A brief history of Kangaroo Island’s Ligurian bee sanctuary Kangaroo Island’s status as an active Ligurian queen bee breeding sanctuary has oscillated between boom and bust repeatedly over the 125 years between its creation in 1885 and the present. It’s current demise appears to be the result of the and politically correct and ultra right “green” view that bees and National Parks should not mix.

1885 “a bill to encourage the culture of Ligurian bees”

H.E. Downer brought before the South Australian Parliament “a bill to encourage the culture of Ligurian bees at Kangaroo Island 1 so as to keep tho breed distinct from the black bees on the mainland.” Brisbane’s Queenslander for 3 October 1885 reported “A bill has just been passed by the South Australian Assembly named the Ligurian Bees Bill, which sets apart Kangaroo Island as a reserve for Ligurian bees, inasmuch as it makes it a penal offence for anyone to keep any other sort, the object being to enable the Ligurian strain to be kept pure from inter-mixture with the ordinary black bee. The distance from the main land of Kangaroo Island and its diversity of flora render it well suited for the purpose. Moreover, being situated within thirty days' sail of Italy, the voyage is a comparatively short one; and the danger of loss increases in compound ratio to every day of the journey exceeding one month. It is thought that if a pure strain is once established there the other Australian colonies and New Zealand will be able to draw their supplies thence.” (p.560)

August Fiebig, apiary operations 1885-1890

Little in print survives of the queen rearing operations of August Fiebig on Kangaroo Island during the 1880s. However, repetitious misinformation abounds on web pages which mention the history of Italian / Ligurian bees and Fiebig’s apiary operations on the island, which supposedly commenced in 1881. 2 In June 2010 I requested one site to correct their web page which mentions my name and which misinterpreted my investigations on Fiebig as presented in my Vol. II. 3

It is known that Fiebig arrived in South Australia in 1882 and by July 1886 he was a member of the South Australian Beekeepers’ Association. 4 A State Library of South Australia web page 5 states “The beginnings of an apiary by Mr Fiebig, with particular emphasis on the rearing of "Queen Bees", is reported in the Register, 23 November 1885, (p.5a)” The report’s content appears in my Vol.III “On Saturday the steamer Dolphin took some boxes containing several swarms of Ligurian bees for Kangaroo Island. The bees belong to Mr. Fiebig, who has taken up some land at Hog Bay, and has already sent over twenty-four swarms. He proposes to breed queens. At least two other web pages 6 provide the following unsourced statement: “In October 1885, August Fiebig began commercial queen breeding near Penneshaw, but ceased operating in 1890 due to geographical isolation and difficulty, in those days, accessing the Island.”

Fiebig produced his first batch of Ligurian queen bees for dispatch to customers soon after November 1887. L.T. Chambers’ 7 letter dated 6 November 1887, 8 Middle Brighton, [Melbourne, Vic.] appeared

1 The Melbourne Argus, 30 July 1885, page 6; 20 August 1885, page 7 2 The 1881 date for Fiebig’s commencement of operations is not correct, despite the presence of a plaque erected by the National Trust near Penneshaw, which reads “August Fiebig introduced Ligurian bees from Italy in 1881 and established an apiary here.” See my Vol. 2, p.1033 My thanks as they promptly added my corrective comments. See http://www.nativefoodandwine.com/features-journal/the-ligurian-bees-of-kangaroo-island.html4 See my Vol.3, p.955 http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/manning/pn/h/h5.htm6 http://www.tourkangarooisland.com.au/wildlife/p354.aspxhttp://nomadsreborn.smfforfree3.com/index.php?topic=716.07 A biography of Chambers appears in my Bibliography of Australian Beekeeping.8 A previous letter by Chambers to Gleanings (May 1888, p.388), was dated Adelaide, South Australia, 4 April 1887.

in Gleanings in Bee Culture, January 1888. “You will remember that, by a short act of parliament, the government of South Australia set apart Kangaroo Island as a spot for breeding Ligurians only. We are now about to reap the benefit of this, as one of our most experienced bee-masters, Mr. Fiebig, is now busy packing his first orders from there; and as he has had many years’ experience in Germany, as well as here, we are pretty sure of getting the best-bred bees procurable, at a medium price, to commence with.” (pp.52-54)

From Morris Morgan’s July 1970 historical series contribution to the Australasian Bee Keeper: “In 1887, Mr. L. T. Chambers … came to Victoria and became Manager of the Beekeepers’ Supply Co., 18 Franklin Street, Melbourne. ” (pp.26-27) “Chambers owned apiaries at Middle Brighton and Mansfield, the latter held 70 hives. He had raised and sold over 300 queens from imported mothers. During the season he had tested out thirty odd of Fiebig’s Kangaroo Island queens and found them very good, well marked, good layers, very gentle to handle and first rate workers.” (p.173)

