Stephen Pickard is an engineer by trade and a former maths teacher who, seven years ago, moved to a small family farm on Mount Majura. He did a bee-keeping course at Bruce CIT and says he is now a hobby farmer keeping sheep. For a year he has tended 10 bee hives and last season’s honey flow, early this year, was very good.

The site for the Langstroth hives is not too far from the house and near water in two dams - which are half as full as they were a year ago. The area gets morning sun and is sheltered from the westerlies. For the past couple of weeks the bees have been feeding on Manchurian pear blossoms which are the first trees to flower on the property but many of the petals were being blown away last week. Humans tend to find that Manchurian pear flowers smell like cat’s wee.

There are ironbarks, candlebarks and apple box gums as well as native flowers in the pasture and grasses/forbs where the bees forage on the farm. The native honey is triple cold filtered before bottling. Stephen says he is no expert on elements of taste but, to him, their Mount Majura Gold honey has a flowery taste but not dominated by being too "sweet". He thinks it is particularly nice on hot buttered crumpets.

Pickard is Welsh and, during June, he was in the United Kingdom. There was a shortage of crumpets because of a shortage of carbon dioxide. Apparently crumpets are packed with CO2 to prevent mould and to give them a longer life. Beer making was also affected by lack of CO2. Honey cakes, too, have long been traditional afternoon fare in Europe while Australians choose the honey roll with its mock cream filling, or honey jumble biscuits.

Pickard's idea with Mount Majura Gold honey is not to be in competition with friends down the valley who also collect and sell honey locally. He is keen for his beautifully presented jars to be a gift product, for Canberrans but also visitors to the Capital, see their website glenlyle.com.au

Like many of us, Pickard had listened to Richard Fidler’s Conversations ABC radio program from September 5 when Helen Jukes discussed keeping a colony of bees in Oxford. It was interesting and included the use of honey as an external medical treatment in the Balkans War. At the end of the story, the varroa mite took its toll.

Australia is fortunate to have avoided the mite and it is groups like ACT for Bees that encourage home gardeners and plot holders to plant to take care of these vital pollinators. World Bee Day on May 20 was celebrated at the Slovenian Embassy in the morning and at the Swedish Embassy in the afternoon. At the second location there were stalls, including ACT for Bees, on rolling lawns in the extensive gardens. Choirs sang, Ikea served food and drinks and there was a stall of bee-friendly plants.

The Solander Garden behind the residence, honours Swedish naturalist Daniel Solander who collected plants with Banks on the 1770 voyage of the Endeavour to Australia. The garden was designed with assistance from the Australian National Botanic Gardens.

Behind the garden was a stall offering free seeds of bee-attracting plants. My little packet contained cornflowers (Centaurea cyanus), which I sowed and the plants are just starting to grow. If you visit the National Gallery’s exhibition of 30 watercolours by Prince Charles, in the video introduction you will notice that he wears what looks like a pinkish cornflower in his lapel. Cornflowers are known as bachelor’s buttons and they grew in corn fields, usually in shades of vivid blue but other colours are available.

Currently bees are foraging in home gardens in rosemary bushes, lavender and even in hellebore flowers. Many Australian ground-covers and shrubs attract them too.

The buzz

* Canberra Bees in association with Friends of the National Arboretum Canberra will present a series of workshops showcasing bees and beekeeping. On Sunday, October 6, is a session for people 12 years + which includes how honey is made and the basics of keeping a hive (9.30am-12.30pm) in the Terrace Room. On Thursday October 11 the session is called Bee-haviour for kids aged 8-15 years from (10-11.30am). Details at arboretumcanberra.org.au

* At the Orana Steiner School Fair in Weston on November 4 there will be a bee-friendly plant sale.