An agreement between the NSW National Trust and an amateur beekeeping group looks to prove beneficial to both parties.
Cooma Cottage and Yass and District Amateur Beekeeping Club have entered an agreement where one receives free rent for its apiary while the other will receive honey at a reasonable price.
Yass and District Amateur Beekeeping Club member Greg Weekes said it was a system that will work for all involved.
"Cooma Cottage host an annual fair day and the Yass Amateur Beekeeping Club takes a stand each year," he said.
"We would hold demonstrations and talks about bees with a lot of interest from visitors.
"With that in mind, the NSW National Trust invited us to join the site with free rent.
"We jumped at the opportunity and after picking a suitable place, we established our apiary.
"While it is still too soon to get any honey from the apiary yet, when we do it will be sold to the cottage.
"They will bottle and label it for sale in the cottage's gift shop.
"It will be called Hamilton Hume Honey."
The official opening was well attended by dignitaries including former NSW Governor and current Governor-General of Australia, His Excellency General, the Honourable David Hurley, AC, DSC.
Governor Hurley is an avid beekeeper and now has an apiary on the grounds of parliament house.
"The then NSW Governor was at the NSW Beekeepers Association annual general meeting," Greg said.
"The president of our club invited him to the opening of the apiary at Cooma Cottage and he accepted.
"It was a real thrill for us to have him officially open the apiary."
The Yass and District Amateur Beekeeping Club apiary is about more than honey with a focus on training and development as well.
They have a number of different hives to help members learn.
"We have a Langstroth hive, a Kenyan top bar hive, a Warre hive, a Flow hive, and a Paradise hive from Finland which is made of polystyrene to insure against cold and heat effects," Greg said.
"We have set up one of each as training tools for the club.
"They will also be used to teach new and inexperienced members how to open the hive, what to look for and general husbandry."
The set up has been given the seal of approval from the NSW National Trust.
"The deputy president of the NSW National Trust, Brian Powyer was pleased with what he saw," Greg said.
"He has said that what we have done here will be used as the model for other National Trust sites with beekeeping clubs in the area."
The extreme dry weather and the short time period since the apiary was established have impacted honey production, but when there is a harvest and it is sold to Cooma Cottage proceeds will go straight back into the club to replace some of it's dated equipment.
