Perth Voice Interactive

TO bee or not to bee. Steve Fletcher found himself pondering his own mortality after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in November 2012.

The cancer has a very low survival rate—six per cent survive more than five years—as it often goes undetected and is diagnosed at an advanced stage.

Instead of wallowing in self-pity, the 65-year-old from Inglewood decided to revisit a childhood love of bee-keeping to keep focused and stay active.

Now in remission, he says his hobby got him through a year of gruelling chemotherapy and a 10-hour surgery to remove a section of pancreas.

“I found bee-keeping very therapeutic, it got me back in touch with nature and the outdoors, without being too physically taxing,” he says.

“On a social level it was good too and I met loads of great folk at the WA Apiarists Society.

“I like to think I’m giving something back—bees are great for the environment and are responsible for pollination and keep the ecosystem churning over.”

Married with two sons, Mr Fletcher is looking for homeowners in Inglewood and Bedford who are interested in hosting hives in their back garden.

He offers a free bee removal service on Gumtree and is looking for new homes for the pollinators.

“Usually a quarter-acre lot is big enough to have a hive in the back garden,” he says.

“I would come around and maintain them—they won’t cause neighbours any problems if they’re set up correctly.

“The home owners don’t need to do anything and they might even get some free honey.”

His obsession with bees started when he was a young boy in Essex: He borrowed every book on the insects from the county library.

Most councils allow home owners to have up to two hives.

A global collapse of commercial bee hives—caused by pesticide poisoning, a mite plague and other factors—means local hives are more important than ever for the pollination of flowers and food crops. If you are interested contact Steve Fletcher on 0403 047 633.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK