The Australasian Beekeeper

An Australian honey producer, Maya Sunny Honey represented Australia in the gathering of beekeepers from around the world in Montpellier in France for Apimondia 2009, and was successful in gaining a Silver medal for the quality of their stand. The stand in Montpellier was composed of iconic Australian native flowers with a backdrop of the Australian outback, as well as some fascinating observation hives and containers.

Polish-born Andrzej Wyszynski emigrated to Australia in 1988 and founded Maya Sunny Honey in 2000. Basing his beekeeping in Mudgee, NSW, Andrzej credits friends from the Beekeepers University in Poland, with helping to make an observation beehive with a nucleus colony for his exhibition stand in Montpellier. The idea attracted enormous interest from professors, scientists, photographers, teachers, children and the media. Similar interests in his idea were also seen two years ago at his stand in Melbourne at Apimondia 2007, after which National Geographic used their product in footage in ‘Silence of the bees’, shown around the world.

Andrzej feels that observing bees in the observation hive can help beekeepers investigate through close visual examination the many diseases that are affecting bees. Visual observation provides a greater understanding and a better education tool for students, along with scientists, of the bees’ lifecycles.

For more information visit their website, www.mayasunnyhoney.com.au