Native Bees
Australia’s native bees are a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Aculeata, including over 11 species in the family of Apinae (stingless bees)
Australian Native Bees
Australia has around 1,650 species of native bees that we know of. While some bees build their nests in stems of grass, others live underground.
The Australian Stingless Bee is one of 11 species of native bee that don’t sting. It is tiny, measuring 3mm to 5mm in length. Native bees are found in most of Australia’s diverse habitats along the east coast and in tropical and sub-tropical regions of northern Australia. See their size compared to European Honey Bees.
Multitudes team through the carpets of flowers in our heathlands and swarm around the blossoms at the top of gum trees.
Dead trees are very important to our native bees as they can be used as homes; we have many nests in the park inside old, dead trees. The bees bring them buzzing back to life!
If you look closely you may see the opening to the nest as busy bees, make their way back and forth to collect pollen. The yellow lumps on their back legs is the pollen they have collected.
Following the 2019-2020 bush fires in Australia some species were recognised by the federal government as critically endangered: Leioproctus nigrofulvus, Leioproctus carinatifrons and Leioproctus filamentosis.
Without our bees, not only would we be out of honey, but we would lose a keystone pollinator that provides us with beautiful flowers and essential fruits.
Photos by James Corey, Flinders University
