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Council gives unwanted bees a home on the rooftop

BRISBANE City Council are giving unwanted bees a chance to be relocated rather than exterminated - and are putting a huge hive on their own rooftop.

Bee rescuer Peter Madsen collects bees from a tree in St Lucia. Photo: AAP/Richard Walker
Bee rescuer Peter Madsen collects bees from a tree in St Lucia. Photo: AAP/Richard Walker

LIFE will soon be sweeter for the Brisbane City Council when a large, unwanted hive of European honeybees from St Lucia is given a new home on their rooftop.

The hive is one of several so far given a second chance, in the past month, after an apparent policy shift by the Brisbane City Council.

Last month, Middle Park beekeeper Peter Madsen criticised the council for being too hasty in their assessments of unwanted suburban bee swarms, which had often resulted in the destruction of the hives.

Last week, the council gave Mr Madsen the use of a council cherry picker to help him safely remove the beehive on the understanding it would be relocated to the council’s city rooftop.

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It was located overhanging a busy intersection in St Lucia at the corner of Carmondy and Mervyn Grove roads with cars, pedestrians and cyclists passing just below.

Bee rescuer Peter Madsen at work on the bee hive high in a tree in St Lucia. Photo: AAP/Richard Walker
Bee rescuer Peter Madsen at work on the bee hive high in a tree in St Lucia. Photo: AAP/Richard Walker

Chairman for Environment, Parks and Sustainability Cr David McLachlan said the council was committed to keeping residents safe but also wanted to ensure Brisbane continued to be a clean, green and sustainable city.

“Council has been contacted about beehives 11 times since September, including in Doolandella, River Hills and Carindale,” Cr McLachlan said

A bee rescuer Peter Madsen uses a Brisbane City Council cherry picker to collect bees the corner of Carmody and Mervyn Grove roads in St Lucia. Photo: AAP/Richard Walker
A bee rescuer Peter Madsen uses a Brisbane City Council cherry picker to collect bees the corner of Carmody and Mervyn Grove roads in St Lucia. Photo: AAP/Richard Walker

Mr Madsen said his group Brisbane Bees was now being regularly asked by the council to safely remove hives and relocate them.

“This particular hive will be kept in a safe yard until we know it is disease free, then we will install it on the council’s rooftop,” Mr Madsen said.

Cr McLachlan said bees were a valued part of Brisbane’s ecosystem and the council was making every effort to ensure they were not needlessly destroyed.

“By working with local beekeepers, we can help keep the community safe while ensuring Brisbane’s bee population remains strong,” he said.

“Once bees are collected from Council parks or facilities, the colony is carefully managed by a skilled beekeeper.

“I recently had the pleasure of observing the bee removal process first-hand, which was a testament to the council’s commitment to safeguarding our bee population.”

Mr Madsen’s group members work as volunteers to rescue bees and remove unwanted or dangerous bee hives for the council.

The can be contacted via their Facebook page: Brisbane Bees

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Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/southwest/council-gives-unwanted-bees-a-home-on-the-rooftop/news-story/f09d8144a3dda5f789b1b3fd4e01706e