The Controversial Bee in Australia
The bumble bee is a member of the genus Bombas. This group are found primarily in higher altitudes or latitudes in the northern hemisphere, but also in South America.
However, in Australia, this group is seen as less than humble by some. The European bumble bee (Bombus terrestris) was introduced to Tasmania in 1992. While some sources believe this was an accident, others believe the bees were introduced deliberately.
It is highly likely that one or a few bumblebee queens had made it to Tasmania by boat from New Zealand, where they persist in successful, long-term, feral populations. The Battery Point bees could have arrived as either accidental stowaways, or as a deliberate and illegal introduction by an unknown offender?
Since that time, the species have spread across the island, with a study in 2006 showing the species had spread from the sea to the island’s highest peak, Mount Ossa. This raises the debate, what would happen if the European bumble bee spread to the rest of Australia?
The introduced Tasmanian bumble bee has raised strong debate around issues of biosecurity and the benefits of an exotic species helping out horticulturalists with the pollination of local crops.
The Controversial Bee in Australia
The bumble bee is a member of the genus Bombas. This group are found primarily in higher altitudes or latitudes in the northern hemisphere, but also in South America.
However, in Australia, this group is seen as less than humble by some. The European bumble bee (Bombus terrestris) was introduced to Tasmania in 1992. While some sources believe this was an accident, others believe the bees were introduced deliberately.
It is highly likely that one or a few bumblebee queens had made it to Tasmania by boat from New Zealand, where they persist in successful, long-term, feral populations. The Battery Point bees could have arrived as either accidental stowaways, or as a deliberate and illegal introduction by an unknown offender?
Since that time, the species have spread across the island, with a study in 2006 showing the species had spread from the sea to the island’s highest peak, Mount Ossa. This raises the debate, what would happen if the European bumble bee spread to the rest of Australia?
The introduced Tasmanian bumble bee has raised strong debate around issues of biosecurity and the benefits of an exotic species helping out horticulturalists with the pollination of local crops.