Bees will become ‘disorientated and stressed’ by bright lights and noise if mine given the go ahead

One of Australia’s largest beekeeping businesses fears bright lights and noise at a proposed gold mine nearby could result in millions of bees becoming disorientated and stressed.

The $415 million McWhillamys Gold Project at Blayney, in central-west NSW, would see the construction of an open-cut mine and tailings dam on farmland and, once in operation, could process more than 200,000 ounces of gold each year over a 10-year lifespan.

But the proposal has divided the local…