Native BEEtastic workshop with Megan Halcroft
By Jane Anderson
Members of Upper Kedumba Bushcare group had a lovely
morning attending a workshop with the fantastic Megan Halcroft, of Bees Business, hosted by the Blackheath Rhododendron Garden for their 50th Anniversary.
The Upper Kedumba group site is the centre for the Upper Mountains bee metropolis, where we have built mud homes for ground dwelling bees and hotels of hardwood and reed for our cavity dwellers. We have planted a good selection of pollinator plants with plans for expansion. So with a keen interest in native bees it was a great opportunity to expand our bee
knowledge.
Super interesting things we learnt:
* Bees see on the ultra violet light spectrum
* Bee’s have short or long tongues and pollinate flowers relevant to their tongue design
* Petals have cone cells on them specifically for bees to hang on to
* The best time to see bees is early morning or late afternoon
* Bees build up a positive charge as they fly where flowers have a negative charge, the bees and flowers are attracted to each other. But when the bee pollinates the flower (takes nectar and pollen) the charges are neutralised so the next bee knows not to go to that flower and waste its energy
* The charge, nectar and pollen build up again throughout the day hence the afternoon sessions
*Habitat should be increased every year for your native bee population, so if you have 1 bee hotel now you need 2 the following year and so on
*Lots of little homes in full sun are better than one big home

For more information on bee’s www.beesbusiness.com.au

Pollinator Week
Australian Pollinator Week
acknowledges our important and unique insect pollinators during spring (November) where group activities and community members can learn and laugh together as they help to support our pollinators.
As part of this year’s Australian Pollinator Week, Bushcare will be holding a combined event with Wildplant Rescue for Pollinator Week in early November so come along make a bee hotel, learn about bees and buy some plants specifically for your new bee friends.