News - Bee-Leaf Academy

I’ve been talking about getting this Charity off the ground for almost two years now. At times it seems like it will never happen and then I’m reminded that progress is being made and that all good things take time. Well, I finally feel like we are making real progress. The Academy is now officially an Incorporated Association, a registered company and we are now actively pursuing Deductible Gift Recipient 1 (DGR1) status, which will help kick our fundraising efforts into high gear.

Our website and Facebook page are live and our training material is well under development. All this means that we are on track to start our Pilot Program in January 2021, and then open our doors in January of 2023.

The Pilot Program will take 10 individuals with various life challenges and run them through our first training qualification, Cert III in Beekeeping. This will be a two-year pilot program where we work out the bugs, (pun intended) to ensure our training can be delivered predominately by a hands-on approach, rather than the traditional classroom or online models. We want our participants (Worbees – short for Worker Bees) to learn by doing and enjoy the process along the way.

Over the next two years we will also be looking for our own premises, developing our trainer/assessors and adding other qualifications to our program, such as Certificate III in Horticulture and Certificate III in Micro Business Operations, just to name a couple. Additionally, we will continue to bring online our fundraising programs and seek more volunteers.

It most certainly is an exciting time for the Academy with lots to do, but we wouldn’t have been able to get to this stage without considerable help from Roni, Steve and Joe. Also a big shout out to Luke for recently taking on the role of our company Secretary. You four are the Bees-Knees in my book. Wow, there’s a throwback term from the 1920s for ya.

I would also like to thank all my friends and family that have put up with me over the last two years, doing nothing but talk about this endeavour. In my defence all I can say is that it is my passion and pleasure. Bring on 2021!

What’s the fastest method?

06/26/2020

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The answer is………….. It depends on what you are growing. Some plants – like carrots – may grow better in soil. I say “may”, because the results vary greatly based on the nutrients being used, the quantity of nutrients being delivered, soil aeration etc…

There are four (4) generally accepted methods of growing plants:

Geoponics – growing in soil,
Hydroponics – growing in a grow medium other than soil and adding nutrients to the water,
Aquaponics, converting fish waste to nutrients so the plants and fish form a symbiotic relationship; and
Aeroponics – No grow medium, rather the plant is supported, and the roots hang free and are misted with hydroponic nutrient

So which one of these methods has the greatest grow rate? Yep, it depends. Some plants grow better in one method and suffer in another. The best we can say is that generally, aeroponics has the advantage over hydroponics because it can use the same nutrient additives but benefits the growth rate by also aerating the roots. Aquaponics is a completely natural process as no additive nutrients are needed.

Here at the Bee-Leaf Academy, we have decided that the best thing we can do is conduct trials on the plants we have decided to grow for the Academy. Over the next few years we will embark on several trials and hopefully once complete, we will have found the most efficient method of growing the products our Worbees will sell at markets.

The first trial will be Hydroponics vs Aeroponics, where we mist the same Hydroponics nutrients directly onto the roots of like plants. All other conditions will be as close to the same as possible. This trial will be followed by putting the winner of the first trial against water from an Aquaponics system used as the nutrient source. It is my guess that an aeroponics system using aquaponics water will emerge triumphant, but time will tell.

While these trials are designed to determine the fastest growth rate, the main advantage to them is that our Worbees will learn all about the various methods used to grow plants. Additionally, they will be able to track other advantages to the methods other than Geoponics and tate is water conservation. It is estimated that Hydroponics uses less than 10% of the water that geoponics does. Win-win.

At the same time we are conducting these trials, we will be also running comparisons with methods used to grow Micro-Greens. We will determine what is the best grow medium to use, what is the best light source and again, what is the best nutrient source.

The Foundation

06/26/2020

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The Academy has four (4) areas of study our Worbees (short for Worker Bees, our academy members) will be exposed to.

Beekeeping
Aquaponics, Hydroponics, Aeroponics
Micro-Greens
Retail

These are the 4 corners of our foundation, upon which our 9 pillars or Bee-Leafs rest. These focal areas will allow the Worbees to create and/or harvest products to sell at markets and online. In order to gain an income based on their own knowledge, skills and efforts.

