Colony Contributors
At BeeAlive™, we’re grateful to work with a vibrant network of affiliates who help share our Bee Healing Huts and our commitment to natural beekeeping.
Meet the incredible members of our hive who are here to educate, guide, and support you on your journey!
Willow Hankinson is a seasoned beekeeper and natural beekeeping educator with 25 years of experience. He began his journey at 22, apprenticing under Michael Noakes of Anglesea Honey, whose deep passion for bees greatly inspired him. Over time, Willow developed his own profound connection with these remarkable creatures, regarding them as vital to his well-being.
In his 20s, Willow explored wellness and spirituality, studying meditation, reiki, shiatsu, lomi lomi massage, and shamanic healing. This holistic foundation became integral to his approach to beekeeping.
In 2010, he co-founded the Yarra Valley Beekeeping Group, fostering a vibrant community of beekeepers focused on traditional, sustainable practices. Inspired by the bee-friendly Kenyan top bar hive, Willow began crafting hives from high-quality cedar, using only organic finishes.
In 2023, Willow realized a long-held vision with the creation of his bee healing hut. This unique, hexagonal structure, made entirely from organic materials, is designed to harmonize humans and bees. Nestled beneath a therapeutic bed, the hives create an immersive healing environment where the gentle hum of bees and the aroma of propolis provide therapeutic benefits. Visitors report improved sleep, nervous system regulation, and enhanced lung health.
This fusion of beekeeping and wellness exemplifies Willow’s innovative spirit and commitment to nature-inspired healing. Together with his wife, Candace, an acupuncturist specialising in pediatric health, Willow balances family life with their business, beeAlive™,spreading awareness of bees' critical role in global ecosystems and personal well-being.
Adrian Iodice is a pioneer of the Natural Beekeeping movement in Australia.
He studied Biodynamic Beekeeping at the renowned 'Mellifera' centre for Biodynamic Beekeeping in southern Germany and since has travelled all over Australia teaching his very popular Natural Beekeeping course.
Adrian specialises in teaching and practicing with Kenyan Top Bar hives, he is very knowledgeable with many other hive designs such as Warré, Langstroth, Golden and Sun hives.
Adrian has done presentations to bee groups in Germany, Zoomed to Israel, America and England and attended and presented at the Natural Beekeeping conference in Holland in2018. He continues to teach Natural Beekeeping and is an advocate for 'Treatment Free' beekeeping practices here in Australia.
See Adrian'sCourse List for 2024 !!!
Polyforage, founded by BiancaWalker, offers personalised mentoring services for beginnerbeekeepers passionate about bee health and ecosystem restoration.
With over 7 years of experience in the honey bee industry, Bianca understands that the key to resilient, thriving bees lies in their nutrition, sourced from a diverse range of high-quality and clean pollen. Recognising, that not all pollen has equal value, Bianca carefully prescribes specific flowering plants tailored to each client’s bee’s needs and location, to supplement the existing fodder and support a nutrient-rich and diverse diet throughout the year.
Based in Northern NSW, Australia, one of the world’s most biodiverse countries, Bianca emphasises the importance of preserving and restoring native forests and flora, which is vital for the health of all bee populations. Through Polyforage, she helps beekeepers holistically support their colonies and contribute positively to their local ecosystems, fostering stronger connections between bee health, nutrition and environmental sustainability.
Connect with Bianca on Poly forage on Instagram !!!
This is Emily Forrest
Emily’s life’s is interwoven with the bee on a deep and cellular level. She is passionate about bee guardianship, natural bee tending and bringing the ancient methods of the medicines of the hive back to the people.
Nearly eight years ago Emily fell in love with bees, and it became her life’s purpose to work intimately with them; firstly exploring mythology and a spiritual connection to the bees.
Emily then had the amazing opportunity to live and work with Save the Bees Australia for five years. This was filled with hands-on bee work -with every one of Simon’s hives a rescue (they would re-home bees from many different structures to save them from being exterminated). Over the time that Emily volunteered, she helped to campaign against chemical use and honey laundering, as Simon was taken to the Supreme Court by the largest honey corporation in the world. The result of this influenced people to distrust supermarket honey and instead buy from local and small-scale beekeepers.
Experimenting with making products out of beeswax, Emily processed what was leftover from the rescues
and it organically became the beginning of Embodybee.
She moved away and worked with many different styles of natural hive designs and researched Apitherapy (an alternative modality of healing using not just all the products, but the elements of the bee hive to benefit human health and healing).
See the Embodybee collection here!!
Brief bio for Professor Marc Cohen (aka Dr Marc)
MBBS (Hons), PhD (TCM),PhD (Elec Eng), BMed Sci (Hons), FAMAC, FICAE
Dr Marc Cohen is a medical doctor, university professor, author, poet, entrepreneur, wellness trailblazer and perpetual student of life, who believes wellness can be just as contagious as illness and aims to co-create a culture of wellness that infects the world with good health.
Dr Marc has a medical degree, an Honours degree in physiology and psychological medicine and 2 PhDs and has been researching and practicing integrative medicine for more than 30 years. He has spent more than 20 years as a university professor teaching and contributing to original research in the fields of nutrition, herbal medicine, yoga, meditation, acupuncture detoxification health retreats, saunas, hot springs, hydrothermal wellness, elite athletic performance, and flow states. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers and many books and technical texts on wellness and natural medicine including the landmark texts ‘Herbs and Natural Supplements: An Evidence-Based Guide’ and ‘Understanding the Global Spa Industry’, along with the illustrated children’s books “Bing & Bang Begin” and “The Beautiful Mare and the Boy Who Gave Thanks”.
Dr Marc is a Past Board Member ofthe Global Wellness Summit, Past President of the Australasian Integrative Medicine Association, Founder of the ExtremeWellness Institute, and Beautiful Water, Co-Owner of Extremely Alive and Maruia Hot Springs and Medical Director of the Peninsula Hot Springs Group. Dr Marc is also an Adjunct Professor at the NationalCentre for Naturopathic Medicine (NCNM)at Southern Cross University and the NationalInstitute of Integrative Medicine(NICM) at the University of Western Sydney and is a sought-after presenter who delivers inspiring, informative and uplifting presentations at conferences, festivals and events around the world. You can find him on Facebook and LinkedIn and at www.drmarc.co
