Download pdf - Australian Native Bees - vsgp.org.au€¦ · It is becoming more apparent that our native bees play an important part in pollinating native and exotic plant species. African Carder

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Why are bees under threat?• Urbanisationremovesbees’naturalhabitat• Urbanisationincreases“flowerless

landscapes”• Pesticidescontaminatebees’foodsources

How can we help improve the health of our bees?• Conserveexistingbeehabitat• Providehabitatforbees• Plantbeefriendlyflowers• Reduceorstoppesticideuseinyour

garden

How can we learn more?• ContactBeeBusinessonmegan@

beesbusiness.com.auorvisittheirFacebookpage www.facebook.com/BeesBusiness

• Makehabitatstoobservebeesinyourgarden

• Observeyourgardenflowersforbeeactivity

To find out more please visit these websites• www.beesbusiness.com.au• www.aussiebee.com.au• www.australiannativebees.com

Designer: Brittany Hardiman | Photographs: Bees BusinessSpecial thanks to Dr Michael Batley, Australian Museum

Copyright©2014

Acknowledgement:SchoolsEngagementandtheOfficeofSustainability,UniversityofWesternSydney.

Disclaimer:BeesBusinessandtheUniversityofWesternSydneyarenotresponsiblefor,andexpresslydisclaimallliabilityfor,damagesofanykindarisingfromtheuse,referencetoorrelianceuponinformationcontainedinthisbrochure.

Australian

Native Bees

Learn more, up close

About native bees Australiaishometo1,600nativebeespecies,witharound200ofthemfoundintheGreaterWesternSydney(GWS)region.Mostnativebeesaresolitarybees,meaningtheycompletetheirlifecyclealone,unliketheintroducedsocialHoneyBee.Solitarynativebeesdonotproducehoneyorliveinlargehives;althoughthereareafewsocialnativebeesthatstorepollenandmakehoneytosurviveoverwinter.Nativebeescomeinarangeofcoloursandaresizedfrom2to24mm.Somehavethickfurryhairswhileothersaresmoothandshiny.

Why are bees important?Weneedpollinators,likebees,tohelpusgrowourfoodandflowers.Ofthe352,000floweringplantsandcropsnearly90%relyonpollinatorsforreproduction.Australiannativebeesareabletopollinatemanyfruitsandvegetables,includingtomatoes,watermelon,passionfruits,strawberriesandmangoes.Sadlyourbeepopulationsaredecreasing.Asweclearlandforurbandevelop,removeplantsandusepesticideswearecausingourbeepopulationstobeunderthreatofextinction.

Byunderstandingmoreaboutournativeandexoticbeeswecanhelpconservetheirpopulations,thussupportingecosystembiodiversityandalsofoodsecurity.

All about Bees

Bee AnatomyBeebodiesarecomprisedofahead,thoraxandabdomen.Theyhavesixlegsandtwopairsofwings.Theyhavetwoantennaeusedtotouchand“smell”,mandiblesorjawsusedforbiting,workingpollenorwaxandtwocompoundeyesandthreesimpleeyes.

Pollen collectionBothsocialandsolitarybeescollectpollentofeedtheiryoung.Femalesolitarybeescarrypollenintheirscopa;acollectionofbranched,bristledhairswhichmaybeontheunderbelly(abdominalscopa)oronthelower,hindlegs(tibialscopa).

ImagefromMarcNewman

Exampleofacottagegarden.ImagefromElizabethRichmond

Attracting bees to your gardenThebestwaytoattractbeestoyourgardenistohavelargepatchesofflowers.Manybees,especiallyBlueBandedandTeddyBear,areattractedtoblueandpurpleflowers.

Thegreatervarietyoffloweryoucanprovide,thegreaterdiversityofbeeyouwillattract.Plantsthatareknowntoattractbeesinclude:

• Nativefloweringplantslikelambertiaandgrevillia

• Nativefloweringshrubslikewatergum,wattle,bottlebrush,teatree,westringiaandnativepeas

• Exoticherbslikeparsley,coriander,celery,fennel(anyoftheApiaceaefamily)

• Lavender,rosemary,salvia,hyssop(anyoftheLamiaceaefamily)

• Exoticfloweringplantslikebuddleja,agapanthus,hebeanddaisies

Makesureyouplantavarietyofdifferentspeciessothatthereareflowersavailableallyearround.

Examplesofman-madesolitarybeenests

Making habitats for bees Asweclearlandtobuildhousesorshoppingcentres,weremovenaturalbeehabitat.Wecanhoweverprovideadditionalnestinghabitatsthataresimilartotheirnaturalones.Differentbeeslikedifferenthabitats.ResinandLeaf-cutterBeeswillnestindrilledhardwood.MaskedandReedBeesnestinbundlesoflantanaandbamboo.BlueBandedBeescanalsobeencouragedintorammedearthnests.

