As spring brings warmer days and flowers back into bloom, gardens across the Beenleigh are becoming a little busier and local bees are among those making the most of it.
Eagleby-based Golden Goodness Honey manager Barun Samanta said as the temperature warmed and the days lengthened after winter, bees were becoming more active.
“[There are] plenty of flowers outside and numbers increase because the queen laying eggs. Flowers means lots of resources and food outside, so that’s the beginning of the bee population going crazy,” Mr Samanta said.
But bees do more than produce honey. Their role as pollinators makes them an important part of healthy gardens and ecosystems.
“Obviously pollination is the biggest thing, then we get the honey, and that’s good for us for hay fever and allergies.”
The good news is that homeowners don’t need to become beekeepers to help support local bees.
“Stop spraying common poison stuff and don’t make too many traps… that a bee can easily get stuck in. [People can also] put out some water, they will come and drink it.
“Plant lots of fruit trees and flowers, lots of bee friendly pollen and nectar that bees can get off those kinds of trees,” Mr Samanta said.
With increased bee activity comes with the possibility of encountering a swarm. But what should you do if one turns up in your backyard?
“[You] should contact a nearby beekeeper or someone who knows how to manage and move the bees away from one place to another.
“Contact a local beekeeper, if they can, if they cannot, they can guide you to someone else to move the bees.”
Despite how familiar bees are, there are plenty of misconceptions surrounding them.
“When bees swarm, they are not going to sting anyone because they are afraid. They are looking for a new house…
“They are not going to chase anyone. They are frightened and scared as well,” Mr Samanta said.
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