1887 “It was a wise little bit of legislation”

In the Queenslander, 21 May 1887 “Kangaroo Island: The New Home of the Ligurian Bee. It was a wise little bit of legislation which the South Australian Government effected about two years ago in regard to beekeeping on Kangaroo Island. It was then made a law of the land that no bees other than pure Italians (Ligurians) should be introduced on to the island. The object aimed at is to establish a home for the Italian strain of bees in a locality where it will be impossible for the strain to get sullied, and upon Kangaroo Island there are no bees other than the minute species indigenous to Australasia, and which cannot mate with the larger species. The mating of the queen bee cannot be controlled by man … the copulative act only takes place in the air and there thus is always the chance of a misalliance. …

This black bee is widely dispersed over the whole of Australia, and is exceedingly plentiful, therefore it is apparent that no matter how careful the efforts of the beekeeper may be to keep his strain of Italians pure they may be frustrated. Kangaroo Island is situated at the south of Spencer's Gulf and about sixty miles from Adelaide. In length it is about 100 miles and in breadth about forty. Its nearest point is ten or twelve miles from the main land, and there are no black bees upon it. Now a distance of ten miles over the sea is one that no bee will fly. A bee seldom works more that two miles from its home, though they will go four and five miles by resting from flower to flower.

It is evident, therefore, that a better situated place for preserving any one breed in its purity could not have been chosen, even if the world had been looked over. Even in Italy the purity of the Ligurian strain cannot be universally guaranteed, for bee keepers there are now constantly experimenting with crosses of Cyprian, Syrian, Carniolian, etc. It is not unlikely, therefore, that Kangaroo Island will in time become the depot from which all the world's beekeepers obtain their pure Italian strain. This is the opinion of Mr. Rout, the American authority on apiculture, and he wrote, upon hearing of the dedication of the island to Ligurians, to Mr. Bonney, a South Australian beemaster, congratulating the colony upon this instance of forethought. We are sorry to note from a leading article of the Chronicle that the islanders have not yet realised how much has been done for them by this Ligurian Bee Act. As yet they have done but little to develop what might easily be made a most remunerative industry.

Those bees that have already been raised on the island, however , are superior to the imported bees in strength and fertility, for the long voyage from Italy in a confined space is always detrimental. That Queensland will prefer going to Kangaroo Island for her pure Italians in place of getting them from Italy is certain, for the colonial-born insect will not only be acclimatised but accustomed to be fed on the peculiar honey-secreting plants of Australia. The Queensland bush trees so swarm with bee nests that it will never be possible to produce a guaranteed strain unless some beeless island of our own is discovered and a similar legislative enactment to that of the South Australia Liguria Act be passed.” (p.832)

1888 “The most satisfactory place to get queens from”

The Queenslander, 24 November 1888 “… care should be taken to select good breeding queens — I would rather pay £1 or £1 5s. for a really well-bred queen than the same money for half a dozen inferior ones. The most satisfactory place to get queens from now is Kangaroo Island. The South Australian Government have arranged that no black bees shall be kept on the island, so that there can be no possible chance of getting a hybrid queen by mistake.” (p.960)

1907 “The bees which have been imported into South Australia …”

The Adelaide Advertiser, 24 December 1907 “South Australia ... seems to be a 'Beekeepers' paradise,' and large quantities of honey are being sent to London at comparatively cheap prices - 6d. to 8d. per lb. The bees which have been imported into South Australia, gather their honey principally from the flowers of the gum trees ...” (p.6)

1912 “Recently a reserve was proclaimed … it is proposed to name Flinders Chase”

In the Adelaide Advertiser, 25 November 1912 an article on Bird Protection in South Australia was printed. “Recently a reserve was proclaimed at the extreme western end of Kangaroo Island, known as the Cape Borda lighthouse reserve, but which it is proposed to name Flinders Chase, in honor of the navigator, who landed on Kangaroo Island. It is hoped that eventually a larger area will be granted. The lead in securing this reserve was taken by the native fauna and flora protection committee. The South Australian Ornithological Association also assisted. …” (p.11)

1914 “a bee farm was established … but it failed”

An article on apiculture in the Sydney Morning Herald, 25 April 1914, reported on a recent deputation of beekeepers to the NSW Minister for Agriculture. One item was the proposal “that the department should raise queens for disposal to beekeepers, and that they should be of superior stock. This was tried in South Australia, where a bee farm was established for that purpose on Kangaroo Island, but it failed. 9 Then the Western Australian Government tried the same, 10 and that also failed.” (p.10)

1923-24 “Its former role as a bee sanctuary apparently forgotten”

In the Melbourne Argus, 29 August 1923 “Several suggestions for improvement in the beekeeping industry were put before the Assistant Minister for Agriculture (Mr. Pennington) yesterday by a deputation representing Victorian apiarists.” (p.11) Among these was assistance “in establishing a colony of Italian bees on Groote Island, in the Gulf of

9 Why did this venture fail? Possibilities include: lack of Government funding and support; lack of sales; poor promotion; inability of a bureaucracy to successfully run a business.10 I don’t know when and where in WA this experiment was tried.

