LIFESTYLE
Busy bees are bloomin’ beautiful HALCYON GREENS HOMEOWNER FAY SINCLAIR IS ABUZZ AS THE COMMUNITY’S RESIDENT BEEKEEPER
Fay Sinclair, Halcyon Greens
he population of T Halcyon Greens has swarmed, thanks to the addition of a few
thousand new residents. Avid gardener Fay Sinclair has introduced a hive of 2,000 native bees to the Pimpama lifestyle community to swell the population of these important pollinators.
Fay approached Halcyon to apply for the Gold Coast City Council Local Residents Bee Scheme, an initiative to boost the native bee population with $250 grants for hive and maintenance costs for properties larger than 1,200sqm. While native stingless bees are not known as prolific honey
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producers, the Tetragonula Carbonaria species at Halcyon Greens is common to South East Queensland and plays a key role in the pollination of Australian flora. With a flight range of up to 500m from the two-tier hive, Fay said the native bees will help to pollinate Halcyon Greens’ fruit orchards, rose gardens and raised garden beds as well as homeowners’ gardens. However, there’s no need for the full apiarist suit – Fay said the little black bees are social by nature and low-maintenance, requiring only a shaded, elevated hive with an easterly aspect and water access to keep them happy and buzzing since their arrival in mid-November 2020.
Native bees busy at work
“They look after themselves and don’t sting or annoy people, which is great,” Fay said. “I check on them daily and love to watch them buzzing in and out of the hive. If you stand there long enough, you can see the little bees return with balls of pollen, which makes their back legs look huge. They’re fascinating to watch as they go about their bee business.”
