Bee Yourself

30/10/2025

12/09/2025

Happy weekend folks.

The Hive Architect is a short documentary about honey bee conservationist Matt Somerville and the log hives he builds to house w

11/09/2025

📢 Brisbane folk with little kiddies!

I absolutely LOVE Jo!

Over the past 13 years I’ve been in and out of daycares/kindys/school’s etc with my bees spreading love and awareness…and the good ones absolutely stand apart!

Jo is one of those-incredible human, doing incredible work-she 100% walks the talk.

I very much recommend taking your little ones along to her forest Bush Knowing Forest School 👏

31/08/2025

Some insights into the quality and chemical diversity of Australian stingless bee propolis

Quality assessment and chemical diversity of Australian propolis from Tetragonula carbonaria and Tetragonula hockingsi stingless bees.

Project completed by Damon Woods, Dr. Trong Tran and other collaborators

Propolis is made from various plant resins collected from flora surrounding the hive. It is used to reinforce the hive structure and acts as a sterilising agent, helping to maintain bee health.

The biological activity of propolis stems from the organic chemical compounds present in the plant resins collected by bees. These compounds are primarily polyphenols and terpenoids. Globally, the standard for assessing propolis quality is based largely on its polyphenol content and antioxidant activity. Due to the limited knowledge of Australian stingless bee propolis, this study investigated the quality and chemical diversity of propolis produced by two stingless bee species along the east coast of Australia including Tetragonula carbonaria and Tetragonula hockingsi.

The study found that propolis sourced from Australian stingless bees across the east coast was chemically diverse and displayed nine distinct chemical profiles. The researchers also found that Australian stingless bee propolis contained more polyphenolic content than some species of stingless bees from Brazil, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand. Additionally, the researchers discovered that propolis collected from the north of Australia was of higher quality than propolis collected from the south of Australia (Figure 1 and 2) with northern propolis boasting higher polyphenol content as well as higher antioxidant activity.

This research offers scientific evidence that Australian stingless bee propolis is both high in quality and chemical diversity, underlining its potential as a commercially valuable natural product.

28/08/2025

Brilliant research, well done! Fascinating to know.

A study led by Dr Kenya Fernandes from the University of Sydney has now demonstrated the remarkable antimicrobial properties of honey produced by three species of native Australian stingless bees: Tetragonula carbonaria, Tetragonula hockingsi, and Austroplebeia australis.

The new research reveals stingless bee honey possesses antimicrobial properties that remain effective even after heat treatment and long-term storage. These distinctive features set it apart from honey from honeybees, highlighting its potential as a sustainable, natural agent for combating drug-resistant infections.

Dr Fernandes said: “Manuka honey from honeybees displays strong non-peroxide antimicrobial activity, which is one reason why its production has been a commercial success. However, that is largely reliant on the source of its nectar from specific myrtle plants (Leptospermum).

“In contrast, the persistent antimicrobial activity of heattreated, non-peroxide honey from stingless Australian bees across diverse locations and nectar sources suggests there is something special about these bees, rather than just nectar, that plays a critical role here.”

Co-author Professor Dee Carter said: “We discovered the antimicrobial activity is consistent across all sugarbag samples tested, unlike honeybee honey, which can vary significantly based on seasonal changes and floral sources.” However, challenges remain concerning scalability. Each stingless beehive produces about half a litre of honey a year, presenting a challenge for large-scale production.

03/08/2025

If you feel helpless like I do, but want to do SOMETHING, consider donating to help get period care to the people of Gaza. Hygiene is a human right.

On our way!! successfully sent 8000 menstrual car… DIYALA ABDLRASUL needs your support for Menstrual Care Kits for Women and Girls in Gaza