GREENBUSHES local Tracy Lansdell is passionate about protecting a tiny creature vital to putting food on the table – bees.
“As individuals, we can have a significant effect on the health of our environment and on the health of our bees, simply by creating gardens that have an ecological balance.”
To recognise Australia’s first ever National Pollinator Week from November 15-21, Ms Lansdell will hold a workshop on how to make your garden a friendly place for the more than 120 different species of native bees found in the South West.
“Pollinator Week is about raising awareness of the significance of native pollinators,” Ms Lansdell said.
“When we think about pollination, a lot of us automatically think of the honey bee, but this is an introduced species and has only been here for about 200 years – whereas in Australia we have around 2,000 species of native bees, who are crucial to the continued existence of our biodiverse native flora. Our bees have co-evolved with our native plants for millions of years, and that’s why they’re our master pollinators.”
Ms Lansdell said Pollinator Week also recognised the importance of the honey bee in Australia and the role that it plays in pollinating commercial crops.
“Together all of the pollinators are responsible for every third bite we eat,” she said.
“Honey bees have thrived on this planet for 50 million years, but their numbers have sharply declined in the last eight.”
Ms Lansdell said while Australia was fortunate not to have the Varroa mite causing so many bee deaths around the world, many of the other causes of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) were present, and native bees were as much at risk as honey bees.
“We do need to be mindful we are destroying their habitat, and if we don’t make some changes, we could find ourselves in a similar situation,” she said.
Ms Lansdell’s workshop will demonstrate how to make gardens bee friendly so that native bees can thrive.
“All of the native bees in the South West are solitary – they don’t live in a hive or have a social structure,” she said.
“Looking after native bees in the back yard isn’t about producing honey, it’s about saving our biodiversity. Having them in the back yard is beneficial if you’re growing flowers, but also fresh produce.
“They’re simple creatures – all they need is shelter, food and water, and it’s really easy for us to provide that in our own small back yard farms or properties.”
Ms Lansdell said the nesting requirements of solitary bees were easy to replicate from recycled materials on a shoestring budget.
“As individuals, we can have a significant effect on the health of our environment and on the health of our bees, simply by creating gardens that have an ecological balance.”
Ms Lansdell’s workshop will cover what types of native bees local areas have, how to attract and care for them in native gardens and how to make homes for them, otherwise known as bee hotels.
“As a naturopath I like to encourage all of my clients to garden and connect with nature,” she said.
“When we garden we become more aware of how we are an integral part of our environment. I believe we cannot be truly healthy unless our ecosystems are healthy. Nurturing our garden and all of its inhabitants by creating a healthy balanced ecosystem in our backyards is an extension of nurturing ourselves.”
The workshop will be held on Sunday November 22 from 10am to 12pm in North Greenbushes. Call 0400 976 434 or email gtnaturopathy@bigpond.com to register.
