Monthly event of the Australian Native Bee Association

Sun 15^th November 

All are welcome to attend in person at Bulimba Community Centre, 1 Barramul St, Bulimba, Brisbane. Free for members, $5 for non-members.

ANBA members can also attend online, a link to join will be sent by email approximately 1-2 days prior to the event.

We will then hear from Dr Kenya Fernandes on the topic:

Friends and foes: how stingless bees manage their microbial world

Abstract: Like all of us, native bees live in a microbial world. In this talk, I will explore the relationship between native bees and microbes through two stories. The first story focuses on the antimicrobial activity of stingless bee honey and hive products. Our analysis of 48 honeys from three Australian species showed that all were remarkably antimicrobial, particularly against microbes that cause skin infections. They produced hydrogen peroxide for days rather than hours, were chemically distinct from European honey bee honey, and remained active after 18 years of storage. The second story focuses on the microbial partners that live alongside the bees, particularly fungi. Despite the antimicrobial environment of the nest, stingless bees host stable fungal communities in their brood food and pollen stores. I will discuss our current research into which fungi bees keep, why they keep them, and what these relationships mean for bee health and conservation.