Far across Australia, from coastal heath land and rural farm paddocks, to the deepest recesses of our native forests, where over 900 known species of eucalyptus rise above an understorey still being catalogued, something extraordinary is happening inside hollow trees and wooden beehive boxes. Honey Bees are collecting nectar from some of the most biologically diverse flora on earth and pollinating crops that are the cornerstone of our farming sector here in Australia. On most occasions the beehives are built up in number earlier in spring on winter flowering native flora so that beekeepers can have the necessary number of bees to pollinate Australia’s spring orchards.
The composition of Australia’s Autumn and Winter flowering species producing healing honey is so complex it has barely been studied. This is something far removed from the golden liquid most people drizzle over their morning oats or stir into warm lemon tea to soothe their sore throat. Australian forest flow honey and beeswax is a living product of an ancient, healing, intricate ecosystem that right now is under serious threat with dwindling pollinators.
Beekeeping traditionally has always been a profession for the brave recluse. Long hours, sleepless nights and no end of solitude in remote corners of the country, with only the stirring of trees, thrumming hum of healthy hives and the open star lit skies for a companion.
Success as a beekeeper lies somewhere between an unwavering dedication to bees and pure luck. Honey flows are easily disrupted by unpredictable environmental influences but no matter what, there has always been honey and pollen somewhere to keep our bees strong. Beekeepers often spend weeks looking for promising sites, before having to then secure and prepare a site, then shift their hundreds of hives to this new location accordingly, sometimes just to keep their bees strong and healthy, at a beekeepers expense.
My Beekeeping mentor with his early spring hives - 1970's
Beekeepers face new challenges everyday, from reduced honey prices, deforestation, drought, wildfire, insecticide sprays, broken down machinery and various pest/disease that can impact the health of their hives, none come close to the impact of Varroa Mite.
Australia is currently witnessing record losses of bees, with 60% of hives lost in a single season, when counting the loss of wild bees in trees as well. The impact of Varroa Mite extends beyond our remote forests, its impact has and will continue to be felt through the entire farming sector and reaching into our very own back yards and the products we all know and love on supermarket shelves. Varroa mite is the ‘foot and mouth’ disease equivalence to bees, devastatingly serious.
Meet Varroa destructor, a parasitic mite measuring just 1.1 x 1.7 mm, capable of collapsing an entire hive in a matter of weeks.
These tiny mites hitchhike a ride on a bee from a flower, wedging itself beneath the hard outer shell of a bee’s body, feeding on her fat stores and blood. This is a horrible sight to see but what makes Varroa so devastating, however, is its reproductive strategy.
Mature mites lay an average of 3–6 eggs inside capped brood cells. The young emerge already reproductively mature and mated, then slip back into the next capped cell before it seals. Once inside, the adult mite and her offspring feed on the developing bee, producing young that are sick, malnourished, or physically underdeveloped.
Left untreated, a thriving colony will collapse completely. Despite Varroa being a long-term global issue, to this day there is no natural treatment proven effective enough to maintain lasting hive health. Many treatments exist, but few perform consistently and the environmental impact of the chemicals involved during use and disposal is enough to give any conscientious beekeeper reason to pause.
I have been devoted to bees for over 50 years, this new threat to honeybees is breaking my heart and shaking my inner most person. But I am un-waivered in my mission.
Northern Light has always been guided by a non-negotiable value: to produce the purest beeswax light from 100% Australian beeswax, in a way that genuinely supports our natural environment and everyone who depends on it, especially the bees and beekeepers.
It is this value that has encouraged me as the Founder and CEO of Northern Light, to spend these last three years researching a natural Varroa treatment solution that doesn’t compromise the health of bees, gives bees and beekeepers a chance to thrive and also to align with everything we stand for.
It’s still a little too early to share exact details, but the work is well and truly underway, and is being guided by the same foundational principles that have built this company.
I believe there is genuine hope in this original discovery.
At the beginning of Northern Light I was asking myself ‘Why isn’t anyone else manufacturing beeswax tealights?’ and then the day arrived after many years working to the perfect the first batch of this original creation, our webpage was completed and finally live online. I typed ‘beeswax tealights’ into the Google search bar. Hit entre and there it was, Northern Light Candle Company, beeswax tealights, 1 of 1. What an unbelievable feat of originality, which has since been replicated innumerable times.
The work on this natural application for Varroa control has the same air of feeling. And I again find myself asking; why hasn’t anyone attempted this before?
So until I can share more with you, here is how you can make a real difference today, if you feel moved to help.
Northern Light has a limited supply of high-potency Jelly Bush honey (Leptospermum polygalifolium) available online, with all proceeds going directly towards this rather vital Varroa mite research.
This honey earns its place in every medicine cabinet. It is widely used as a natural treatment for burns, cuts, and wounds, and is well regarded for its effects on internal and external ulcers. High in antimicrobial activity and deeply nourishing, it is both a serious therapeutic tool and it must be said, genuinely delicious, extracted from our own hives.
Support the cause with something sweet: northernlight.com.au/product/northern-light-honey
Whether it’s a window box of small native flowers or a backyard tree selected for your local climate, planting natives creates habitat and food sources that benefit bees for years to come. It’s also one of the most grounding ways to reconnect with the land around you, learning which species belong to your area, and tending to them, builds a relationship with your environment that lasts a lifetime.
Find trees and plants native to your area: whichplantwhere.com.au , a free platform with excellent filtering tools. Remember to select the pollinator-friendly parameter.
Honey on supermarket shelves cannot always be trusted. Australia’s honey importation laws are relatively loose, making it straightforward for adulterated international “honey” to be sold as, or blended into, Australian product. Your best protection and your most powerful vote is buying direct from a local beekeeper and give generously. You’ll get honey that is genuinely local, biologically diverse, and rich with the nutrients of your regional flora. You’ll support a small business doing hard, important work. And you’ll know exactly where your honey comes from.
Find your nearest beekeeper: beethecure.com.au/community-honey-map
Northern Light has been securing a sizeable stock pile of miticide free beeswax for many months now, to ensure we hold the quality of our beeswax light for you. In turn, this has also supported our beekeepers to face the troubling times ahead. NL pays the highest price for perfect Beeswax in Australia.
Each and every year NL grows to a higher standard of cooperation, quality and impact towards good, as we provide you the best. There is no candle company doing anything similar. Originality is the source.
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