The Honeysmith project aims to produce raw unprocessed honey in urban and rural environments. It is important to me that my bees are managed in a way that keeps them healthy and productive.

My name is Kurt Barnett and I am from Canberra, Australia. My background is in horticulture, geology, graphic/web design and communications and media. However, I have always wanted to do something that connects me back to nature and the land. For me, beekeeping is providing me with this opportunity. Beekeeping is like animal husbandry - farming but with insects. Just like farming cattle, bees need to be taken care of to help them thrive. Bees are both simple and complex in the way they behave. They have a rigid structure to their colony and complex communication but they also need some basic things to help them grow into strong productive colonies.

As most people, these days are aware our pollinators, both native and introduced, are in trouble. Without European honey bees, one-third of our available food will disappear. That's why it is important to me that my bees are managed in a sustainable manner - keeping them healthy, chemical free and with enough resources, so they can build numbers and survive the cold and unforgiving Canberra winters.

Here in Australia, we have the healthiest most disease free bees on the planet. This is because Australians care about the environment and our farmers care about their land.

The Honeysmith will consist of urban micro-apiaries with 2-8 hives (depending on available space) and small rural apiaries with 8-20 hives. Ideally, the urban apiaries will be located in the Canberra Region, however, consideration will be given to other locations within a 200km radius. Rural Locations will be considered within a 400km radius of Canberra.

I aim to produce the best quality, raw unprocessed honey. Straight from the hive to the consumer - you guys.  So everyone can enjoy quality produce as nature intended it.

People keep bees for different reasons, I think they do an important job and I think they need our help. This is my passion.

I have a big challenge ahead of me this coming spring. I plan to expand my 1 hive to 20 hives. This is achievable but it requires the purchase of both hive equipment and a new queen for each hive. The twenty new hives will be the foundation of The Honeysmith and from which I will continue to grow and split hives for my future needs.

So what does the shopping list look like? I am going to make twenty splits this coming spring. That means I am going to make 20 new hives by dividing my current colony 20 times.

To do this I will require:

• 20 queen bees (I keep Italian honey bees for their even temperament and high honey production) @ $35.00 each = $700.00
• 20 complete 2 box bee hives consisting of 2 x brood boxes, 1 queen excluder, 1 x base, 1 x lid, 1 x top feeder and 20 small hive beetle traps @ $290.00 each = $5800.00

This means there is a total of $6500.00 in outlay for bees and equipment.

This where you guys come in, all the money pledged will be used to purchase queen bees and equipment to allow me to build twenty foundation hives for The Honeysmith.

I am asking for your help to raise $3250.00 this is half of what I need but it will go a long way to making my dream become a reality.

If I manage to raise $6500.00 that would allow me to achieve the 20 foundation hives I am striving for.

If I manage to raise $8800.00 I can set up the 20 foundation hives and purchase a honey extractor.

All pledges are appreciated no matter how big or small.

The main challenge for The Honeysmith project is raising capital which is why I have turned to Pozible and crowd funding. Many hands make light work and I am hoping this is the case for raising capital to get my project off the ground. I know this is a big ask, and I have never been one to rely on the generosity of others to achieve my goals. But sometimes to achieve the goals you set for yourself you need to move out of your comfort zone and this is exactly what I am doing here.

Marketing and promotion will also present challenges and I am relying on my design skills and communications experience to help me work through the challenges and find markets suited to my product.

And of course, as a beekeeper, I will be at the mercy of the seasons. Like anyone producing agricultural based products, I will be faced with the challenges of nature. Mother Nature can be fickle and not every season will be a good one, but through commitment, knowledge, sensible beekeeping practices, and hard work it will be managed and flourish.

Thank you for your support!

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