Australian native bees and wasps are the tiny mystery helpers in our garden. There are over 1,500 varieties of native bees throughout Australia, and they can be black, yellow, red, metallic green or even black with blue polka dots! Some are fat and furry, while others are sleek and shiny. The largest is the Great Carpenter Bee at 24mm long, while the smallest is Cape York's Quasihesma at a tiny 2mm long - not much bigger than a pin head! Native bees are more fragile than the introduced European honey bee and have unfortunately suffered greatly from urban deforestation, considering they raise their young in tiny hollows in timber. But now the Biome Bee House can help!
Biome Bee House
The beautifully crafted Biome Bee House has been handmade locally in Brisbane by talented craftsman, Trent Cooper. Each bee house has been constructed from rescued native timber from around Brisbane and weed bamboo collected from Brisbane's creeks. They have been coated with a water based varnish, which emits no odour and is environmentally friendly. Each bee house also comes with a card that has been beautifully illustrated by Brisbane artist, Ingrid Bartkowiak with information about caring for your new bee residents. Shaped like a little house with lots of intriguing nooks and crannies, the Biome Bee House measures approximately 20cm high x 15cm deep. No two are the same, with different cuts of timber used, and a range of bamboo sizes. The time and love gone into constructing each one, along with the accompanying card, is incredible.
How to attract native bees to your garden
You can help to attract native bees by adding lots of bee friendly plants to your garden. Native bees are particularly fond of Abelia, Angophora, Native lilacs, Rosemary and Butterfly bush, Buddleja davdii, Callistemon, Eucalyptus, Grevillia hybrids, Leptospermum (tea tree), Melaleuca and Westringia. And yes, a lot of these plants have blue, purple and white blooms. Adding a shallow rock pool will keep your native bee guests refreshed, and the rocks will give them somewhere to rest between drinks. Providing a stable, safe, non-toxic environment for native bees to establish their home in your garden is also important, so they will love to call the Biome Bee House home. Position your Biome Bee House in a sheltered spot, away from harsh rain or winds, but not obscured by foliage. We also recommend hanging it against a wall or tree to keep it still. We think the Biome Bee House will make for a lovely addition to any garden, and a particularly wonderful gift.
Biome acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation (Burwood), Bundjalung, Yugambeh and Koombumerrii people (Southport), and Yuggera and Turrbul people (Meanjin / Brisbane) as the traditional owners and custodians of the land that we work on. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.
MEET OUR BIOME AMBASSADORS ~ sharing ideas and inspiration to help us all live more sustainably on our precious planet home ~
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Australian native bees and wasps are the tiny mystery helpers in our garden. There are over 1,500 varieties of native bees throughout Australia, and they can be black, yellow, red, metallic green or even black with blue polka dots! Some are fat and furry, while others are sleek and shiny. The largest is the Great Carpenter Bee at 24mm long, while the smallest is Cape York's Quasihesma at a tiny 2mm long - not much bigger than a pin head! Native bees are more fragile than the introduced European honey bee and have unfortunately suffered greatly from urban deforestation, considering they raise their young in tiny hollows in timber. But now the Biome Bee House can help!
