T
here are 1700 native species of bees in
Australia, as well as the introduced species:
the European honeybee, apis mellifera. Sure
as hell, at least one of these bees stung you
as a child: perhaps while running under the sprinkler
in the hot January sun, at the local swimming pool
or playing backyard cricket. More often than not,
being stung by a bee is a human’s first encounter
with the tiny, diligent insects that waggle-dance from
plant to plant, flower to flower, pollinating a massive
one-third of the world’s food supply in the process.
Some of them sting. But there are plenty of other
reasons to look out for them, too.BEES ARE AT MAJOR RISK
Global bee populations have been in decline for years.
Varroa mite disease is one of the biggest causes: a tiny
parasite with the power to unravel our entire food system.
Australia is one of the only varroa-free zones in the world,
and so far it's managed to avoid the mite and colony
collapse disorder (where entire hives are wiped out
overnight). “We still have great, healthy colonies and the
best conditions for honeybees anywhere on earth,” says
urban beekeeper Nic Dowse, founder of Melbourne
creative studio, Honeyfingers. “But how can we keep
it that way? It’s all about communication.”BEESARE COOKS
Dowseproducessmall-batch,rawhoneyin urbanhives
acrossMelbourne,andhisstudioworkstoeducatepeople
onthecollectiveintelligenceofbeesandtheirimportance
toourfoodsystem.Oneofhisfavouritetopicsis howbees
cookandfermenttheirownfood,justashumansmight
bakesourdoughbreadorturnsurpluscabbageintokimchi.
"Abeehiveis a verywarmandhumidplace,about 35
degrees,andanyfoodwouldspoilatthat,”Dowsesays.
“Thebeesfermenttheirpollentocontrolthedecayrate.
It’sa lactic-acidfermentandthesameprocesshumans
usetomakebread.”BEESFEED US
Beesareneededtoproducecountlessproductswerelyon
(coffee,cotton,myriadfruits,seedsandnuts).Broadcaster
andavidgardenerIndiraNaidoohadneverseenbeeson
herbalconyin inner-citySydney,untilshebegangrowing
herownfood.“I thoughtthatwasa goodthingbecause
I amallergictobees,”shesays.It wasn’tuntilherzucchini
flowersweren’tripeningintozucchinithatsherealisedthe
criticalrolepollinatorsplayin feedingus.“NowI don’tthink
abouteatingwhatI grow,”shesays.“It’smoreabout,oh,
thebeesaregoingtolovethisborage!”BEESWORK FOR FREE
A massive 70 percentofbeesin Australiaarewild,which
essentiallymeansthey’reworkingtopollinateourcropsfor
free.Climatechangeposesa hugerisktothis.Notonly
becausebeesarelosingtheirnaturalhabitatasfiresburnanddroughtwageson,buthightemperaturesarecausing
cropstofloweratirregulartimes,whichis confusingforthe
bees.“Wehavetohaveanopen,honestdiscussionaround
whatourfutureis goingtolooklikeif wedon’thavethose
freepollinationservices,”saysDowse.BEESARE ENGINEERS
AND ARCHITECTS
Theshapeofhoneycomb,thehexagon,is knownforits
efficiencyandstrength,andhasbeenemployedtheworld
overforeverythingfromnutsandboltstotheinsulationin
aeroplanewings.“It’sgoodundercompression,anduses
theleastamountofmaterialforthemostvolumegained,”
saysDowse.“It’squitemagicaltothinkthatbeeshave
figuredthisoutbyworkingtogetherovermillennia.”BEESLOVE THECITY
AtYerrabingin,theIndigenous-runnativerooftopgarden
in Sydney’sSouthEveleigh,therearemorethan 2000
nativeplants.Manyofthem,suchashardenbergia,have
beenplantedtolurebees.“Normallyit’squitedifficultto
attractthemtorooftopsastheydon’treallylikethewind,
ortoflytoofarortoohigh,”saysco-founderClarence
Slockee.“Butwe’vehada heapuphere.”Thisdoesn't
surpriseDowse,whobelievesthatbeeswillnotonly
survive,butthrivein ourcities,if weputin thework.“The
droughthitsuslast.Wedon’thavefloods.Wedon’thave
broad-acrechemicalsbeingsprayed,”hesays.“We’rein
thelastcontinentalgoldenageofbeekeepingonearth.
Withthatcomeshugeresponsibility.”More often
than not, being
stung is a
human’s first
encounter with
the insects
that pollinate
one-third of
the world’s
food supply.58 GOURMET TRAVELLER
RECIPE LISA FEATHERBY. PHOTOGRAPHY ALICIA TAYLOR (HONEYCOMB & TART) & GETTY IMAGES (BEE). STYLING VIVIEN WALSH.