General News
26 September, 2025
BARRY'S CORNER: Problem bees
There are a number of native bees to be found in Australia but not many of them to reside in Western Victoria.
These insects resemble the introduced bee in shape, although they tend to be smaller, there is a sting which can be used but rarely.
In the warmer districts of the country there is more variety of bee species that share a honey making ability but nothing like the quantities produced by the managed hives on an apiary.
Keeping native bees to produce enough honey is not worthwhile the quantity is too small.
The native bees are not as aggressive as the introduced models and do not live in large numbers.
Managed bees are useful for fertilising and pollinating farm crops and garden vegetables and flowers although not all plants require that level of work.
Careful management for the siting of permanent or temporary apiaries is required because to look out for sensitive plants is important.
Native vegetation is not grown for bees while some ground layer shrubs and plants are utilised, even then the visiting bee needs to tear into the flower to access the pollen.
There is a lot of interest in finding out how the vegetation is impacted by working bees but the job is notorious to get a fix on highly mobile animals with a sting.
A bee can travel a kilometre or so in a circle from the hive and often in dense bush, so it is not easy.
There is a train of thought that bees have an impact on most type of flowering plants.
There is certainly a savage impact on hollow trees where parrots utilise for nesting and possums roost and a swarm decides this hollow is suitable to establish a hive.
Such a hive cannot be managed to keep a check for diseases and parrot habitat is destroyed for the future nesting.
There is a huge problem with feral bees in some bush areas they can impact on workers and anyone out in the open.
When it is warmer season once the hive gets excited to start working for pollen a bee can land lightly on exposed skin where there is a bit of sweat and then the person moves unknown to the bee or the person and the bee sinks the sting when the bee innocently was only trying to gather some moisture.