PROFESSOR: Well,what would happen if Australianbees died out?
GRANT: Well,the honey from Australian bees is ofexcellent quality,much better than the stuff theAsian bees produce.In fact,Australia exports nativeQueen bees to a large number of countries becauseof this.When the European Honey Bee was firstdiscovered out in the bush,we found they madereally unpleasant honey and they were also too bigto pollinate many of our native flowers here inAustralia.
STUDENT 2: That must have had a devastating effect on the natural flora.Did you lose anyspecies?
GRANT: No,we managed to get them under control before that happened but if Asian beesgot in there could be other consequences.We could lose a lot of money because you might notbe aware,but it's estimated that native bees' pollination of flower and vegetable crops is worth1.2 billion dollars a year.So in a way they're the farmers' friend.Oh,and another thing is,if you'restung by an Asian Honey Bee,it can produce an allergic reaction in some people;so they'remuch more dangerous than native bees.