Supplied: Ella Hughes

Not just honey – the environmental and social benefits of beekeeping

By Hilary Harper on Life Matters

Does the sound of bees send a shiver down your spine or spark feelings of affection?

In some parts of Australia there has been an increase numbers of beekeepers in recent years, with lots of people from metropolitan and country areas joining groups, taking courses and working out how to tend a hive in their own backyard.

Erica Vowles set aside her fears to investigate the buzz around backyard beekeeping. She found that the positives extend beyond being able to harvest your own honey to cover environmental, social and personal benefits.


Astaria Martis-Geor, Melbourne backyard beekeeper

Benedict Hughes, beekeeper and president of the Australian Pollinator Alliance

Duration: 13min 48sec