The first honeybees arrived from England in 1822, aboard a ship called the “Isabella” and adapted to Australian conditions. Later honeybees arrived from Italy, Yugoslavia, and North America. The honeybee is one of the most amazing creatures in the insect world. The complex social system of the beehive that organises up to 40,000 individuals into a single working unit has fascinated mankind for centuries. The bee’s body is relatively delicate, life expectancy is short and enemies are many. Yet these daunting challenges are shrugged off as the bee goes about the daily task of collecting nectar and pollen from flowers to take back to the hive so that future generations of bees can thrive.
