Biosecurity
One property. One day.
No exceptions.
Every beekeeper in the 1000 Hives network visits one property per day. One site. One localised zone. No second visits. No detours. This is enforced through GPS logging, mandatory checklists, and geotagged photo verification.
All equipment is cleaned between properties. Suits, hive tools, smokers, and vehicles follow documented decontamination protocols. There is no shortcut version of this.
Varroa mite has been detected in five Australian states and territories. The fastest way it spreads across regions is on the back of a beekeeper visiting multiple properties in a day. That stops with us.
Chemical-free varroa treatment
No chemicals in the hives.
No residue in the honey.
Varroa destructor is now established in Australia and every managed hive needs an answer for it. Most of the industry is moving toward synthetic miticides. We are not.
Every hive in the 1000 Hives network is treated using thermal methods. Heat-based treatment raises the hive to a temperature that kills the mite without harming the bees, without leaving residue in the honey, and without putting chemicals into the wax and comb that will still be there years from now.
If varroa is detected in a hive, the beekeeper returns every week and repeats the thermal cycle until every cell of brood present on the first visit has hatched out. Mites hide inside capped brood during a single treatment, so we keep coming back until there is no brood left for them to hide in. It is a longer, harder protocol than dropping a chemical strip into a hive and walking away. That is the protocol we signed up for.
The result is honey that stays clean, wax that stays clean, and bees that are not carrying a chemical load through every season of their lives.
industry
rates
Our beekeepers
Paid properly.
Equipped fully.
Every beekeeper in the network is paid above industry rates for every inspection. Not per hive. Per visit. Their time, expertise, and travel are all compensated. We do not ask anyone to work for exposure or passion.
Every beekeeper is equipped with the tools, training, and app-based systems they need to do the job to the highest standard. We do not expect them to supply their own infrastructure.
A tiered certification framework gives experienced beekeepers a career pathway that most independent operators never get access to. Provisional, certified, senior. Progression is based on consistency, compliance, and quality of care.
Our position on pesticides
Neonicotinoids are non-negotiable.
Everything else is a conversation.
Neonicotinoids are systemic, highly toxic to bees, and incompatible with our program. Every land partner agreement makes that clear up front. That is the one we cannot work around.
Most other chemicals can be managed with open communication and a shared spray schedule. We are not here to tell land partners how to run their property. We are here to find the safest way to keep the land productive and the bees healthy.
We also assess neighbouring properties at the planning stage. Bees forage up to 5km from the hive. If the surrounding landscape carries a real risk of chemical exposure, we talk it through with the land partner before placement rather than roll the dice on the bees.
Their land.
Our respect.
Zero Cost. Zero Strings.
Land partners pay nothing. Not now, not ever. No hidden fees, no revenue share, no service charges. In return they receive free pollination, regular updates, 100 native plants through Beyond the Hive, and a selection of honey each season where production allows.
We assess every property individually and do not push placements where the land is not right. If a property is not suitable, we say so. Fewer hives and healthy bees is always better than a bigger network built on compromise.
This is a working partnership. Both sides benefit and both sides are accountable.
Their Property. Their Rules.
We access hive sites at agreed times, on agreed tracks, with agreed protocols. We do not treat someone else's land like it is ours.
Every placement is planned with the landowner. Gate codes, access hours, vehicle routes, and seasonal restrictions are documented before a single hive goes on the ground. If something changes, they tell us and we adapt.
Where our rules apply is the safety of the bees and the beekeepers. Biosecurity protocols, hive management standards, and inspection procedures are non-negotiable. We respect how land partners run their property. In return, we ask that they respect how we run the hives.
Sponsors
Full transparency.
When you sponsor a hive, you are not making a donation and walking away. You will see exactly what happens. Geotagged photos, inspection reports, colony health data, honey harvests. Everything tied to your specific hive.
When things go wrong
You hear it from us first. Colony loss happens. Extreme weather, disease, and predators are part of beekeeping. What matters is how we respond, what we learn, and what we change to make sure it does not happen again. We do not hide the bad seasons or dress them up.
What you will not get
Vague claims about impact. Stories that could be about any hive anywhere. Every hive in our network has a real location, a real beekeeper managing it, and real data behind it. We do not hide the underperforming sites or cherry-pick the success stories.
in Australia
Beyond the Hive
All pollinators matter.
Not just ours.
Beyond the Hive is our native pollinator programme. For every property that joins the 1000 Hives network, we plant 100 native species in a dedicated habitat area designed specifically to support the wild pollinators that were here long before managed beehives. It sits alongside the hive programme as a permanent commitment to the broader ecosystem.
Australia has more than 2,000 native bee species. Most are solitary, most do not produce honey, and most are under pressure from habitat loss. We place managed beehives on properties for food security. But we also have a responsibility to the native species that share that land.
Managed beehives and native pollinators coexist well when habitat is diverse. Beyond the Hive builds that habitat on every property we work with.
Our position on the industry
We are not here to compete
Most experienced beekeepers in Australia are operating independently with limited infrastructure, limited reach, and limited access to the kind of land partnerships we are building. Many of them have deep expertise and a genuine love for the craft that is underutilised at scale.
Those beekeepers are the backbone of this network. We bring them in as certified beekeepers paid above industry rates, with established land partnerships, app based tools, and the backing of a conservation brand that creates demand for their work. This is not a charity gesture toward the industry. It is a recognition that experienced beekeepers are the most valuable asset we have.
We only place hives on properties that do not currently have managed bees. That is a biosecurity decision as much as it is a values one. Our one-property-per-day protocol only works if we control every aspect of what is happening on the land. It also means we are not competing with anyone already doing the work. We are here to grow the industry, not take from it.
The bottom line
Structural,
not cosmetic.
These commitments are built into our land partner agreements, our beekeeper contracts, our app verification systems, and our sponsor reporting. They are not marketing. They are how the network operates. If you think we are not living up to them, we want to hear about it.
Hold us accountable