Carpentaria. It was the only place in Australia where there were no bees and importation elsewhere in Australia was prohibited.”

On 7 May 1924 the Sydney Morning Herald reported on the opening of the annual conference “of the Ministers for Agriculture ... When the various advisory committees left to commence their deliberations, conference discussed several resolutions submitted by the recent annual conference of the New South Wales Apiarists' Association, at Bathurst. 11 It was decided to approve in principle … resolutions asking for the maintenance of the present prohibition of the introduction of bees, used hives, combs, etc.; the importation under special regulations of pure-bred Italian queen bees for the regeneration of Australian stocks, the proclaiming of Groote Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria, as a sanctuary for Italian bees, and that no exploitation of bees on that island be allowed for at least 10 years, unless by a holder of a permit from the Federal Government. ... It was also suggested that Nauru Island should in addition be made a bee sanctuary.” (p.11) 12 Kangaroo Island’s former role as a bee sanctuary apparently forgotten, no mention of it was made. The establishment of a bee sanctuary on Groote Island appears to have been successful 13 as shown by Government notice no. 230 for 1924 as follows:

Government notice in the Northern Territory Times and Gazette, 26 September 1924 (p.6)

1944 “It is planned to keep Kangaroo Island as a reserve for breeding these bees”

In the Hobart Mercury, 1 November 1944, in an article on the value of honey as a food “Italian bees have proved the best strain for Australia. … One of the finest strains of bees - the Ligurian - was sent to Kangaroo Island off South Australia, many years ago. It is the only place in the Commonwealth where this strain is absolutely pure. It is planned to keep Kangaroo Island as a reserve for breeding these bees.” (p.14) A Hog Bay Kangaroo Island web page 14 states “The South Australian Government established a queen breeding station at Flinders Chase in 1944 which became known as the Bee Farm, here queen bees and honey were produced for sale.”

11 See the Sydney Morning Herald, 5 May 1924 (p.7) 12 Also appeared in the Hobart Mercury, 7 May 1924, page 8; similar articles would also have appeared in other State’s newspapers.13 Ongoing research has revealed that the bees taken to Groote Eylandt in 1921 and 1925 by Rev. Alf Dyer failed to reach the island. That story is told in The Immigrant Bees, Vol. V14 users.on.net/~hogbay/hogbay2.htm

1949

In the Melbourne Argus, 23 September 1949 “One of the hives on exhibition [at the Melbourne Agricultural Show] houses wild bees from Kangaroo Island, descendants of bees brought there by old pioneer apiarists from Liguria, Italy, 75 years ago. Forgotten there for decades, their great productivity and docility were recently observed by the South Australian Government, which is now scientifically cultivating the breed.” (p.7)

A 1951 view of the Government Apiary at Flinder's ChaseSource: State Library of South Australia

1958 “the hives were sold shortly thereafter to Island apiarists”

The Hog Bay Kangaroo Island web page states “The bush fires that ravaged the Chase in 1958 temporarily destroyed the floral sources and the hives were sold shortly thereafter to Island apiarists who continue to produce excellent honeys from the flowering eucalypts and other flora.”

1999 “These sites are no longer in use and lapsed leases have not been renewed”

A 1999 report 15 by the South Australian Department for Environment, Heritage and Aboriginal Affairs, on wilderness management plans for various areas including Kangaroo Island, states “Since introduction, Ligurian bees have established naturalised colonies throughout the island, principally in or near naturally vegetated sites. Their disease-free status has been protected since 1993 by a Government embargo on all bee goods coming into Kangaroo Island. Historically, several sites within Flinders Chase National Park were utilized as Government bee farms and later were leased to apiarists. These sites are no longer in use and lapsed leases have not been renewed despite the international importance of Ligurian bees and the local demand for sites.” (p.28)

“The naturalisation of bees on the island has had an impact on wildlife. To argue that they compete for a food resource with native animals, including insects, is as yet unproven or at least little understood. However, their preference for establishing colonies in the hollow limbs of aged trees brings them into direct competition with several species and in particular the endangered glossy black cockatoo. For this reason, Kangaroo Island Beekeepers Association is working in conjunction with the Glossy Black Rescue Team in a 10 year project to trap feral bee swarms in nesting areas of the glossy black cockatoo. Efforts should continue to be made to eradicate feral breeding colonies of honey bees and to prevent the establishment of new feral colonies wherever possible.” (p.29)

