A new study has found invasive honeybees are becoming more dominant in Perth’s Kings Park, putting the state’s native bee population and plants at risk. 

For the first time, researchers from Kings Park Science have observed European honeybees pollinating the indigenous bloodroot plant.

The plant, from the same family as the kangaroo paw, was previously known only to be pollinated by the Leioproctus haemodori, a bee endemic to Australia’s south-west.

Research leader Ashley Jenkin says the discovery suggests native bee populations are being outcompeted by European honeybees, a species introduced during early settlement to pollinate crops.

But the invasive visitors lack the specialised skills required to pollinate plants effectively.

Wild bee ecologist Kit Prendergast says that’s a big problem.

“There are cases where they might actually harm the pollination of the plants through, for example, nectar robbing,” she says.

“On some plants they will chew a hole in the base of the corolla, which is like the tubular part of the flower, and stick their tongue in, therefore not touching the anthers, which are the male parts of the flower.

“Also, if you’ve got a plant that’s got lots of flowers on it, rather than go from one plant to another plant, they might just go from flower to flower, which can lead to inbreeding.”

Community groups are also feeling the effects of a growing honeybee population, with the Wildflower Society of WA reporting multiple encounters with the feral insects.

Group member and retired research scientist Greg Keighery says the organisation’s free wildflower bush tours will often observe the honeybees robbing nector in person.

“I think most people who spend time in the bush will see this as an issue, but it is a bit of a hidden issue because people don’t realise the difference between a honeybee and a native bee,” he says.

“You really need to be careful in small reserves to make sure you take out the feral bees, and you just don’t have them competing at that sort of level.”

Researcher Ashley Jenkin hopes the Kings Park discovery will lead to a better understanding of pollinator diversity in the state, helping researchers protect native flora and fauna in what they call a “biodiversity hotspot”.

“We really need to get down to the nitty gritty of looking at pollinator behaviour and what is actually happening when an insect, in this case a bee, visits a flower and how they’re interacting with that flower and whether or not that is going to result in successful pollination,” she says.

“It’s such an important component that is often overlooked in our current native bee research.”