Island Beehive

Kangaroo Island Ligurian Honey

Featuring: Organic Ligurian Honey
Contact: Peter Davis
Location: Main Road, Kingscote
Telephone: (08) 8553 0080
Email: info@island-beehive.com.au
Website: www.island-beehive.com.au

Anyone vaguely interested in bees and honey must visit the Island Beehive on the outskirts of Kingscote.

Kangaroo Island boasts the only remaining colony of pure bred Ligurian bees, and the honey they produce is considered among the best in the world. Introduced from Italy in 1884, the species has remained totally isolated after local regulators had the foresight to ban the entry of any other bees and honey products.

The Island Beehive visitor centre, opened in 2005, provides a fascinating insight into the history of Ligurian bees and their complex lifecycle, and visitors can also watch the honey being harvested. Of course, no visit would be complete without some tasting – and the beehive has plenty on offer. The centre is operated by Peter Davis, the founder of Kangaroo Island Organic Honey – one of the first and among the largest organic honey producers in Australia.

The company processes more than 100 tonnes of honey every year from hives on the island, and there is a growing overseas market for this pure, organic, Ligurian bee honey. An abundance of Australian flowers, shrubs and trees, including 30 species of flowering eucalypts, result in a unique range of strikingly different honeys that are available all year. Because of the island’s pristine air, temperate climate and natural environment, the quality is unsurpassed. All honey is extracted under the stringent certification guidelines of the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia (NASAA).

The Island Beehive has been specially designed to cater for coach tours and groups, and there is good access for the disabled. Coach parties can set up their own catering under cover, and there is a shop and café next to the information centre and honey factory.

All visitors must abide by the ban on bringing bees or honey to the island. Even a discarded honey jar could cause irreversible damage to a unique honey industry.

Good Food Kangaroo Island is an industry group formed to encourage and support value adding producers and protect the integrity of the Island’s produce. Regional food groups have been established throughout South Australia and are actively working with producers to establish regional branding and long term relationships with major retailers seeking access to high quality, branded products.

Contact us for more information about produce, transport, reservations and tourist attractions.