Australian Native Bees - vsgp.org.au€¦ · It is becoming more apparent that our native bees play...
Transcript of Australian Native Bees - vsgp.org.au€¦ · It is becoming more apparent that our native bees play...
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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
Size: Approximately1.5centimetresinlength
Features: Bluestripesonabdomen.Thefemalehasdarkfacialmarkingsandtibialscopa.
Common Name:TeddyBearBee
Size: Approximately1.5centimetresinlength
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