Co-founder and trustee of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust of New Zealand, Geoff Brunsden is launching an initiative to conserve and enhance the number of bumble bee species we have in New Zealand.

He talks about the plight of the bumblebee in a podcast on BuzzWorthy. Check it out here or click on the link at the bottom of the story.

Of the four species found in New Zealand, one is in decline.

All New Zealand's bumblebees are exotic and were imported from the UK during colonisation times, and they aren't in any way a threat to our honey or native bees.

Geoff started the Bumblebee Conservation Trust of New Zealand, with co-trustee Helen Johnson.

It has now been running nationally for seven years and survives with funding and sponsorship.

'The bumblebee is one representative of our pollinator insects, and in a country like New Zealand pollinator insects are critical to the survival of our agricultural and horticultural industries,” says Geoff.

The bumblebee is a full-on pollinator working to preserve its own species and population and produces a little honey, whereas the honeybee is out there to do a job of producing honey.

Bumblebees are the perfect pollinator agents to grow, enhance and increase production of our crops as they work from dawn to dusk, rain or shine. Bee friendly flowers are ones rich in nectar and pollen.

If it's any plant that flowers then it's pretty much a resource for pollinator insects with the bumblebee in many cases leading the queue.

Geoff first started his interest in bumblebees in the 1970s when he and his wife moved to Te Puke with a vision of turning a derelict apple orchard into a tourist garden full of flowers.
'The journey of experimenting with lots of species of flowers, plants and wildflowers, led us to connect the importance of food to pollinator insects, particularly the bumblebee.”

Bumblebees live around six to eight weeks and tolerate colder temperatures than a honeybee, and can pollinate up to 800 flowers per hour, going to around one kilometre from their underground hive, and carrying 90 percent of its own bodyweight in pollen.

Hives are put in commercial greenhouses to carry out pollination of crops such as tomatoes. Some growers report bumblebee pollination can increase their production by up to 30 percent.

This got Geoff thinking about normal everyday people having hives in their own gardens.

A working beehive on Geoff's Pyes Pa property.

The bees would need a food source, and even a couple of square metres sown with wildflowers is a start. If surrounding gardens also have flowering trees, vegetables and wildflowers, a hive could service several gardens.

'Just imagine a small box of live bumblebees arriving on your doorstep via overnight courier. The whole family can watch the comings and goings of bumblebees and get to understand them.

'It would be a great Christmas present. The bees will return the next season if food was plentiful for them.”

Geoff says the Trust already has attracted some great sponsors on board to help get the word out about the Home Garden hives.

They include local Chloe Wright, food celebrity Al Brown, and hive producer Zonda Beneficials.

Bumblebees are very passive and safe to have around .They will only sting as a last resort if they or their colony is under threat.

In November 2022, the Trust is launching a national free supply live hive project to destinations where lots of people can see and bumblebee hive at work. Emphasis will be on schools, community and retirement village gardens - anywhere where their fantastic work can be seen by many.

In the meantime, you can help save our bumblebees.

If you find a stranded or sleepy bumblebee, you can help boost her energy levels with a simple sugar-water mix of equal parts sugar and warm water poured onto a container lid.

Place the bee and the artificial nectar near to some flowers, and hopefully the precious bee will be revived and on its busy way again soon.