Keeping bees in your backyard helps to maintain the bee population, is an easy way to pollinate your garden and also gives you a free supply of honey. But before you rush out and buy a beekeeping suit, consider a less aggressive option.
Australian native bees are not aggressive and many species do not have stings, or have stings that are too small to inflict injury. These bees can be handled without protective clothing and their sting is relatively painless, although it can still cause an allergic reaction. Native bees produce a type of bush tucker honey known as sugarbag. It is less sweet than regular honey but has a strong flavour, similar to lemon and eucalyptus.
Another bonus to keeping native bees is that they do not have to be registered like foreign hives.
Getting started is as easy as taking a look at your backyard. You may find that you already have a bee hive. If not, encourage native bees to make their backyard your home by planting alluring plants.
This site will tell you more about the types of bees that are native to your area and the plants they like.
If you can't catch them, buy them. Bee expert Dr Tim Heard sells bee hives from his
Sugarbag website. A honey hive costs $350 and can be picked up in Brisbane or posted for an additional $100. Dr Heard guarantees the life of the hive for up to one year and will replace dead hives upon their return.
City Chicks sells bee hives with easy honey extracting devices. Each hive contains 5000 bees and costs $425.00. City Chicks does not provide hives outside of Queensland or New South Wales.
