Mitch Matters: honey bees’ vital role in Mornington Peninsula economy
THEY may only be small, but honey bees play a vital role in the local economy, Peter Mitchell writes.
South East
Don't miss out on the headlines from South East . Followed categories will be added to My News.
One of my breakfast rituals involves starting every day with a mug of hot, black tea, that has a special added ingredient.
I stir in a teaspoon of Mornington Peninsula honey.
To me, they are a great combination and I’ve also heard that the honey can help as an antidote to hay fever.
MITCH MATTERS: R.E. ROSS GIVES MILLIONS TO THE PENINSULA
MITCH MATTERS: BROWNLOW MEDALS ARE MADE IN FRANKSTON
I certainly haven’t had any problems with a blocked nose or watery eyes, not that I’ve ever been a hay fever sufferer.
I feel that having honey in my tea instead of sugar supports a local industry and creatures that I admire greatly — the mighty bee!
My view certainly has changed from the times as a youngster when I received their sting.
I quickly learnt to keep away from them.
These days I still give them a wide berth, but I’m thrilled when I see and hear them buzzing about in our garden.
An unprecedented worldwide study has found that honey bees are the world’s most important single species of pollinator in natural ecosystems.
While I’m no beekeeper, I find their lifestyle fascinating.
They benefit our local area by providing a free pollination service. This in turn, provides food for us in the form of fruits, berries, nuts, leaves, roots and seeds.
And not just for humans. Bees also pollinate foods eaten by other animals and birds.
Of course it is impossible to tally or quantify the importance of bees to our local food industry, but they are responsible for at least tens of millions of dollars worth of product every year. And they don’t charge a cent!
MITCH MATTERS: JOHN PASCOE FAWKNER A SORRENTO SETTLER
MITCH MATTERS: HISTORY LITTERED WITH SHIP WRECKS
We know they collect and concentrate nectar in the production of honey.
They are a very social insect.
They live in hives with a very structured social order.
Each hive contains one queen and her job is to produce and lay eggs.
Also inside the hive are a few hundred drones (or male bees) and the worker bees, that are all female.
Unlike the female, drones do not have a stinger and do not collect nectar or pollen. Their primary role is to mate with an unfertilised queen, before they die.
The females are out all day making sure they transfer pollen and seeds from one flower to another, fertilising the plant so it can grow and produce food.
Without bees to spread seeds, many plants, including food crops, would die.
It is a rare thing indeed for humans to copy another creature on the planet, but that’s exactly what engineers have done in the use of hexagons in construction work.
MITCH MATTERS: WE MUST BE WATER WISE
MITCH MATTERS: OUR EARLY PIONEERS
And as more scientific study has been made into these remarkable insects, humans have been able to treat them with more respect.
There was a time when hives were left ruined by humans who took all the honey, which is what the bees need over winter for their source of food.
It’s why they’re storing it in the first place.
These days honey bees are far more domesticated and have been bred to make more honey than they need. Humans help themselves to the surplus and the bees survive.
And yet, the health of managed honey bee colonies is threatened by a host of factors including habitat loss, pesticides, pathogens, parasites and climate change.
Thankfully the Mornington Peninsula, just as it has for humans, has plenty to keep a bee happy.
And for those bees that help me with a daily dollop of their product in my tea, I say thank you. May you keep on buzzing!
Twitter: Peter_Mitchell7
Instagram: @peter_mitchell7
Facebook: Peter Mitchell
MORE BY MITCH: