Busy in the bee buzzness

FOREVER a lover of natural, beautiful things, Peter Debicki bought a beekeeping book in his early twenties.

But it wasn’t until a decade ago, when he was given a swarm of bees in a box, that his passion for apiary took full flight.

“I got the bees to pollenate my orchard, but with time, that little hobby expanded, and I found it fascinating. Interacting with a colony of creatures was a wonderful thing, and so was the benefit of honey,” he said.

Skilling up, Mr Debicki launched his sideline business, The Polish Beekeeper and began removing and saving bees from walls, chimneys, floors and compost bins at people’s homes. He learned to build equipment and hives, started to loan some out, and now can run up to 50 at one time.

“I enjoy working the bees; opening hives to ensure they’re well looked after and inspecting for disease to make sure they’re healthy. Biosecurity is important,” he said.

“Being out in the bush and in the natural environment to work your bees is a great thing, and I enjoy harvesting the honey and extracting it. It’s been a really wonderful journey over the last 10 years.”

In comparison to most people around the town, Mr Debicki is in a rare position. The lockdown doesn’t have much of an impact on him doing what he loves.

“When I go out to the apiary and back, I’m not getting in touch with anyone. Even though I’m working from home, I can go for a 10 or 15-minute walk around my property, check it out, get some fresh air and sunshine,” he said.

“I’m still selling honey and promoting it, and contactless home deliveries work really well.

“There’s so many plusses to beekeeping. I couldn’t have a hobby or sideline that just continued to involve sitting in the office all day. It just wouldn’t make any sense.”

A member of the Victorian Apiarists Association, Mr Debicki has caught up with likeminded people online in recent weeks.

“I enjoy liaising with other beekeepers. I’ve had a couple of Zoom sessions with small community of beekeepers keen to get on and talk shop. Social contact, even though not direct, is really helpful in this situation.

“The bee business continues on,” he said.

Right now, Mr Debicki is packing down his hives and reducing their size so bees will survive the winter and thrive in Spring, but he can see beyond upcoming seasons.

He knows beekeeping will be an integral part of his transition to retirement, and to maintaining a happy, healthy life.

“I’m building the sideline business in size and capacity so when I do retire, I’ve got a really passionate and interesting activity,” he said.

“If people have no interest at all when they retire, they tend to go downhill very quick.”

Overall, the process of producing honey and sharing it with the region is a “huge joy.”

“It’s a really healthy, beneficial product, and to hear people compliment me, they’re really complimenting the bees. They produce the product and to be honest, I just take credit for their work,” Mr Debicki laughed.

Visit facebook.com/thepolishbeekeeper to buy some honey and discover more about his apiary services.

He recommends getting in touch with Ballarat Regional Beekeepers at brb.org.au/contact if you’re interested in home beekeeping. It’s a “steep learning curve,” more than getting bees in a box.