Marc Newman, former electrical engineer and former mushroom
farmer became interested in Australian native bees in his retirement. Australia
has 1625 known species of native bees, but there may be 2000 or more. In fact,
Australia has about 10% of all world bee species. There are nine families of
bees in the world and Australia has five of them. The five families of
Australian native bees are: Apidae, Colletidae, Halictidae, Megachilidae and
Stenotritidae. The Blue-banded bees in the family Apidae form one of the most
common groups consisting of seven species.
There are 11 species of social bees (= stingless bees).
They make honey. All the other species are either semi-social or solitary, and
do not make honey. In solitary bees, the female makes a nest, puts food (nectar
and/or pollen) in a cell and seals the cell. In semi-social bees, more than one
bee will enter the nest, but they have their own individual cells.
We were shown fantastic
macro photographs of some very impressive bees: Peacock Carpenter bees, Giant Carpenter
bees (25 mm long), Cuckoo bees, Burrowing bees, to name just a few. There are
specialised Persoo-nia bees, Resin bees, and Leaf Cutter bees that make an
almost circular cut-out from a leaf to use in making a cell.
Some bees, including Blue-banded bees, practice
buzz pollination, which involves the bee banging the anthers with its head,
causing the pollen to fly away. We also learned about some of the flowers on
which the various bees are found. Marc has made bee hotels out of bamboo,
straws and holes drilled in a block of wood.
Website with Native Bees: www.ginacranson.com
(Report by Mary Petr)
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