Dwarf Honey Bees At The AWRC

Here at the ACRES Wildlife Rescue Centre, we treat, care for, and rehabilitate all kinds of wild animals. From Iguanas to pythons, and civets to owls, the extent of our services knows no limits!!! We often attract many other forms wildlife too, who happen to be in the area. We often see paradise tree snakes and bronze backs slithering around our sanctuary, and of course we have plenty of frogs and geckos to keep us company in the evenings.

However, we have had a new addition to our family of wildlife friends here at the AWRC, or I should say a number of new additions. Spotted at the weekend, we noticed a colony of bees setting up camp in one of our trees.

Bees are crucial for the pollination of most flowering plant species, pollinating about one-sixth of the world’s flowering plant species and some 400 of its agricultural plants. The destructive effects of the varroa mite, loss of wild bee nesting habitat, low world honey prices, Africanization of bees and the use of pesticides are making conservation of wild bees more important than ever.

So we called our friends over at Edible Gardens (http://ediblegardencity.wordpress.com/) to see what they could do for our new housemates. Mr Thomas Lim came around to have a look and informed us that they were dwarf honey bees, found throughout South East Asia. Thomas told us that, due to their smaller size in comparison to other bees, the dwarf honey bees build smaller hives which will often be found in trees or small boxes, such as mail boxes.

Thomas got straight to work in setting up a new hive for them so that they can colonise in safety, without being disturbed by us loud humans, not to mention our other animal inhabitants.

A big thank you to Thomas for teaching us about yet another of Singapore�s native species, and to Edible Gardens for providing a new home for our friends.

Check out their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/EdibleGardenCityProject

Sources: http://www.new-ag.info/00-5/focuson/focuson8.html

Source: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151763199726523&set=a.10151763199491523.1073741855.22159071522&type=1&relevant_count=5

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ACRES

ACRES (Animal Concerns Research & Education Society) is a pioneering Singapore-based charity and Institution of Public Character, founded by Singaporeans in 2001 with the aim of promoting animal welfare.

ACRES has six focus areas: Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation, Wildlife Crime Investigation, Zoo Animal Welfare, Humane Education, Community Outreach and Promoting Cruelty-Free Living.

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