Since our Worbees will come to us with vastly differing skill sets, desires and life challenges. Our training programs will differ in terms of pathways, duration and delivery style. We have tailored our courses to be delivered and assessed predominately through practical hands on methods. Some of our Worbees will easily complete the training and achieve a Nationally Recognised qualification. While others may only complete a few units and still others simply benefit from being involved in the workshops without formally completing any courses. Regardless, all will have the opportunity to gain the skills necessary to raise bees and harvest honey and bees wax, grow plants to harvest products to sell at markets. Our aim is to first and foremost assist our Worbees to gain a measure of self-reliance and self-worth.

Once a Worbee, always a Worbee

When people join our Academy and become Worbees, they will be sorted into Hives. Much like being sorted into houses at Hogwarts. These hives will be given a start date and begin their two year journey to learn about the 4 areas mentioned above. The coolest part is that ‘Once a Worbee, always a Worbee’. By that I mean, while the training program only officially lasts for two years. And allows a pathway to one Certificate III Qualification. Our graduates will have access to all our online training products and practical based workshops for as long as they desire. Once a month we hold ‘Continuation training workshops’ where our Hive members after they graduate. Can come back to progress through additional areas of study or finish off any they weren’t able to complete in the allotted time frames.

It is our hope that we will build a long-lasting and sustainable community. Built of like-minded individuals who will not only benefit themselves from the hive. But will help and support others to achieve more together than we would alone.

Bees Ranked the Most Important Living Beings On the Planet

06/26/2020

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In July, 2019, the Royal Geographical Society in London declared that bees are the most important living beings on this planet.

The reason for the little critters being given this lofty distinction is because it takes more than soil, water, and sunshine to make the world green. At least 30% of the world’s crops and 90% of all plants require cross-pollination to spread and thrive, and in many parts of the world, bees are our most important pollinators.

In the words of Albert Einstein…

“If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would have only four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.”

Now, that may seem a dire prediction and a tad alarmist. However bee populations here and around the world are in decline, and this is having an impact on global agriculture. There are many reasons why a bee colony may fail – see earlier post regarding Colony Collapse Disorder – and additional stressors such as pesticide use, development, or climate change causing flowers to bloom at different times, which leaves the bees without a food source.

We need your help to do something about the decrease in Bees Worldwide.

Bee populations on the decline – Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)

06/26/2020

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A recent study showed a dramatic decline of the number of bees’ across the planet. In some areas, as much as 90 percent of the bee population has disappeared in the last few years. While that may be an anomaly, bee colonies have been dying off for many years now. In a 6-year period leading up to 2013, more than 10 million bee colonies across the world were lost, often to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). CCD was labelled the scourge to bees everywhere.

This disorder isn’t a new thing however, it has been occurring throughout history and has gone by many other names such as, Disappearing Disease, Spring Dwindle, May Disease, Autumn Collapse and Fall Dwindle Disease. The syndrome was renamed to Colony Collapse Disorder in 2006. In 2015 the prevailing thought was that the threat assigned to CCD seems to be diminishing. And the world went on to look for other reasons why bees were still dying off in staggering numbers.

Effects of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)

Australian scientists believe that CCD is caused by stress to bees from multiple factors. Such as chemical exposure from pesticides, pests, deforestation and poor food quality. If any or a combination of these factors kills too many forager bees at once. This rapid die-off then can trigger a rapid maturation of the next generation and prompts them to leave the hive to forage before they would normally be ready. Bees then start to forage when they’ve been adults for less than two weeks which makes them under preform. They take longer, they complete fewer trips and die earlier. This then triggers a vicious cycle, whereby subsequent generations of inefficient foragers could not return enough resources to keep the colony going, leading to its collapse.”

Additionally, many beekeepers are using artificial means to increase honey production. Whether they are trying to stave off diseases, pest and/or weed management, the long term results can be disastrous to bees. Another common concern is that bees raised by some commercial beekeepers can’t survive in the wild any longer. They are becoming incapable of looking after themselves in some cases.

Regardless of the reason for bees dying off, it isn’t good for the planet……..and by that I mean us.