Mr Marchment is a Bonny Hills beekeeper and said the existence of the African Tulip has detrimental consequences for populations of bees, which exist in the community.

The African Tulip tree is native to tropical Africa and is popular as an ornamental garden or street tree in northern New South Wales due to its showy, red tulip-shaped flowers.

Bonny Hills Landcare member Fred Love said Australian native bees are vital to the environment as they contribute to agricultural production through the pollination of crop plants.

The pollen of the African Tulip, Mr Love said, is fatally toxic to native bees and whole colonies and hives have been wiped out by exposure to the flowers.

Mr Marchment said thanks to the efforts of Landcare and residents in the area, the community has become aware of the threat of the African Tulip. Some residents have even taken it upon themselves to remove the tree from their properties.

Mr Marchment has also been removing trees from people's properties, with the help of other residents.

He's hoping residents in other areas of the region will actively seek to remove the trees from their properties too.

Mr Marchment said the remaining trees in the Bonny Hills area were too big to be removed without professional help.

Hastings Landcare has agreed to fund the removal of five trees, through a professional company for $3,300.

Some of the African Tulip trees, Mr Marchment said are situated on council land and would be required to be removed by the organisation.

According to the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council website, while studies have been undertaken overseas, there is currently no published data from Australia on the exact level of threat posed by the African Tulip tree.

"Some experts are adamant that African Tulip tree is an immediate threat to native bee populations, whereas others believe that the impact is minimal," it states.

The African Tulip Tree is a restricted invasive plant under the Queensland Biosecurity Act 2014 and cannot be sold or traded there.

In NSW the species has been identified as having a potential biosecurity risk to the region.

The African Tulip Tree is currently on a Weed Watch list for the Port Macquarie-Hastings region, under the North Coast Regional Strategic Weed Management Plan.

However, the tree has not been subjected to a weed risk assessment by Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, due to lack of appropriate information and research.

"The tree has, however, been nominated as a candidate for a weed risk assessment and it is expected that one will be completed in the near future," council's website states.

"Council weed management staff are currently mapping the extent of African Tulip tree in our region and assessing its potential to spread.

"This information will enable us to develop a management plan based on the outcome of a completed regional weed risk assessment.

"Any African Tulip trees found in our managed bushland reserves will be removed as far is as practicable."

If you are concerned about the presence of African Tulip tree on your property, contact council's biosecurity officer, via email council@pmhc.nsw.gov.au or call 6581 8111.

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