Did you know that Australia has over 1,500 species of 'true blue' native bees? Most Australian gardeners rarely notice these beautiful bees but native bees perform a valuable pollination service.
Australia's smallest native bee, Quasihesma clypearis, is a tiny yellow bee from Cape York, Queensland. It is less than 2 mm long. This species is the smallest bee in the world! Our largest native bees, Xylocopa, are fat and furry and 24 mm long. These are the yellow and black carpenter bees.
Native bees can be black, yellow, red, blue or even metallic green. The spectacular Neon Cuckoo Bee, Thyreus nitidulus, is black with bright metallic blue polka dots. Many native bees are rather small so you might need a magnifying glass to see their beautiful colours clearly.
Native bees can be fat and furry, or sleek and shiny. All native bees collect pollen to feed their young. Some native bees carry pollen on thick bristly brushes of hair on their hind legs. However, the leafcutter and resin bees carry pollen underneath their hind segments (abdomens) and other relatively hairless native bees swallow the pollen to carry it to their nests.
Most Australian native bees are solitary and raise their young in burrows in the ground or inside twigs. They build a tiny cell for each egg from materials such as cellophane, mud or leaf pieces and then stock each cell with a little pollen and nectar. Most solitary bees are seasonal and the adults only fly in the warmer months from about September to March.
Australia also has 10 species of social native bees (genera Trigona and Austroplebeia) which make delicious honey and do not sting! These tiny black bees are only 4 mm long and are our own Australian honeybees. They live in resinous nests inside hollow trees with a queen, drones and up to several thousand worker bees.
Australian native bees may be frequently overlooked by the gardener but are a hidden treasure in the garden.
About the Author:
Dr Anne Dollin of the Australian Native Bee Research Centre hosts the Aussie Bee website: http://www.aussiebee.com.au . Visit this website to find out what types of native bees live in your area and to learn how to care for the native bees in your garden.
Source: www.articlecity.com
