The Coffs Harbour branch meeting on Sunday the 21st of January was hosted by branch representative Elaine Bean. There was a great turn up of old and new faces, sharing insights of their native beekeeping journey. It was a hot summer’s day and we were looked after with refreshing drinks and delicious afternoon tea. Elaine shared an up-date on the installation of a Tetragonula carbonaria hive that took place between Christmas and New Years at the Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary as part of the Coffs Harbour branches ‘Host a hive’ program. In the meantime, we have received an update from member James Orr that the bees are doing great in their new spot.
Elaine showed us the hive designs of her Tetragonula carbonaria hives, two of which were split in early December. During the split, Elaine found 170g of Cadaghi (Corymbia torelliana) seeds at the back of the bottom box. She has now placed coconut coir at the hive entrance in an attempt to reduce the amount of Cadaghi seeds entering the hive. A look inside one of the hives showed that the bees are performing well. We also had a look at Elaine’s developing garden consisting of veggies and flower plantings to provide resources for the bees. We found several native bees, such as Lasioglossum sp., foraging on Oregano and Thyme flowers.
During the meeting, we discussed the opportunity to showcase native bees at the Coffs Harbour Show on the 27th & 28th of April to raise awareness of these powerful pollinators. Members expressed their interest in helping on the day, and we are planning to reach out to members soon to see who would be able to attend or provide mate-rials for showcasing.
From Lena Alice Schmidt
Coffs Harbour ANBA – 2nd native bee hive installation
On Friday 29th December the Coffs Harbour Branch installed a native bee hive at the Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary as part of their ‘Host a Hive’ program. This is the second hive installed by the Branch, the first is located in the Regional Botanical Gardens. The species of these native bees is Tetragonula Carbonaria. The aim of this program is to increase awareness of these fascinating native pollinators in community and edu-cational settings on the Mid North Coast.
The hive was placed into position by Tiga Cross, owner and Managing Director of Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary, and Elaine Bean, Chairperson of ANBA Coffs Harbour branch. It is safely housed in a security cage from local custom metal fabrication expert Jason Atkinson of Acko Kustoms. The unique stand was handcrafted from a single log by Rob Reid, of the maintenance team at the Sanctuary.
The hive is located in the sustainability garden at the Sanctuary, providing visitors the opportunity to sit and enjoy these tiny insects. It will be monitored and maintained by ANBA. Despite their small size, these little pollinators are essential for diversity and supporting our ecosystem.
The Coffs Harbour branch is thrilled to be associated with the CCWS. The passion and enthusiasm shown by Tiga for the environment and it’s creatures, no matter what their size, is inspirational. We look forward to a long and beneficial relationship.
