Do you remember the story of the French bees from the town of Ribeauville?
Back in 2012 they got stuck into waste shells from coloured M&M’s (yes, the chocolates!) that were being processed at a nearby biogas factory. The bees’ quick sugar fix turned their honey all shades of weird including blue and green, as you can see in the photo from National Geographic here.
But the photo you can see with our post here, was taken this week, and is of some stunning coloured, all-natural pollen that our bees have been collecting from ground flora, different weeds and shrubs. The heavy rains of the past months have actually (in the end!) been beneficial for many plants and trees across NSW as they are no longer severely stressed, in survival mode or outright dying. That means they can put on this stunning pollen buffet.
Having access to this wide variety of pollen now means the bees will winter healthier in a healthier landscape. Not all pollens are equal, so a varied diet makes up for any lacking elements they’d find if they were restricted to one available pollen source such as can happen in a monoculture.
Here’s to happy bees this winter, and some more stunning pure Australian honey harvests coming your way soon!