Drunk bees found dead or stumbling around Parliament House in Canberra
Intoxicated bees found wobbling home to their hive at Parliament House in Canberra are turned away by “guards” until they sober up.
Boozy bees are dropping from the skies around Parliament House, with the imbibing insects getting a buzz off native flowers.
Eagle-eyed observers have noticed the flying insects dead and stumbling around Australia’s seat of government in Canberra.
Parliament’s head beekeeper Cormac Farrell solved the mystery in a series of tweets explaining the bizarre bee-haviour.
A few sharp-eyed folk walking have noticed dead & stumbling #bees on the paths around @Aust_Parliament and have asked what is going on. The answer is alcohol!
— Cormac Farrell (@jagungal1) October 10, 2019
As the weather heats up, the nectar in some Australian flowers will ferment, making the foragers drunk. pic.twitter.com/Add2OAdjPu
“As the weather heats up, the nectar in some Australian flowers will ferment, making the foragers drunk,” he said on Thursday.
“Usually this makes them a bit wobbly, and if they come back to the beehive drunk the guards will turn them away until they sober up.”
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Alongside a picture of a trio of motionless bees, Mr Farrell said unfortunately they’d had a bit too much and died from the alcohol.
But he reassured apiary admirers the deaths were not due to pesky pesticides as almost none are used in the grounds around parliament.
Instead, Mr Farrell is making the best of a sticky situation, reminding thirsty humans the sober bees’ honey is used to make Parliament House mead.
“The drunk bees are kept out of the hive to stop the honey from fermenting inside, which could hurt the whole colony,” he said.
“However, once the honey is finished, you can use it to make some wonderful alcohol.”
Mr Farrell also confirmed the colonies are “okay” because of online sensors monitoring them.
Three beehives were installed at parliament in 2017 as part of a bid to increase and protect populations in Australia.
Yeh! The native bees are returning to @Aust_Parliament House - Canberra! ðððThanks to APH Head Bee Keeper @jagungal1 ððð https://t.co/fGtw9HDTwM
— HiveHaven (@HiveHaven) September 30, 2019