Perhaps the main reason I keep providing tours of the house is the information, energy, questions and pleasure I obtain from meeting those who visit.  Here’s a follow up question I’ve received from last Saturday’s tour:

Hi Michael,

Thank you for your tour yesterday. We got a lot out of it and have already recommended it to friends who will hopefully attend your next tour on the 26th May.

We live in a unit complex in Maroubra so urban farming prospects are limited, however I was thinking we could perhaps keep native stingless bees. Could you please tell me where you purchased them? I’m wondering if we could keep them on a north facing balcony?

Kind regards,

Ben and Claire Burdett

Answers:

• I purchased the bees a few years ago from Tim Heard in Brisbane who posted them down by Australia Post:  to order yours go to Tim’s website -

sugarbag.net…

• Native bees die at temperatures above 35 degrees or more so choose a site which is:  facing north, preferably dappled or partly shaded from the summer sun, fully protected from the western sun, one where you know you won’t be knocking the hive or moving it – it can’t be moved once in place.  I put a hive on a balcony of a terrace in Darlington about 15 months ago, hard against the western wall and facing north and set right back against the terrace wall and the little critters seem fine. I have just put a polystyrene cover over my hive at my place to protect them from the winter cold.  They won’t come out at temperatures below 18 degrees.

Ben is a builder and it’s great to see interest from builders – we need all builders who want to go sustainable: check out his website (Ben didn’t ask for this publicity, by the way, I’ve just given it voluntarily to show my appreciation for his interest) -

www.burdettconstrutions.com….au

And, do native bees have knees?

The best way is to go looking for them – to discover for yourself.  Not telling,

May the curiousity be with you,

M