This has come about to encourage native flora and fauna in the area. Native bees are important pollinators of Australia’s unique wildflowers and are a vital part of our landscape. The typical honeybees that provide the honey in jars are not native, they are originally from Europe. So this is an attempt to support our native ecology.
Native bees also have the advantage of being stingless and great crop pollinators – hence the reason to establish them in community gardens. They can produce a wonderful honey (although in comparatively very small amounts) known as a delicious bush food.
Workshops will follow with Peter Clarke from Ku-ring-gai Council who has been delivering and installing native bee hives for a long time. Community gardeners will be given opportunity to learn skills and knowledge with respect to maintaining and looking after the bees.
