Hidden in the picturesque Nambucca Valley NSW is a macadamia farm run by Peter and his son Tim. Tim was away working on the day Tim Heard and I dropped in but Peter was very enthusiastic to give us a tour of the 3000 tree, 75 acre farm.

Peter bought his first stingless bee colonies from Tim Heard many years ago to help with pollination of the trees and they have slowly built the numbers to around 50 hives. The species used here Tetragonula carbonaria as they’re natural to the region and do quite well.

The natural bushland intentionally left on the property helps to provide pathways around and in between crop plantations for the benefit of wildlife and pollinators which give increased pollination of crops and better yields.

The hives are placed along the edge of the natural bushland areas that surround the macadamia trees. This gives the bees easy access to the trees while keeping them out of the way of any spraying and harvesting. The hives are far enough away from the trees so they aren’t at any risk from the sprays used.

Peter showed us a large tree that use to house a European Honey Bee colony which has since left and now contains a very busy stingless bee colony. It’s good to see the stingless bees being able to naturally populate in the area.

Contact:

Tim Heard – Sugarbag Bees – website https://sugarbag.net