This is the 29th in an ongoing series that highlights the riches of Pigeon Valley, the urban nature reserve in the heart of Glenwood. The focus of this article will be on Bees.
One day I went into a section of bush to look for alien plants. As I stood on a log, I noticed vaguely how many flies were around me. At that moment, things changed. The log collapsed, I realised that the flies were bees and that they were nesting in the log, and I shot off at speed, being pursued by bees, two of which stung me.
When people ask me about the dangers of Pigeon Valley, my order is usually, bees, humans, thorns and then snakes. My worst moment in the area of the reserve was when I saw a body in a body bag on the sidewalk across from Pigeon Valley. The unfortunate man had indeed been stung by bees. However, in reality they were not from the reserve, but from a bee-hive in the area that had been disturbed.
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The bees in the reserve nest typically in one of the many hollows of the Thorny Elm, Chaetacme aristata. The trees grows in a gnarled way, creating odd bumps and holes. Recent research has shown that such trees benefit from the nutrition provided by inhabitants of such hollows, such as the droppings of mammals. Bees’ nests can in turn attract Lesser or Scaly-throated Honeyguides who want access to the wax and honey cells, but that is another story.
When I see the bees swarming on a hot day, they are in impressive sight, and of course I don’t get in the way. Bees seldom attack unless they are threatened, and like my friendly neighbour in Pigeon Valley, the Black Mamba, we just note each other and move on. My concern is much greater that bees are being threatened by the many poisons that are being distributed by humans in the name of best agricultural practice, or weed control. The other major threat in our area is destruction of their habitat. It is not only that bees play a crucial role in the pollination of so many plant species, some of whom have major economic value; it is also that we are trashing the environment in which we and they evolved.
Crispin Hemson chairs the Friends of Pigeon Valley, a group that undertakes clearing of alien plants, keeps records of bird and mammal sightings and alerts management to any problems.
The Friends have a monthly walk at 7.30am on the second Saturday of each month. Email: friendsofpigeonvalley1@gmail.com.
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