About Us
The Beginning
In 2011 Ann and Jeff Ross discovered a colony of honeybees had made a home in the wall of their mechanical workshop in Beerburrum. Many people might have followed the advice of friends and called in the pest control but having come from a family of apiarists; Jeff coaxed the bees into a box and before long bees and honey had become their passion.
Ann’s new-found interest in bees and her love of stingless native honey meant it wasn’t long before there were eight thriving colonies in the backyard. What happened next launched Hive Haven in a new direction towards helping the Australian stingless native bee. The heat waves of 2013 in south-east Queensland devastated both honeybee and stingless native bee colonies throughout Queensland. Beerburrum was no exception. Ann lost her 8 native bee hives which was devastating.
In June 2015, a concept 3D printed hexagonal stingless bee box was put on display at various locations around the Sunshine Coast. This enabled people including native bee keepers, scientists, and engineers to contribute valuable knowledge. Ann and Jeff thank everyone for their generous support. Every idea or suggestion helped.