Third-generation beekeeper, first-generation plastic: Ian Ball on choosing Nuplas hives

Ian Ball has bees in his blood. Third-generation, in fact — a trade passed down from his grandfather to his father, and now to him. He's run his own apiary near Swan Hill for around six years, and today manages a few hundred hives across the region.

"I became a beekeeper primarily because I just prefer to be working on my own," Ian says. "I enjoy being out in the country, out in the bush, and I always had that knowledge that had been handed down from my father and my grandfather."

His favourite part of the job isn't the honey — it's the queens. "Rearing my own queens would be my favourite part. You're more or less altering nature a little bit to produce something which probably wouldn't have normally been produced had nature followed its own line." He's reared several hundred queens over the years.

Reading the country

Around Swan Hill, Ian's bees thrive on river red gum along the Murray and its creeks, then black box, and — in good seasons — out into the Mallee country. But it all comes back to conditions on the ground.

"It's mainly about what's needed for nature to thrive, and when nature thrives, the bees will thrive," he says. "If we can get decent rains, then trees will set bud and flower, and it comes back to nature. If nature's healthy, the bees will be healthy." Water and shade matter too, especially through a 45-degree day — a rule that holds whether the hive is timber or plastic.

Why he made the switch

Before committing to plastic hives across his whole operation, Ian ran a trial. "I trialled about 20-odd plastic hives. I wanted to know myself if they'd work before I went into it full-on. I did that for a couple of years, kept bees in them, monitored them, and they were fine — absolutely fine. That was why I got into using all plastic beehives."

The appeal, for a commercial operator managing hundreds of hives, comes down to time. "There's absolutely no maintenance that you have to do at all with these hives. Putting them together is a matter of minutes. You don't have to repaint, you don't have to nail anything — it's just screw, drill and screw, and that's it."

That time saved matters when you're "busy, busy working" and trying to keep hives moving between honey flows and good conditions — which is when bees do their best work.

Backup that shows up

Ian also points to the relationship with Nuplas itself as part of the value. "I can ring up if I need something urgent, and they'll do their utmost to get that product ready for me. They're really approachable — if I've got any other questions, they're freely open to communication."

On the hives themselves, his verdict is straightforward: "They're robust, strong, and the bees seem to thrive in them. I've had no negative effects with them, so yeah, I do like to use them."

His advice to other beekeepers

Ian's approach to the trade blends respect for tradition with openness to change. "Research everything, and talk to people — if you can find an older beekeeper to talk to, listen to them. But also, in saying that, don't be afraid to try new things."