Australian native bees

Last updated

Australian Blue Banded Bee Amegilla spp. Australian Blue Banded Bee-Best viewed large.jpg
Australian Blue Banded Bee Amegilla spp.
Australian Sugarbag Bee Tetragonula carbonaria Sugarbag bee.jpg
Australian Sugarbag Bee Tetragonula carbonaria
Cloak and dagger cuckoo bee Thyreus spp. Cloak and Dagger Cuckoo Bee.jpg
Cloak and dagger cuckoo bee Thyreus spp.
The entry and exit spout of a native bee hive forming in the brickwork of a house in Darwin, Australia Australian native bees.jpg
The entry and exit spout of a native bee hive forming in the brickwork of a house in Darwin, Australia
Native bees forming a hive in the brickwork of a house in Darwin, Australia Native bees in brickwork Darwin.jpg
Native bees forming a hive in the brickwork of a house in Darwin, Australia

Australian native bees are a group of bees that play a crucial role in the pollination of native plants. There are over 1,700 species of native bees in Australia, [1] ranging from small solitary bees to the social stingless bees. Native bees are important for native ecosystems, providing pollination services to native plants, and hold value for Australian agriculture. [2]

Contents

Sting or no sting, solitary vs social

Eleven species, of these social native bees, are in two genera, Tetragonula [3] and Austroplebeia , and have no sting. [4]

The stings of most Australian native species of bee will cause relatively minor discomfort to most people and are, "not as painful as those of a bull ant or paper wasp and last only a few minutes".[ citation needed ] However, they may sting more than once, and can cause an allergic reaction—increasing effect associated with repeated exposure to the antigen.[ citation needed ]

Honey

The native species of bee in Australia are not true honey bees, which are native to Europe, Asia and Africa. As a relatively primitive social species of native bees, they do not produce honey in great quantities. In cool-climate areas of Australia, all the honey the bees produce is needed by the swarm to live through winter. [5] [6]

Collecting honey from Australian native bee nests can cause many of the bees to drown in spilt honey. The honey is tangy in comparison with commercial honey taken from the European honey bee. The bees store their honey in "small resinous pots which look like bunches of grapes."[ citation needed ]

Pollination

The different species of Australian native bee gather pollens in different manner. Research is currently underway into use of Amegilla ("blue-banded bees") for use in pollinating hydroponic tomatoes, while some hydroponic growers are petitioning for introduction to the Australian mainland of the European bumblebee, Bombus terrestris —the island continent Australia has a history of sensationally poor outcomes from introduced species so the question of use of native vs introduced bees for pollination in Australia is controversial. [7]

Western Australian native bees

Approximately 800 species of native bee occur in Western Australia, and many of them are endemic. Like all bees, native Australian bees are a type of specialized wasp that has evolved to vegetarianism. They feed on nectar, but it is the female native Australian bee that will thicken the nectar to make honey before taking it back to the nest. Australian bees are mostly solitary insects. A female bee will build a nest with the aid of "workers". Native Australian bees face many threats, particularly from parasitic insects such as some wasps, flies and beetles. [8]

Species

Carpenter bees


Reed bees

Genus Exoneura:

Stingless bees

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bee</span> Clade of insects

Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea. They are currently considered a clade, called Anthophila. There are over 20,000 known species of bees in seven recognized biological families. Some species – including honey bees, bumblebees, and stingless bees – live socially in colonies while most species (>90%) – including mason bees, carpenter bees, leafcutter bees, and sweat bees – are solitary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honey bee</span> Colonial flying insect of genus Apis

A honey bee is a eusocial flying insect within the genus Apis of the bee clade, all native to mainland Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the current cosmopolitan distribution of honey bees, introducing multiple subspecies into South America, North America, and Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apidae</span> Taxonomic family that includes honey bees (sting or stingless), bumble bees and orchid bees

Apidae is the largest family within the superfamily Apoidea, containing at least 5700 species of bees. The family includes some of the most commonly seen bees, including bumblebees and honey bees, but also includes stingless bees, carpenter bees, orchid bees, cuckoo bees, and a number of other less widely known groups. