In this episode of Selling in the Paddock, Georgia sits down with Steve Fuller, Director of Buzz and Growth at BeeStar – and a man who’s spent more than 40 years working with bees. Georgia admits she’s completely obsessed with bees, and Steve does not disappoint. He takes us inside the hive, explaining how colonies really work, why bees are so critical to Australian agriculture, and how technology like remote hive monitoring is changing the way beekeepers and growers work together. From almonds and blueberries to canola, clover and seed crops, Steve breaks down how managed pollination can dramatically lift yield and tighten the agricultural footprint – and why trust and communication between beekeeper and grower is non-negotiable. Along the way, Georgia and Steve explore what human teams can learn from bee colonies: shared purpose, calm leadership, and treating others how you’d like to be treated… just maybe without ripping anyone’s head off. From sawmilling to beekeepingHow Steve went from a sawmill job to beekeeping after his brother “found a great job” – and why he still isn’t sick of bees after four decades. How a hive really worksThe roles of workers, drones and the queen, how queens mate and lay up to seven million bees’ worth of eggs, and why everything in the hive is done for the good of the colony. Pollination and yield – why bees matterHow managed bees support crops like blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, macadamias, almonds, stone fruit, citrus, melons, pumpkins, canola seed, lucerne and clover – and why bringing in bees can boost yield by 10–48%. Monocropping, genetics and “missing” pollinatorsWhat happens when large monocrops push out natural pollinators, how modern varieties can unintentionally lose nectar or pollen, and why that changes what we see – and don’t see – in the paddock. Bees vs other pollinatorsWhere bees fit alongside flies, moths, bats, birds and wind, and why managed hives are such a powerful, controllable tool for growers. B Star and remote hive monitoringHow B Star uses in-hive sensors to track temperature and humidity, feeding data to an app that shows hive health using a simple traffic-light system – and how this helps both beekeepers and growers know if hives are truly working. Working with growers (and preventing bee carnage)Why spray timing and honest conversations matter, what happens when bees can work under a full moon, and how mis-timed spraying can undo months of work. Leadership and culture lessons from the hiveWhat Steve’s learned about calm energy, respect and reciprocity: treat bees (and people) how you’d like to be treated, don’t barge into their “house” and take everything, and know when to walk away on a bad day. Rapid fire with SteveHow he winds down (hint: 2,500+ bee books…), why he still finds bees endlessly fascinating, and the mindset he takes into every hive.
