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Hollow Log
Homes - Myths & Facts-2 |
Some of the most tragic damage being done to
our wildlife is occurring because of our lack of awareness of its existence
- from simple ignorance of events.
Myth:
That something as simple as Honey Bees could not possibly be doing damage
to our native wildlife.
Fact:
Feral animals occur in all shapes and forms, and insects are no exception.
Small - yes. Unseen, and therefore unknown - yes. But innocent. No!
Is more evidence
required? |
European Bees rapidly
become feral when a queen leaves the parent hive to form a new
colony.
If commercial hives are allowed to be placed into National Parks and
other publicly owned areas and swarming occurs, what happens to the
newly-formed colony?
The answer is simple. They form hives in hollows.
And the result of that?
The hollow is permanently destroyed and permanently removed from the
ever-decreasing pool of accommodation for our hollow-dependent
native species! |
One can poison the insects and the solid plug of dead bodies which results
will eventually rot and disappear, but what happens to the massive
plug of wax which forms the comb? From our experience it stays exactly
where is was placed. And it appears that it can stay there for many years.
(One can throw a Toxic Insect Pest Strip into the hive to kill the swarm.
This can limit further damage but will not save the hollow involved.)
The wax and honey appear to be ani-bacterial and possibly anti-fungal, so
natural biological breakdown is at least slowed, if not prevented for
possibly very extended periods. The wax and honey plug are, in most cases,
impossible to remove without doing serious damage to the living tree, and
even more serious, water collects at the top of the plug and can cause rot
to occur above the plug. In those cases where the wax comb has been placed
below the entrance this rot can become extensive and develop into a
possible threat to the limb or even the tree itself.
Native Bees also use hollows, build wax supported hives, plug cavities,
and produce honey. But there are very significant differences between our
Native Bee and the imported variety.
Native Bees prefer very small entrance hollows, and they do not sting and
are therefore a food source for our native fauna, but most importantly -
they build wax plugs ABOVE their entrance point. This means that they
prefer hollows of quite different structure to those preferred by native
hollow-dependent fauna and their plugs do not trap water to damage the
host tree.
These
Rainbows are in a constant battle with European Bees! |
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On a recent visit to this same area we also noticed something which caused
us to literally shake our heads in disbelief and to experience genuine
sadness because of the persecution we are bringing into the lives of
innocent others. What we saw is discussed in the next myth.
Myth:
Introduced species can be controlled.
Fact:
Common Mynah, Acridotheres tris tris is a chocolate
brown bird it should not be confused with the grey native Noisy Miner.
The Introduced common Mynah is a hollow dependant species
This bird should be discouraged from using nest boxes by removing the nest &
eggs and then spraying the box with a eucalyptus-based insecticide to kill
the lice.
If you live in an area where these birds are a problem then you should
consider putting up boxes that are unsuitable for them to nest in such as
micro bat, sugar glider , Scaly breasted lorikeet, pardalote or kingfisher
boxes depending on your location.
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The
Common Myna.
Because of the environmental destruction it has wrought it has been
dubbed the "Flying Cane Toad". |
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