"What on earth is this Buzz Bunka thing?"
Well... to answer that, we first need to go back...
Way back....
Well, not too far though... just a few years.
At the time, I had just set up my first hive of stingless native Australian bees (Tetragonula Carbonaria) and was keen to gain as much insight as I could to this new world.
I soon found myself at a seminar on Australian Native Bees... and this is where I guess you could say my eyes were opened to a native species of bee "Amegilla Cingulata" commonly referred to as the "Blue Banded Bee". The Blue Banded bee is a solitary bee, with the females creating a tunnel style nest in soft clay, compacted earth or cracks in sandstone.
Not only do these bees have a passion for dirt homes, they posses a unique form of pollination known as "Buzz Pollination". And this form of pollination is highly desired for bio-diversity, farmers seeking to pollinate specific commercial crops and domestic gardeners.
Although research had been done on these solitary bees, there was still some issues that were hi-lighted as needing to be resolved... mainly in the ability to easily manage the clay housing requirements of the nesting areas of the Blue Banded Bee. This is where my creative side went into hyperdrive... and ideas started brewing... Imagine the potential of a modular structure that was not only practical and functional, but looked good in a garden as well!!!
Living in Western Sydney, the climate is flows in extremes. Our winters are cold and frosty... whilst the summers are dry with frequent temps in the 40's! It was during these such heatwaves that both my first and second hives of stingless bees failed. As I walked out into my garden the very day I had lost my second hive to the scorching heat... I heard what was best described as a miniature helicopter sound... I looked around, fearing a wasp was coming for me... the loud buzzing only got louder and louder... I soon zeroed in on the source! there, right in front of me... like a mesmerising jewel hovering above a flower...a large bee... striped black and blue...
I was in a trance... following this bee around in the blistering heat. Unlike the small stingless bee colony I had just lost... It was almost like this bee loved the climate! It darted back and forth, hovering near flowers, scouting out the perfect place to grab some nectar and pollen...
It was right at that moment that I decided to get serious about solving those issues faced when looking to house the mighty Blue Banded Bee!
And after many months of trial, error, design and re-design... the the first Buzz Bunka began to emerge!
The journey is far from over... and it is my hope that someday, these mighty Blue Banded Bees will be seen as the awesome pollinators that they are... with Buzz Bunka's commonly used in both commercial pollination and home gardens!
