the annual conference of the Victorian Apiarist’s Association (VAA).

It was provided to Liz Baker who runs her Dindi Bee Supplies business at 15 High Street in Yea.

She says her creamed honey was decided as the winner in its competition class at the annual conference of the VAA held in Wonthaggi last week.

Liz says “the beehive which produced the honey is quite near to the McKenzie Reserve, so I suspect that the vegetation there was a contributor to the honey.

Liz says she pressed the honey from bee hive frames herself and she has had limited quantities for sale at her Yea shop for $10 per 500 gram jar.

“Alexandra and parts of Murrindindi Shire like Yea, Highlands, Thornton and Eildon have a number of active hobby beekeepers and the number of bee hives locally is growing quite nicely.

“Many garden owners use their beehives to pollinate their vegetable crops and if the season is right, they can be quite significant honey producers.

“Many people find the hobby of beekeeping as a great interest and a quite therapeutic experience.”

It was disclosed at the VAA conference in Wonthaggi that Victoria’s bee industry has a value of over $350 million in terms of contribution to food production and services provided to the horticulture and related sectors for pollination services.

There are 11,000 beekeepers who are officially registered with the Department of Agriculture although the actual number is thought to be twice this.

There are almost 300 large scale or commercial beekeepers operating in Victoria with over…

Image: Liz from Dindi Bee Supplies with her award.