Bee Friendly campaign to help the honeybee

The Honeybee Program, managed by the Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation (RIRDC) in Australia, wants everyone’s help to save the honeybee (Rural Diversity, RIRDC, Issue 10, 2013).

The Pollination Program Research & Development (R&D) Advisory Committee chair says global honeybee populations are under threat by pests, diseases, urbanization, bush fires, and changing land practices, which in turn affects agricultural production. With 65% of agricultural production reliant on pollination by bees to produce fruit, vegetables, and seeds, we need to protect bees.

The deadly bee pest, the Varroa mite, has had a catastrophic impact on bee populations around the world. Australia is currently free of the mite due to the country’s rigorous quarantine procedures, but is not complacent about it. Australia has other bee pests, such as the small hive beetle and American foulbrood. In November 2012, Australian Quarantine inspectors found a swarm of 2,000 Asian honeybees on a ship from Singapore docked in Sydney. They were carrying the Varroa mites. Both the mites and the bees were destroyed. The Pollination and Honeybee Program in Australia has invested in biosecurity to prevent Varroa mites entering the country. These include pre-border surveillance in ships, border control, and post-border investigations through BeeForce.

To enlist the public’s help to protect our bees, RIRDC has published a guide that highlights the right plants and trees “from the backyard to the bush” that keep bees happy and healthy. The right plants and trees provide food for honeybees, thus helping to boost their survival. For window sills, school classrooms, small or large scale gardens, the guide indicates which trees to plant. Many of the plants are also beneficial for other insects, birds, and small mammals that feed on nectar and pollen.

The guide lists herbs, shrubs, trees, and other plants. The lists are in separate categories including: domestic gardens, streetscapes, urban open spaces, rural environments, and stationary beekeeping. The guide also gives suggestions according to climate.

The guide is called, “Bee Friendly—A planting guide for European honeybees and Australian native pollinators” and it can be downloaded for free from www.rirdc.gov.au or ordered online.

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