The Ligurian Bee
Kangaroo Island is the oldest bee sanctuary in the world. Ligurian bees were brought to the island from Italy in 1884, and was declared a sanctuary in 1885. The bees were selected because of their mild temperament, gentleness and productivity. As Kangaroo Island is 13 kilometres off the coast of mainland Australia they have been protected from disease and breeding with other races of honey bee, as a consequence the Kangaroo Island Ligurian Bee is the purest strain of Ligurian bee remaining in the world.
Kangaroo Island itself is also unique. There are plants and trees on the island that don’t grow in any other place in the world. Over 40% of the island is composed of national parks and conservation areas, no genetically modified (GM) grains are allowed to be grown. The bees, flora and fauna live in one of the cleanest, unpolluted regions of the world.