Village Homes Realty
Early on, a number of us expressed an interest in keeping bees or wanted a way to be a part of bee keeping, without the overwhelm of doing it all ourselves! So together we have started a Witchy Bee Collective. There are about 12 interested residents so far who have come together, and are working towards a way to collectively keep bees. Keen to share the load, some of us are wanting to get our hands into the hive, some are interested in the extraction side and some are just wanting to learn more about bees and ensure that our community has a thriving pollinators community and is working towards responsible bee keeping.
To begin we held a small meeting and invited an experienced bee keeper to come and talk to us, give us a general feel for what’s involved, help us with selecting a location and giving us an introduction to the W.A. Apiarist Society (WAAS) and what they can offer.
Of course as the Ecovillage design is such that people will get around a lot on foot, the houses in each cluster are close with neighbors having ‘live’ fencing (farm fencing with vines/passionfruit etc growing upon it). So there was a few factors to consider in selecting appropriate locations. Luckily, surrounding the residential area is the Ecovillage Commons Land (jointly owned by all landowners). With plenty of room, close enough so we can keep an eye on the hives, and not far from the beautiful Wadandi track nearby there is a great range of native vegetation and surrounding household gardens (native and vegetable) for pollination. We’re also very fortunate to have three large dams at the Ecovillage, all within 1km, as a reliable water source is essential to bee keeping.
While we are still building what the Witchy Bee Collective (WBC) is (and its potential), we had an opportunity to get some Nuc boxes (these are startup hives with new queens from Rottnest Island lineage) in September. So two of us have purchased 3 Nuc boxes between us (as one apiary) and we are using them as a sharing/learning journey for responsible bee keeping. We have completed the 101 course and others in the group would also like to do the same. This will mean that we can all share the load of Ecovillage bee keeping, using our Whatsapp group to organize what needs to happen when or what to prep for.
At the start of September four members of our WBC placed the Nucs at our site. We leveled the hive stands, gave them good spacing in between to allow room to work. We put the Nuc boxes on the stands. Then came the exciting part – we suited up for the first time (well the first time for the real thing). We double checked that everything was in the right place, then opened the hive gate. We watched in silence as the bees slowly came out and started their orientation. They were calm and not bothered by us at all. Because it was still early spring we gave them some sugar water to help them while they still take in their new surroundings and find their food sources. After a week we had some lovely weather to have our first look into the Nuc. While the activity in and out of the hive was a little slow, we did see signs of the queen, and then we were lucky to spot the queen in each hive. So with a little more sugar water we closed up.
Fast forward to October, and our collective was buzzing with activity as we continued to take steps towards building our ultimate apiary. With our bees nestled comfortably in their nuc boxes, we’ve been busy researching and preparing for the next steps.
In our shed, we’ve been assembling flat-pack hive boxes from Beewise, pouring love and care into each one. The highlight? Painting the registration—our ‘here we go’ moment that made it all feel real!
We’ve also tackled some unique challenges, like curious livestock that share our space. To keep our bees safe, we built a charming fence around the hives, complete with signage to deter wandering sheep. Grass maintenance was on the agenda too, and using a battery-powered slasher (set to low, of course) kept the area tidy without disturbing our busy bees.
While preparing the hives, we took time to observe our surroundings. The unpredictable weather has slowed the flowering plants, but household gardens are bursting with blooms. The bottle brush and banksias are starting to flower, and the peppermint trees are beginning to open—a promising sign that rain may ease soon!
Eager to apply our newfound knowledge, we attempted to transfer the nucs into eight-frame hives. Armed with waxed foundations, we prepared two Langstroth hives and an innovative Apimaye hive. Excitement filled the air as we opened the first hive, only to find it less populated than expected. However, we were relieved to spot a hard-working queen and plenty of larvae!
After some careful consideration, we decided to pause the transfer for now. With limited flowering nearby and cooler weather fluctuations, we didn’t want to stress the bees too much. There’s no rush—we’ve got time, and there’s always more to do in the bee shed!
As we wait a couple more weeks to make the transfer, we’re relishing this early part of our beekeeping journey. With patience and persistence, we’re well on our way to creating a thriving apiary, all while fostering a sense of community and learning among the Witchy Bee Collective.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue our adventure in responsible beekeeping!
Buzzingly yours,
The WBC Team 🐝✨
