Spanning over a century, the Cloake family's story begins with David Cloake, a farmer who managed about 90 hives alongside his agricultural farm—providing a robust foundation for the family's beekeeping reputation well before the New Zealand migration. Bertie Cloake, his son, not only built up the reputation for “quiet bees” in South Canterbury but in 1953 personally delivered queen bees to his father when visiting his ’homeland, reflecting the hands-on and pioneering spirit that underpins the family's legacy.
The narrative follows the innovations and philosophies of Harry, Mervyn and Russel Cloake— they adopted and expanded breeding programs, improved temperament, productivity, and winter hardiness, They were often early adopters or developers of equipment advances for hive handling; large-scale sugar feeding; wax recovery; and honey extraction and creaming, all modernizing South Canterbury beekeeping.calgarybeekeepers+2
Additionally, sister Marilyn continued her family tradition involvement in Tamworth, Australia, with husband beekeeper John Smith—originally from Arizona/Texas—connecting North American industry links to the trans-Tasman legacy. Today the legacy lives on in Hutton's Honey, run by cousins.
The Cloake story is also one of community: fostering a local cooperative spirit through knowledge sharing, mentorship, and collaborative marketing, building remarkable resilience throughout industry booms, busts, and biosecurity challenges.
Introduction
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The Legacy of Quiet Bees: Family, Place, Innovation
Part I: Roots and Foundations
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Cornwall Origins: David Cloake’s dual role as farmer and beekeeper (90 hives)
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Bertie Cloake in South Canterbury: Building the “quiet bees” reputation and and block honey
Part II: Growth and Technical Ingenuity
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Apiary expansion and early mechanization, mentorship and industry development
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Equipment revolutions in honey processing
- Creamed honey
- The 'Cloake Board'
Part III: Breeding Revolution
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Cloake’s breeding program: genetics
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Debates; commitment to open breeding
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Algebraic selection, record keeping, and colony scoring systems
Part IV: Expansion, Drought, and Market Change
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Surviving the 1967 drought—expanding and relocating hives to West Coast and Southland
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Canadian export program: queen breeding for winter hardiness, U.S. opposition
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Massive crops, cooperative business mergers, and feed innovations
Part V: International Legacy
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Marilyn and John Smiths operation in Tamworth, Australia
- Hutton’s Honey
- Others
- Multi-generational beekeeping in South Canterbury
Part VI: Cooperative Culture and Regional Identity
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Department of Agriculture role: meetings, field days, beekeeping instruction (Jim Foster, Vince Cook, John Smith)
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Field days, family gatherings, and local collaborative spirit
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Woman and children roles
Part VII: Boom, Bust, and Resilience
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Manuka market expansion and crash; regulatory changes and price collapses
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Varroa management and biosecurity strategies
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Modern challenges: overexpansion, disease, and the declining fortunes of large-scale operations
Epilogue: Sweet Inheritance
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Hutton’s Honey today—living legacy of Cloake breeding and techniques
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Lessons from adaptation, community, and generational continuity
Appendices
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Maps: Coverage in Cornwall, South Canterbury, and Southland Tamworth
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Family trees and genealogy
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Technical glossary, breeding flowcharts, historical documents
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Photo sections: machinery, family portraits, apiary life
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Recipes and uses for honey and beeswax
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Timeline of major events, innovations, and personal stories