15 environment.sa.gov.au/parks/pdfs/PARKS_PDFS_KI_MISC_MP.PDF

2007 “the Government Bee Farm did valuable work, Island apiarists are continuing this”

From the “Submission from the Kangaroo Island Beekeepers Association to the House of Representatives Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry Committee inquiring into The Future Development of the Australian Honeybee Industry" 16 - “This sanctuary was originally created due to the foresight of early South Australian Parliaments and has been maintained through the efforts of subsequent government authorities, Island beekeepers, and residents and tourists who appreciate the value of conservation of the genetic resource for future generations, both for agriculture and apiarists worldwide. Queen breeding has always been a potential for increased value and the Bee Farm conducted by the South Australian Government did valuable work in encouraging out-breeding to improve the genetic viability. Subsequent Island apiarists are continuing this work.” (p.3)

“The South Australian Government has declared an embargo on all bee goods and second hand bee equipment being brought to the Island, in support of the Ligurian bee sanctuary. However funding has been extremely limited and publication of the embargo and the reasons for enforcing this has been left to the Island beekeepers and other agricultural organizations.” (p.5)

The following quotations were provided in support of the island as a bee sanctuary:

"The pure race of gentle Ligurian honey bees of Kangaroo Island must be preserved and used for research for the benefit of beekeepers throughout the world. The continuing development of agriculture reduces beekeeping opportunities and quiet bees are essential to work with in rapidly changing and reducing areas of natural native vegetation." (Eckert J.R. 1959 The Kangaroo Island Ligurian bees. Gleanings in Bee Culture 86; 660-663, 722-725.)

"This is a unique sanctuary of pure strain, Apis mellifera ligustica, and these bees are of extraordinary value for scientific research, and for practical beekeeping and no effort must be spared to protect and preserve the world's only remaining and pure strain honey bee colony on Kangaroo Island" (Woyke, J. 1976 Population genetic studies on sex alleles in the honey bee using the example of the Kangaroo Island bee sanctuary. Journal of Apicultural Research 15 (3/4): 105-123)

"They will become of high value for breeding and genetic work and a priceless asset in the international field of apiculture. Thus the act of 1885 was an amazing and wise legislation far ahead of its time and it is only now being recognized in its full meaning and significance." (Ruttner, F. 1976 Isolated populations of honey bees in Australia Journal of Apicultural Research 15 (3/4): 97-104)

The following statement I find simply amazing given it was made 122 years after the establishment of the island as a Ligurian bee sanctuary: “The potential for exports of queen bees from an area certified free of the major bee diseases is immense. Discussions have taken place with United States apiarists and potential markets are being explored. Queen bee breeding as a major apiary resource for Kangaroo Island is still in its infancy and depends upon support for the protection of the Ligurian bee sanctuary and the disease free status.” (p.6)

“Should this bee sanctuary be breached by failure to provide funding for adequate enforcement of quarantine protocols, the genetic heritage is in danger of being lost for all time. This would be a tragedy for the apiary industry worldwide, for agriculture and for conservation of the genetic resource of Apis mellifera ligustica.” (p.8)

16 aph.gov.au/house/committee/pir/honeybee/subs/sub077.pdf

Hog Bay Apiary, 2010

“Ligurian bees thrive in the mild Kangaroo Island climate with ample nectar and pollen sources. 17  A Government queen breeding project known as the Bee Farm commenced operations by hiving 300 colonies from tree hollows and burrows in Flinders Chase National Park. Mating hives were transported to separate areas to ensure an unrelated drone population for mating with the queen. To avoid bees from occupying tree hollows to the exclusion of Australian birds, particularly some rare species existing only on Kangaroo Island, the Island beekeepers are conducting a trapping program to attract and remove swarms from National Parks and other areas. The program is expected to yield valuable data on the fluctuation in population of the naturalized Ligurian bee.

 Beekeepers have also been able to advise on suitable material for artificial nest boxes which will not attract bee swarms. 18 There are specialist queen breeders on Kangaroo Island producing pure mated Ligurian queens for sale in Australia and for export. We breed replacement queens from our top producing hives but in order to maintain genetic diversity we also purchase queens from one of the specialist breeders. Breeding of queen bees for export has been conducted for many years on Kangaroo Island. However Hog Bay Apiary is fully occupied with honey production and we only breed queen bees for our own hives.”

17 This section captured from http://www.users.on.net/~hogbay/hogbay3.htm18 This section captured from http://www.users.on.net/~hogbay/hogbay12.htm