Native Bees

[Bushmiller]

I attended a workshop a little while ago on Native Bees. I have not yet made up the hive, but today I saw some of our palms swarming with them:

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A neighbour two houses down has a nest of native bees so they probably come from there.

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My camera and my skills are not good enough to capture any better, but the flower pod was alive with the bees. You can only really see those that are flying.

Regards
Paul

[LanceC]

That's great Paul.

One of our small joys is a hot drink on the deck watching our honey bees flying to and fro, with whatever is in flower at the time covered in the little workers.

[Bushmiller]

That's great Paul.

One of our small joys is a hot drink on the deck watching our honey bees flying to and fro, with whatever is in flower at the time covered in the little workers.

Lance

These workers are really tiny. The bees are probably 2mm to 3mm long and typical of the majority of native bees. Your European bees have something like twenty five times the mass of these little fellows! This type are the nesting variety, but there are many more varieties of solitary native bees (around 2000 in fact). The nesting bees fall into two district groups: Six species of Tetragonula and five species of Austroplebeia. They are also referred to as stingless bees.

Something I found out recently is that as the bees age, their duties change. They begin as workers in the hive tending the food stores, the nursery and the Queen, but when they near the end of their lives they forage for pollen and nectar. This is a more hazardous role and as they are nearing their use by date they are regarded as sacrificial.

Glad I am not a bee. :)

Regards
Paul

[Pittwater Pete]

“begin as workers tending the food stores, the nursery and the Queen, but when they near the end of their lives they they are regarded as sacrificial.”

I must be a bee.[emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1787]

[Bushmiller]

“begin as workers tending the food stores, the nursery and the Queen, but when they near the end of their lives they they are regarded as sacrificial.”

I must be a bee.[emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1787]

Pete

Doesn't sound too good does it, but at least they get to fly. You probably can't even fly in a plane at the moment with the new lockdowns. :no:

Regards
Paul