My latest YouTube video:”Bee apocalypse: are we losing our honey bees?”
Is there a bee apocalypse? Are we losing our pollinators? There is a lot of hyperbole and myth swirling around on this subject, particularly about the health of western honey bee (Apis mellifera) populations. Most of the information comes out of the northern hemisphere and much of it is not factual. If you want to read some facts – it’s a long read in several parts – start with this LINK.
Whether there is an imminent bee apocalypse or not, Australia is in a unique position. We don’t have Varroa mite (Varroa destructor), and our native gum trees are a major source of nectar and pollen for foraging honey bees. Beekeepers face other problems in Australia such as disease, misuse of pesticides, fire and flood etc.
Many of the honey bees that visit our gardens are not from managed hives – they are feral. Australia has an unknown number of feral honey bee colonies, especially in bushland.
The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is not native to Australia. There are about 2000 species of native bees in Australia, and I will talk about them in a future video.