Everything is Connected

Everything is connected. I’ve heard it, and you’ve heard it. Sometimes I contemplate it; other times, when it comes from someone in a dubious state, I don’t put much stock in it. But when I interviewed Alex Ibarra from Indigibee about native bees, I understood it—and I let it really sink in. 

This will be my first blog post, and it feels fitting to tell you all about why I wanted to help Indigibee. I was, like many people, very uneducated about native bees. I didn’t know we had over 1,800 species, or that native bees are responsible for up to 70% of pollination in Australia. 

Leaf-cutter bee

I also didn’t realise that most native bees don’t live in hives at all. While we’re used to thinking of bees as part of large colonies, many Australian native bees are solitary or semi-social.

That means they live alone or in small family groups no queen, no honeycomb city, just a single mother bee building a nest and raising her young. It’s one of the reasons they’re often overlooked; they don’t swarm or buzz in big numbers. But their quiet work is just as vital, and in many cases, even more specialised. 

Solitary blue banded bee

Why don’t we know as much about native bees as we do about honey bees? 

My guess? As humans, we often bond over food. We tend to know where our food comes from, and that’s where Western honey bees get the spotlight. Native bees, who are much smaller, produce only around 1kg of honey per year compared to Western honey bees who produce upwards of 60kg. 

Another thing that’s become increasingly clear the more work I do is just how little research and information exists about native bees. Which is why I was shocked when Alex said to me: 

“For First Nations people, we are very aware that the situation native bees are in is a state of critical emergency.” 

Why don’t we know that? Why isn’t that common knowledge? As a lover of food and flowers it feels pretty important to know that our suppliers are working under hard conditions without union representatives.   

Why are native bees in a state of emergency? 

Native bees are facing a multifaceted crisis, driven by a combination of environmental pressures, invasive species, and a significant lack of research and monitoring. 

And when I say emergency, I don’t mean it lightly. If native bees start disappearing, it’s not just a bee problem it’s an everything problem. 

Native bees are responsible for pollinating thousands of native plants, many of which are completely dependent on specific buzz or behaviour. Without them, entire ecosystems begin to unravel. Flowers don’t get pollinated, seeds don’t grow, birds lose food, and forests stop regenerating. 

And while that might sound like nature quietly struggling somewhere far away, it ends up right on our plates. Many crops we eat tomatoes, macadamias, blueberries rely on native bees to thrive. Fewer bees means lower yields, higher prices, and less resilience in our food supply. 

This is the moment in the interview when I asked Alex, “What can we do to save the bees?” And he told me: That’s exactly what Indigibee is trying to do. 

So naturally, I asked next... 

What does Indigibee do? 

Alex explained that, on the most practical level, they rescue and relocate native bee hives often from places where they’re about to be bulldozed, poisoned, or destroyed. They respond to calls from councils, developers, and even everyday people who’ve discovered a nest in their backyard. Instead of letting those bees be wiped out, Indigibee steps in, safely moves the colony, and helps it continue thriving somewhere else. 

And whenever possible, they relocate the hive within the same area. That’s not just a logistical decision it’s ecological and cultural. Native bees are adapted to their specific environment: the local plants, climate, and even the seasons. Moving them far away can disrupt their ability to forage or pollinate the right species. It can also throw off the delicate balance of that local ecosystem. By keeping them close, Indigibee ensures the bees continue doing the job nature shaped them for. 

And while a lot of people ask why Indigibee doesn’t just sell native bee hives and make a business out of it like most others in this space, Alex’s answer is always the same: pollinators over profit. 

Spiral propolis

They could commercialise it, sure. But the mission isn’t to sell bees; it’s to protect them. To restore their place in the environment. To honour their cultural significance.

Selling hives like a product would turn a sacred relationship into a transaction.

And Indigibee is trying to build something more lasting than that: a movement, a memory, a future where bees, people, and Country are in right relationship. 

So how do you save native bees without commercialising them? 

This is about the part where Gen and I jumped on board with a flurry of ideas and many years of experience as professional consumers. Why don’t we make merchandise things to help fund the bee rescues? Why don’t we host events? Why don’t we run market stalls and community workshops? 

We came with big ideas to execute for such a small team, but we believed in the messaging of Indigibee and that others would hear what we were doing and come on board. Whether we get volunteers for rescues, people sharing our name, buying our products, attending our events, or simply reading what we do and educating themselves on native bees, it all counts. 

Because after all the bees, the people, the plants, we’re all connected.