Corkkey’s Bees owner Peter Wormington opens GoFundMe after Toowoomba floods

A small-business owner and beekeeper is on the brink of some serious financial losses after the recent bout of flooding cut him off from his hives. Here’s how you can help.

Three years of misfortune has followed a small businessman around in the form of fires, then floods, and now the future of his business is uncertain.

Beekeeper Peter Wormington is staring down the barrel of hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses following floods that have stopped him from accessing his hives of bees.

It’s not the first time natural disasters have impacted Mr Wormington’s livelihood.

In 2019, Corkkey’s Bees owner Mr Wormington was forced to move his bees after hundreds of hectares on the property where he kept his hives were burnt in the horrific bushfires.

“We moved them to Three Mile from Perseverance for food source which they just made through winter,” he said.

“We had some rain, had a couple of okay years making money.”

Beekeeper Peter Wormington is facing serious financial losses after the recent rain and flooding.

In the latest bout of flooding, Mr Wormington has been almost completely cut off from his bees, and has spent the last few weeks doing the sums of how much it’s going to cost to pave a path to his hives, or move the bees.

It’s going to cost tens of thousands of dollars to buy or hire equipment to fix the roads so he can access the bees, which take an exorbitant amount of maintenance in order for them to produce honey.

Beekeeper Peter Wormington is facing serious financial losses after the recent rain and flooding.

“If I can’t get to the bees I can’t get honey off and I can’t make money,” he said.

“At the moment I can’t get through to one at all and another it’s hit or miss.”

Mr Wormington said he has been dreaming of “going pro” with his beekeeping, using it as a side hustle now while he works as a carpenter.

The last few years of flood and fire has all but dashed his hopes.

“I thought I might make $20,000 this year but now it’s going backwards,” he said.

“The seasons haven’t been favourable.

“Next year might make it back up but it’s still another write off.”

Three year of exhaustion, trying to salvage his bees and his business, has taken its toll of Mr Wormington and his family.

“There’s a lot of emotional stress there,” he said.

“It takes a big toll.”

Mr Wormington has opened a GoFundMe to pay for the costs of repairs to the property so he can access his bees and commence his work once more.