Thread: New Wasp in the Wood Piles

Doesn't look like a wasp to me.

?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpenter_bee

Dai sensei

Maybe email your photos to the Qld Dept of Agriculture or the CSIRO Division of Entomology.
They look good enough to be used for an ID.

99% positive it's a type of bee; probably a mason bee.

Talk to Biosecurity QLD, could be the native Great Carpenter Bees (genus Xylocopa) but better to be sure. We have had Asian Honey Bees in Townsville recently and had a few feral European Honey Bee nests as well popping up causing concern for those observant enough to notice.

The staff at Biosecurity QLD were really good to deal with when we had a feral European Honey Bee nest in a hollow stump at our place and another 60m up the road in the wall of a framed house.

We also get this fella, Resin Mason Wasp, Epsilon chartergiformis, around the place which creates a bit of a mess to clean up. Seems to love building on the perps in the masonry block walls and between sawn stacked timber. The resin is a real PIA to remove and sticks like glue to anything it contacts, more like chewing gum as it seems to spread and somehow defy the laws of physics by increasing in volume. https://www.flickr.com/photos/58356728@N07/16272116268

I would say that its one of our native bees.
Tony

Thanks for the replies.

I didn't think it was a bee as they are normally hairy, especially around the head and centre and Carpenter Bees have black bottom and yellow centre (or so I thought), whereas these are black except for the bottom which is striped. They are certainly behaving like Carpenter Bees so maybe they are and I've got some weird coloured ones.

I have sent the photos off to the Brisbane Insects and Spiders, but thanks Moby I'll also send to Biosecurity Old.

If they are Carpenter Bees then I will spray the buggers as they bore holes not just use existing holes like the wasps.

I just got a message from Biosecurity Queensland advising they are Teddy Bear Bees Amegilla (Asaropoda) - Teddy Bear Bee - Amegilla (Asaropoda). Unfortunately I was worried they were Carpenter Bees to sprayed all my wood piles with a Pyrethrum/Acetamiprid/Boron mix spray. At least it should kill any borer beetles, spiders and other wasps in the areas, I certainly saw some borer battles back peddling out of some holes.

Biosecurity asked me to pick some up as samples, but when I went out there, they were back as though I hadn't prayed at all. I managed to catch 6 coming out of the same hole in a log of Budgeroo with large borer holes, this makes me think they are not Teddy Bear Bees, as they nest individually. Here's the video I sent them with them in a jar. They have replied someone will be in touch.

video-1511828579.mp4