The owner of Mt. Coramba Apiculture, Glenn Locke, has had the beekeeping urge since the early 1980s as a 14-year-old teenager.
The Warwick High School agriculture department had a few beehives, and beekeeping was taught as a subject. Glenn’s agriculture teacher, Jim Caird, let him have a nucleus hive, and the addiction started.
Glenn’s mum & dad helped with buying some used gear, and a small apiary was established on the family’s 10-acre hobby farm.
Eventually, due to work commitments interstate, the hobby took a back seat, but a return to beekeeping was always on the cards.
The move to the mid-north coast of NSW, particularly the beautiful Orara Valley, means that Glenn now has the space to commence beekeeping again. Glenn has managed beehives in the Orara Valley since 2009.
Glenn is now concentrating on building his beekeeping business, producing great-tasting, raw honey.
Glenn has guided the business through significant setbacks. In June 2022, Varroa destructor was detected at Newcastle’s port, severely affecting New South Wales’s beekeeping businesses.
Unfortunately, Varroa mites were found in the Orara Valley about a month later, which ultimately resulted in the loss of all of Glenn’s hives in the effort to eradicate the exotic pests.
Not to be beaten, Glenn refocused and established a small apiary of 50 hives in the Nymboida area, which was tragically destroyed in a bushfire in October 2023.
With the overwhelming support of family, friends, businesses, and the local community, Glenn started once again and is steadily rebuilding the business despite Varroa being present in the area and steadily spreading throughout New South Wales and beyond.
Glenn volunteers with the NSW Rural Fire Service and is Captain of the Nana Glen Brigade. He also volunteers as a trainer and assessor, passing his skills to fellow firefighters.
Mt. Coramba Apiculture specialises in mentoring and troubleshooting. We can help you with any problems your bees may encounter.
Glenn has formal qualifications in beekeeping. He completed the Rear Queen Bees course in 2011 and the Honeybee Pests and Diseases course in 2012. He also has a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.
Glenn Locke has been a member of the Mid North Coast Amateur Beekeepers Association (which is affiliated with the NSW Amateur Beekeepers Association) since its inception.
Contact us to ask how we can assist you.
