Page 3621 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 22 November 2022
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abundance has increased dramatically over the last 80 years. They are the most common and easily recognisable species of bee in Australia. Although the European honeybee is an introduced species in Australia the majority of the crops they pollinate have also been introduced and would struggle to be productive without the European honeybee population.
Our native bees are still essential and work alongside the introduced European honeybees. Native bees populate native plants many of which cannot be pollinated by the introduced species. Some flowers need vibration to release pollen, which many of our native bees are able to do. This is called buzz pollination. Native bees can also pollinate some introduced species.
So why exactly are bees so important to us? Well it is reported that 65 per cent of our horticulture and agricultural crops specifically require honeybees for pollination. Bees are fundamental in producing many popular foods we like to eat. For example, 18 bees are required to pollinate one kilogram of avocados, five bees are needed to help grow one kilogram of pumpkin and two bees are needed for one kilogram of watermelon to be produced. There are even some industries where bees are required for 100 per cent of the crop pollination with almonds, avocados and onions requiring pollination solely from bees. In Australia two thirds of all horticultural and agricultural crops need honeybees for optimal pollination. Many fruits, such as apples, raspberries and peaches are more productive and produce better and more attractive fruit which also stores for longer when they are serviced by honeybees. Now you may be wondering how bees were needed for the barbeque or roast you had recently. I can assure you that bees were required to pollinate the crops that fed the livestock. When you break it down, bees and other pollinators are critical to the vast majority of the food chain.
Often the importance of our natural environment and how it intersects with human society is overlooked. However, it is important and bees are also economic producers in and of themselves. Around $14.2 billion is injected into the Australian economy thanks to the honeybee and pollinator industries each year. Australia is one of the top 10 honey producing countries in the world, with a large amount of honey produced in Australia exported to a variety of countries oversees in both bulk and retail shipments. Other honeybee products include bees wax production, live queen bees and packaged bee sales, pollen and paid pollination services.
Produce from bees have been incorporated into our day to day lives. Most notably honey, which is what bees are known for and what people associate them with. The Australian honeybee industry produces between 20,000 and 30,000 tonnes of honey annually. We also rely on beeswax in various items ranging from beauty and health products to candles. We know that as the bush capital, we are known as the bush capital for a reason. We pride ourselves on our open green spaces, and the ACT government has long supported initiatives to help protect and improve our environment. It does not matter where you are in the ACT, you will always have access to green spaces, trees and other flora and fauna that make you feel surrounded by nature.
As the bush capital, I think it is important that we look more closely at our bee and pollinator populations, like we do with other aspects of our environment. Our
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