Did the pandemic inspire you to keep bees?

We’ve been contacted by a journalist from the Sydney Morning Herald / Age newspapers.

She is looking for a couple of new Flow customers who were motivated to begin beekeeping due to being at home during COVID.

Is the pandemic your motivation for beginning? If it is, and you’re happy to share your story with a journalist please let us know.

Thank you :slight_smile:

Not a Aussie but the pandemic has made me more dependent on my bees for survival. Now I have to sell my honey instead of if and when it sells. I have seen several new beeks on the other sites I am on who got into bees because of pandemic. Not sure if they use flow. The Flow motivated me to become a beekeeper.

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There is a massive increase in people using honey now and I’m wondering if the pandemic is the reason for that. In March 2020 I sold more than three times the amount of honey compared to March 2019. For that reason I’m expanding my apiary.
Seems the public is seeking out bee keepers rather than the supermarkets for honey.
Cheers Free

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Thanks so much for your responses, I agree that these circumstances have really had an impact on beekeeping in so many ways. I think it’s probably fine for us to put the journalist in touch with people from overseas too, I’m sure she could do it by phone or online. Has anyone had the experience of starting beekeeping because of the pandemic? Perhaps when shelves started emptying at the supermarkets you decided that becoming more self sufficient was a good idea, or spending more time in the garden inspired a wish to bring in more pollinators, or setting up a hive and learning all about bees seemed like a good lock down activity for the family… these are the sorts of situations I think she’s keen to explore. Feel free to let others know to email us too, if you know anyone who took up beekeeping during the lockdown period. It’s been such a challenging time for so many people, so I guess they are looking to hear of some of the positive aspects of spending that time at home for balance. We’ve definitely noticed a real peak in interest in beekeeping during this period so it will be interesting to hear some of the stories behind that. Thanks all!

I do see alot making Mead and kind of a small island with lots of beekeeper. Some where selling to restaurants but now restaurants closed. I have to date my honey with day of Harvest. As a “home sold” honey. Hope the dated honey does not effect sales.

Hi mate, if you’re concerned about the age of the honey putting people off you could consider incorporating the date into a batch number so as not to make it obvious. :wink: the regulations in this area require a batch number and as obvious as it is, I use month and year, 4 numbers, and I’m amazed that people don’t click onto it unless I point it out.

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let me see if I can do that.put the data on the label but not state date of harvest? That sounds like a good idea. Thank you.