Whensettingupyoursolitarybeenestsplaceitsomewhereyoucanwatchtheactivitysafely.Yournestshouldbesetupoutofthewayandsomewhereprotectedagainsttheweather.Onceyouhaveyournestinplace,neverpickitup.WhenyouarewatchingyourbeesDONOTstandintheflight-pathofexitingandenteringbees,insteadyoushouldstandtothesideofthenest.ThesebeesCANstingsobecareful.

Summary

Other Native & Exotic BeesResin Bees Reed Bees Masked Bees Leaf-cutter Bees Blue Banded & Teddy Bear Bees

Common Name:BlackResinBee

Size: Approximately1-1.3centimetresinlength

Features: Alarge,strongmandible(jaw)usedtocollectplantresinstobuildtheirnests.

Species in GWS:Megachile punctata, Megachile aurifrons and Megachile deanii.

Nesting habitat: Oldborerholes(madebyinsects)intreetrucks.

Man-made nestinghabitat: Resinbeeswillnestindrilledhardwoodblocks.

ImagefromMarcNewman

Megachile punctata

Megachile aurifrons

Common Name:ReedBee

Size: Approximately0.3-0.8centimetresinlength

Features: Ashinyblackheadandthoraxwithadistinctivechestnut-coloured,wedge-shapedabdomen.FemalesoftenhaveaT-shaped,yellowmarkonthefaceandatibialscopa.

Species in GWS: Exoneura sp.

Nesting habitat: Stemsofwoodyweedlantana,coraltree(Erythrinasp.),grasstreespikes(Xanthorrhoea),treefernfrondsandotherhollowstemmedplants.

Man-made nestinghabitat: ReedbeeswillnestinsmallholesdrilledintodriedLantanastems.

Exoneura sp.

Exoneura sp.

Amphylaeus morosus

Hylaeus nubilosus

Common Name:MaskedBee

Size: Approximately0.4-1.2centimetresinlength

Features: Sparselyhairedwithdarkheadsandbrightlycolouredfacialmarkings,somehavebrightlymarkedbodies.

Species in GWS: Amphylaeus morosusandHylaeus nubilosus.

Nesting habitat: Stemsoftristania,acaciaandgrasstreespikes(Xanthorrhoea).

Man-made nestinghabitat: Maskedbeeswillnestinbamboocanesandsmallholesdrilledinhardwood.

Common Name:Leaf-cutterBee

Size: Approximately1.2centimetresinlength

Features: Alarge,strongmandible(jaw)usedtocutdiscsofsoftplantleavestoformatubeularnest.HalfthemalesoftheMegachilespecieshaveexpandedforelegswhichareflattenedandoftenhavelong,sleekhairsusedinpartofthebees’matingritual.

Nesting habitat: Nestsareconstructedinsmallcavitiesunderbarkorinrockcrevices.

Man-made nestinghabitat: Leaf-cutterbeeswillnestinlargebamboocanes.

Megachile serricauda

Megachile maculariformis

ImagefromMarcNewman

Common Name:BlueBandedBee


Features: Bluestripesonabdomen.Thefemalehasdarkfacialmarkingsandtibialscopa.

Common Name:TeddyBearBee


Features: Coveredinorange-brownhairs.Thefemalehasdarkfacialmarkingsandtibialscopa.

Amegilla pulchra

Amegilla bombiformis

Nesting habitat: Groundburrows.

Man-made nestinghabitat: BoththeBlueBandedandTeddyBearbeescanbeencouragedtonestinartificial,rammed-earthnests.

Australian Native Stingless Bees

Thenativestinglessbee(Tetragonula carbonaria) istheonlysocialnativebeefoundintheGWSregion.Coloniesnestinlargetreecavitieswheretheystorepollenandhoney.Theseblackbeescanbeseenhoveringnearnectar-producingflowersofalltypes.

European Honey Bee

Honeybees(Apis mellifera)areanintroducedbeespecies.Theyareextremelyimportantforfoodproduction,pollinatingoflargescalecrops.Itisbecomingmoreapparentthatournativebeesplayanimportantpartinpollinatingnativeandexoticplantspecies.

African Carder Bee

TheCarderbee(Afranthidium repetitum)isanintroducedbeespeciesandarewellestablishedintheGWSregion.Carderbeeshavedistinctivebright,whitebandsontheabdomen.Thesebeesaresomewhatterritorialandcanbeseenchasingotherbeesawayfromtheflowerstheyareforagingon.

Tetragonula carbonaria foragingbesideEuropeanhoneybees