A world-first trial led by University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) native bee scientist and conservationist Dr Kit Prendergast has found bee hotels can play a vital role in helping native bee populations recover after bushfires.
With wild pollinators in global decline – and increasingly severe wildfires, driven by climate change, threatening their survival – these disruptions are putting biodiversity and long-term ecosystem health at serious risk.
Dr Prendergast's latest research, published today (25 June) in the journal Insects, indicates that bee hotels can support the recolonisation and establishment of cavity-nesting bee populations in fire-affected habitats.
"While there has been much attention on post-bushfire flora recovery, there has been virtually no investment into the recovery of the pollinators of flora, which are vital for flowering plant restoration and the sustainability of plant populations," Dr Prendergast said.
"Native bees are often the key pollinators of wildflowers, so finding a practical way to support their recolonisation and recovery after bushfires is crucial."
Bee hotels – artificial nesting structures specifically designed for cavity-nesting species – have long served as safe nurseries for certain pollinators and are often placed in gardens or backyards.
For the study, Dr Prendergast and her father Stephen built 1,000 bee hotels – half constructed from wooden blocks with drilled nesting holes, and the other half using bamboo and PVC piping.
The hotels were installed in August 2021 at five sites throughout the Jarrah forests in south-west Western Australia – one of many regions across the country devastated during the unprecedented 2019–2020 bushfire season.
Monthly surveys were conducted over the following seven months to monitor native bee activity – and their main competitor, honey bees – at flowering plants near the hotels and three fire-affected control sites without bee hotels.
"The recovery effort was a success – every bee hotel was used, with native bees occupying more than 800 nests in total," Dr Prendergast said.
"We also recorded significantly higher bee activity at the hotel sites compared to the control sites.
"This offers clear proof that properly designed bee hotels can support natural recolonisation and accelerate population recovery."
However, fewer native bees were observed foraging or checking into bee hotels in areas with higher honey bee activity.
"This is no surprise given honey bees can outcompete native bees for essential resources like nectar and pollen, especially in post-fire areas where there is a shortage of food," Dr Prendergast said.
"We recommend excluding beekeeping from fire-affected areas to give native bees a chance to recolonise and persist in post-fire environments."
Dr Prendergast also cautioned against relocating native bees into fire-affected areas, warning it could create competition with local populations and risk killing the relocated bees if resources are too limited.
The study, 'Bee Hotels as a Tool for Post-Fire Recovery of Cavity-Nesting Native Bees', was co-authored by Dr Kit Prendergast, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow from the University of Southern Queensland and Adjunct Research Fellow from Curtin University, and Dr Rachele Wilson from Griffith University.
The research was funded by the Australian Government's Bushfire Recovery for Wildlife and Habitat Community Grants Program and FlowHive Australia and supported by the Australian Native Bee Association.
