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When we moved Australian native stingless #bees into @Aust_Parliament a lot of people asked what happens in winter. They are a tropical species, and cannot survive the harsh Canberra winters @HiveHaven @Aurecon @ANU_Bees
The answer is to give them fancy winter accomodation, and there are few places fancier than NSW Government House!
His Excellency General Hurley is a keen #beekeeper, and kindly agreed to let us use his garden as a winter refuge next to his hives.
His Excellency General Hurley is a keen #beekeeper, and kindly agreed to let us use his garden as a winter refuge next to his hives.
The @HiveHaven design is heavily insulated but we didn't want to risk the colonies. They were kept in the Speaker's courtyard at @AboutTheHouse until I collected them at night for the move.
The really nice part of stingless #bees is how easy they are to handle. Releasing honeybees like this without protective gear would probably land you in hospital!
The Government House gardens are beautiful with year round flowers, the #bees went straight to work. Pretty sure they will have a happy winter holiday!
One of the fun things that #beekeepers do with each other is swap unique honey flavours.
I provided some of the @Aust_Parliament #honey and a bottle of bochet.
In return I received some of the Governor's honey, Isabella, named after the ship the bought #bees to Australia
I provided some of the @Aust_Parliament #honey and a bottle of bochet.
In return I received some of the Governor's honey, Isabella, named after the ship the bought #bees to Australia
Interested in how this beautiful honey tastes? Both Isabella #honey and the stingless bee honey will be featured at World Bee Day at Parliament House on 19th May, alongside single-source samples from around the world.
