Mount Isa beekeeper looks at expanding business to improve NDIS employment
Covered head to toe in the middle of a 40-degree Celsius heatwave, Cody Hannover carefully carries tens of thousands of bees from one hive to another.
He says the trick to not getting stung is to "act like water".
"Don't think of angry thoughts," he says.
"Try to be placid as."
Mr Hannover hosts many bees in his own garden. (ABC North West Qld: Maddie Nixon)
The outback beekeeper thanks the buzzing critters for improving his wellbeing.
"It's taught me a lot of patience," he says.
"If I'm feeling nervous or anxious or something, I'll think about bees, and that will relax me."
After six years of hard work, the Mount Isa resident wants to expand his thriving hive business, and he knows just the right employees he is looking for.
As a participant in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), he's looking at hiring other NDIS clients.
"We want them to come in feel like they're a part of the family," he says.
Mr Hannover prepares to transfer his hives. (ABC North West Qld: Maddie Nixon)
From hired help to entrepreneur
Mr Hannover was a teenager when he started beekeeping to earn pocket money, or in some instances pocket honey.
A school friend's father needed help with his small beekeeping business, so Mr Hannover raised his hand.
"He paid me in honey, or in cash sometimes, but it was actually pretty fun," he says.
Two decades later, the 35-year-old has more than 130 beehives scattered across north-west Queensland.
Mr Hannover inspects for the queen bee. (ABC North West Qld: Maddie Nixon)
What started as two hives in his backyard during the COVID-19 pandemic developed into becoming certified and officially launching his business.
The bulk of his hives are hosted on cattle properties spanning more than 300 kilometres from Camooweal to Mount Isa to Cloncurry.
Weekends are spent at market stalls selling handmade beeswax lip balms and moisturisers, and of course, nature's liquid gold.
Mr Hannover's honey uses local plants to get its flavours, including gidgee and Cloncurry box trees. (ABC North West Qld: Maddie Nixon)
'No one's going to stop me'
Mr Hannover attributes his beekeeping success to his "have a go" attitude, as well as his unique "quirk".
"I call it my quirk, I don't call it a disability," he says.
"You can either take it or leave it.
"No one's going to stop me."
It is not just his work ethic that has propelled his work, but his connection with the bees.
"I've got more understanding of animals than a normal person would," he says.
The NDIS supports people who need it, often through third-party service providers.
The bees enjoy Mr Hannover's hydroponic garden. (ABC North West Qld: Maddie Nixon)
Mr Hannover's service provider has been helping him develop his computer skills which will help him move the business online.
The next step is then to employ his own NDIS clients.
"I want to hire people who have quirks," he says.
"They have that drive that I have, and they're all willing to learn."
Mr Hannover says his experience with the NDIS motivates him to provide a supportive working environment.
"It's hard enough going to a job, being petrified of other people," he says.
"You're wondering, am I doing it all right?
"But as I say, 'go in there, have a go'."
Protective gear is a must in this profession. (ABC North West Qld: Maddie Nixon)
Most valued employee
His first and most loyal "employee" is mum Robin Cutmore.
"Cody said, 'here's all this beeswax, mum. You buy all these products made out of beeswax, so I suggest you do research, and you make these products'," Ms Cutmore says.
"So that's exactly what I did.
"He's a great, great young man … I'm proud of him."
Learning along the way, their collaboration has been a two-way street.
"When we go out beekeeping, I'm working on a hive beside him, so I get to learn whether I'm doing the right thing," she says.
"We love going out bush, doing bees, because we take our packed lunch too.
"We've always got something to talk about."
Mr Hannover points out the queen bee, identifiable by it's large thorax and abdomen. (ABC North West Qld: Maddie Nixon)
The pair share love and a sense of humour.
When asked what jobs he gives her, he can't help but crack a joke.
"A lot of pain and misery," he laughs.
But he is quick to tell it straight.
"I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for her pushing me and doing everything with me," he says.
"As a parent who's raised me, she has done an amazing job."
Win-win for cattle farmers
In a region not usually known for its agriculture, Mr Hannover's honey bees offer the perfect symbiotic relationship to the cattle properties on which they live.
Mr Hannover's hives are spread far and wide. This one is at a local nursery. (ABC North West Qld: Maddie Nixon)
"Beef growers, they need pollination also, because they need that for grasses," Mr Hannover says.
"The saltbush that cattle love to fatten up, that actually needs to be pollinated."
In turn, Mr Hannover's bees need the farms' pollen to make honey.
"I'm not actually charging the farmers to have them there," he says.
"It's win-win."