Australian Native Bees | News & Info

Solitary Bees

There’s over 1600 species of native bees in Australia, with an estimated possible 2000 species!!!

While this website is more aimed at the Social Stingless Bee species it’s still awesome to be able to attract Solitary Bees to your garden.

I wont even try to pretend to be a Solitary Bee Expert, these are just a few I’ve seen and photographed,

Below  – 01/May/2017 –  Homalictus – Bubbling Nectar – They send out the Nectar and take it back in repeatedly to reduce the water content…

Below – The very shy – Masked Bee (12 Feb 2017)

Below – Fire-tailed Resin Bee (12 Feb 2017)

Nectar dripping from it’s Pincers, as they provision their nest with Nectar and Polen.

Hairs on it’s Scopia hold the yellow polen…

Megachile – Leaf Cutter (Jan 2017)

Megachile –

Homalictus – Native Solitary Bee – Ground burrow

The Blue Banded Bee are Solitary Bees, but don’t need a normal hive, the female creates a shallow burrow in the ground and the males roost on thin branches at night.

Other Solitary Bees from the garden…

Below: Leioproctus bee –  L. flavomaculatus. Indentified by Ken Walker

Below: Native Bee – Lasioglossum – Identified by Megan Halcroft and Ken Walker – ANBN

Below: Leaf Cutter Bee – cutting out a section of Rose leaf

 

Link for info: http://www.padil.gov.au/pollinators/search?queryType=all

Some Solitary Bees will set up house in these kinds of structures….bamboo and drilled blocks…

You can make one of these simple Bamboo bundles and attract Solitary Bees to your garden.

Possible Tenants:

  • Carpenter Bees
  • Green Carpenter Bee
  • Reed Bees
  • Resin Bees
  • Masked Bees
  • Leaf Cutter Bee
  • ———————–
  • Not Stingless Bees
  • Not Blue Banded Bees

I left some hotels on the shelf in the shed and now they’re being used….

Hivecraft - Australian Native Bee Supplies

Native bee boxes available at www.hivecraft.com.au

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