Native Bees
At this point about 1700 species of native bees have been identified and named in Australia. These native species are quite different from the common European honey bee (Apis mellifera), which came to Australia in the 1820s and has a commercially vital role in pollinating many crops in Australia.
Native bees to do not build hives or produce large quantities of honey like the European honey bee and their existence is much more fragile. They have evolved locally, along with our native wildflowers over millions of years. The various species range in size from about 2mm to 26mm in length and can be thickly furred, or shiny and smooth, with an amazing range of colours.
Most of these species are solitary, which means that just one female bee mates with a male and then builds a nest in which to lay her eggs. There aren’t queen bees or worker bees. So providing the right sorts of habitats for egg-laying is incredibly important to the local population.
Examples of solitary bees are Blue Banded Bees, Resin Bees, Leafcutter Bees and Teddy Bear Bees and none of these solitary bees store any honey in their tiny nests.
In 2018 we undertook a major survey of the local insect population and as part of the 11,500 species catalogued on the farm, we were particularly excited to see blue banded bees and white banded bees. The females dig their nests in the creek banks, burrowing in about 10cm, and often attracted to areas where others are also nesting.
Indigenous to Australia and appearing in every state except Tasmania, this invaluable species is recognised by its characteristic lustrous blue bands, docile nature, solitary lifestyle, and ability to hover (unlike most honey bees). Their ability to buzz-pollinate is particularly important in the fertilisation of certain crops, such as tomatoes, eggplant, blueberries and kiwi-fruit. In such fruits, the pollen is so tightly held within the flower, that only the rapid vibrations of the industrious blue-banded bee and its relatives are able to release the powdery grains.
Since the common honey bee is unable to buzz-pollinate, and many of the world’s food crops require it, the these types of native bee are critical to modern agriculture and food production. To encourage more native bees to make the creek line their home, we installed numerous bee hotels (or beehouses) around the area. As a symbol of the health and vitality of the farm and its native populations we decided to salute their return and bring the story to life on our Beehouse wine labels.