19 Mar 2020

The Rest Is History: Bees in New Zealand

From Lately, 10:48 pm on 19 March 2020

Tonight for The Rest Is History we're looking at the arrival of the first honey bees in New Zealand - 181 years ago today, in 1839.

Bee fan Robert Kelly is abuzz about this fascinating cottage industry as he takes Karyn through its early years with the arrival of Methodist missionaries.

Sketch of bee storage chamber, c. 1840s (William Charles Cotton, My bee book, 1842)

Sketch of bee storage chamber, c. 1840s (William Charles Cotton, My bee book, 1842) Photo: NZ History