To bee or not to bee

Here's the buzz on bees.

Sorry, i just could'nt resist that.

My colleague Cameron Best wrote a cracker story the other day in Geelong Advertiser about bees being the new front line is in place to defend against the introduction of exotic honey bee pests and diseases.

He talked about how these selfless bees, known as "Bee Force", put their lives on the line in order to protect their species and the state's honey and pollination-dependent agriculture industries.

The villain in this case is the varroa mite, which attaches to bees and devastates bee populations.

As part of the program, volunteer beekeepers have set up hives near Geelong Port, equipped with sticky mats to catch the bees' droppings to allow for an early detection of the parasite.

It's a great article, you should read it and remember around one mouthful in three in the diet directly or indirectly benefits from honey bee pollination.

If like me you are considering keeping bees, here's a good article from G magazine.