​Nurturing our Natives in Nineteen

We began the year by welcoming some special new friends into our community last week – our very own hive of native stingless bees. Bees are vital for a healthy, robust environment and we are very proud to be taking another small step in our ecological conversion journey. These little guys have no stings and are completely harmless. This wonderful addition to our school will add to the children’s education about sustainable practices for our Earth and provide a great opportunity to watch these little Aussies going about the important business of pollinating our native flora. ​

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​​​ Our country is home to over 1,600 species of "true blue" Australian native bees. Most Australian bees are solitary bees which raise their young in burrows in the ground or in tiny hollows in timber, but we also have 11 species of social native bees which do not sting! (Our little guys fall into this group) Commercial honey bees are not native to Australia. They were introduced from Europe in about 1822. Stingless bees only produce small amounts of honey - less than one litre per year. However, this honey (known as Sugarbag) is delicious and tangy! It is possible to harvest small amounts of honey from suitable hives in warm parts of Australia. Stingless bees do a great job of pollinating certain commercial crops. They are also important pollinators of Australia's unique wildflowers and a vital part of our Australian bushland. Stingless bees are tropical. So they only thrive in warm areas of Australia such as Queensland, northern areas of WA and NT, and north-eastern areas of NSW. Australian native bees can be black, yellow, red, metallic green or even black with blue polka dots! They can be fat and furry, or sleek and shiny. Australia's smallest native bee is Cape York's minute Quasihesma bee. It is less than 2 mm long. Our largest native bee is the Great Carpenter Bee of the tropical north and northern NSW. It is up to 24 mm long!​​