A Bee Haven

A great friend to the local bees and other insects, this inventive food gardener uses permaculture principles along with his own unique methods.

- Sandra Tuszynska

Danny and his wife Carolyn have lived near Murgon in south-east Queensland for 15 years. Both have a passion for art; while Carolyn loves to draw and paint, Danny creates installations for the garden using recycled materials. He especially loves to collect old electricity post insulators and install them as garden decor.

Danny feels sentimental about burning the old timber. “It’s too sad to burn history,” he says. He’s fascinated by the antique ceramic insulators and says the workmanship in them is incredible. “They look as good as new — I wish I looked as good at 60 years old,” he jokes.

FOR THE LOVE OF BEES

Danny hesitates to admit that bees are his passion, but he’s a dedicated member of Valley Bees, a very active and knowledgeable bee group based in Gympie. He hosts seven honeybee hives for a friend and rescues native bee hives. Danny finds out about selective clearing events and goes there beforehand to inspect the site for native bee activity. He then removes any logs inhabited by the tiny creatures and takes them home.

Danny doesn’t collect their honey; he just loves them and likes to use their log homes as installations for his garden. He estimates that around 10 resued colonies now have their homes on his property.

“You need to know when to rescue them,” he explains. “They increase their activity when it’s hot. Water is essential for bees and they’re sensitive to disturbance. Also, if you leave space for them in the log, the hive will grow. We have about 10 species of native social bees in the genera Tetragonula and Austroplebeia.”

Danny has also created several bee blocks for solitary native bees on old electricity poles with insulators. He has also built a bee wall near his gardens to provide a nesting habitat for the myriad solitary bees that live in the area.