Australia’s native bees struggled after the Black Summer fires – but a world-first solution brought them buzzing back

Kit Prendergast (@bee.babette_performer)

After a devastating bushfire, efforts to help nature recover typically focus on vertebrates and plants. Yet extreme fires can threaten insects, too.

After the Black Summer fires of 2019–20, I embarked on world-first research into whether “bee hotels” – a type of artificial nesting structure – could help native bees recolonise an area.