A local multifaceted agricultural business, BeeResponsible provides educational tutelage; hive rescue operations and raw honey products, all right at our doorstep.
ESSENTIAL BUSINESS INFO
Business Name: BeeResponsible
Address: 61 Farm Road Diggers Rest
Open times: Monday: 3.30pm-5:30pm, Tuesday: 3.30pm-5:30pm, Wednesday: 3.30pm-5:30pm, Thursday: 3.30pm-5:30pm, Friday: 3.30pm-5:30pm, Saturday: 9am-5pm & Sunday: By appointment only.
Contact: Bec on 0412 700 228
BRINGING A BUZZ TO DIGGERS REST
Bees are vital to the local and global ecology by pollinating our plants and flowers. “They are the planet’s hardest workers,” Bec Light Bee Keeper and owner of local business BeeResponsible told DiggersRest.com.au.
Located on Farm Road in Diggers Rest, BeeResponsible started with one beehive in Bec’s backyard. With an idea of selling the excess honey her family didn’t consume, Bec has grown BeeResponsible into a 140-beehive enterprise.
Self taught and guided by her nature conserving sensibilities, Bec surprisingly had no formal training as a Bee Keeper before she began BeeResponsible.
“I have learnt everything I know off YouTube. I watched the Bush Bee Man located in Adelaide. But like everything, I learnt by making mistakes,” Bec said.
All of BeeResponsible’s 140 beehives are nested on private farms in Diggers Rest, ensuring the honey the community purchases is made right here in our own backyards.
TEACHING THE COMMUNITY ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY
There are different avenues when it comes to beekeeping, however BeeResponsible’s main agenda is education. And much like worker bees, Bec works hard to get the message of conservation out into the community.
“Education is my main goal,” Bec said. “It’s about being sustainable. Unfortunately we live in a throw away society. So it’s about educating people in how can you reuse things, or repurpose things in our everyday lives.”
Although she is allergic to bees, this hasn’t stopped Bec’s passion but instead it has fuelled her to teach children to also face fears when it comes to nature.
“I love going in to teach kids because kids minds are very adaptive,” Bec said.
“You would be surprised how many adults are scared of bees. Fear is a taught behaviour – it’s not a learnt behaviour. So teaching kids that bees aren’t going to hurt them and that they’re not scary has become a real joy.”
SUPPORT OUR LOCAL BEES
Unlike the pesky European wild rabbit that was introduced to the Australian landscape in 1859 for sport, the earlier introduction of European Honey Bees in 1822 has and continues to enrich the environment.
“One in three foods you consume have been pollinated by a European Honey Bee,” Bec said. “And it’s not to say that native bees aren’t important, they still do pollinate but not at the rate as the European Honey Bee.”
With a holistic and transparent approach, Bec openly shares her passion and knowledge with the community. “My favourite thing about owning a local business is meeting everybody.”
“When people stop by I’m able to give them an education on raw honey, and how to use it correctly. And I can show them the process of how we make the honey directly. So don’t be shy, and drop in,” she said.
A finalist for the Australian Small Business Champion Awards 2023, Bec leads the community by example, and champions local causes that benefit the wider municipality.
To purchase bee products, or learn more about nature’s hardest workers follow Bec’s adventures on BeeResponsible’s Facebook or TikTok.