Tell us what Bee Droving is.

Bee Droving is actually a term I made up. I'm a migratory beekeeper, and I move my bees throughout Australia chasing honey flows. And a part of that is living out with the bees, rolling your swag out, lighting the campfire at the end of the day. So I thought it was very fitting to be called the Bee Drover.

How did you learn this work?

Well, I've kind of grown up around it. I'm actually the fourth generation in my family to pursue commercial beekeeping. My dad was a commercial beekeeper, and I grew up with a few backyard hives of my own. And then when I was 18, I had an opportunity to buy my first truckload of bees. It's kind of in my blood. That's how I learned, but I am still learning every day.

What do you love about this work?

I love the lifestyle. Mostly. It's very nomadic. We live on the road, and we get to see lots of this country that most people will never see. I also love the sense of purpose it gives you, knowing that these hives get taken to vital pollination services that feed Australia.

Why do we need bee droving?

Beekeeping is so important. One in three mouthfuls that we eat is thanks to bees pollinating. They are essential for our food security and so much more.

Why does bee droving require so much sleep deprivation?!

I don't think you can be a commercial beekeeper and not experience sleep deprivation. Simply because there's work to be done during the day and at night. At night is when we shift bees. It's also when we do our Varroa treatments, whereas during the day, that's our opportunity to actually work with the bees and harvest honey and look after them. It's a day and night job for sure.

What do you admire most about bees?

I admire their work ethic. Every bee in the hive has a role. There's no individual glory. Just relentless collective effort to achieve one goal

How do you make honey and what makes the best honey?

We’ll move our bees to where there's a honey flow, which means there's copious amounts of nectar in the environment, whether it's in the eucalyptus or the crop or the ground flora. They'll collect that nectar, and through a process of dehydration and their enzymes, it creates what we love and know as honey. Honey comes in so many different forms. We chase mainly native Australian species. My favourite would have to be probably Black Box because I think it's got a really nice caramel flavour to it, but there's so many it's hard to pick.

What’s the hardest part of your work?

The hardest part of my job would be you are on the road all the time, so that comes with its own set of challenges. We are working day and night. Heavy lifting. It's physically demanding.

What part of your work brings you the most joy?

When you open up a hive, and it's doing amazingly and very healthy. The bees are happy. They're on nectar and pollen. That's definitely what brings, I'd say most beekeepers, the most joy.

Visit The Bee Drover Website, follow Phia on Instagram and check out her YouTube Channel.