16 September 1997 Lincoln buzzes for Governor-General's visit

Bumble bees aroused the interest and amusement of Governor-General Sir Michael Hardie Boys on a visit to Lincoln University last week (10 September).

Postgraduate student Marie Schaffer of the University's Department of Entomology and Animal Ecology, who has studied the movement and foraging habits of bumble bees in New Zealand and also in Norway, explained her research to Sir Michael and Lady Hardie Boys.

Marie, who has just been awarded first class honours in her degree, sees bumble bees as valuable, natural pollinators in the farming landscape and creatures which should be encouraged to ‘take up residence’ in the countryside wherever appropriate.

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand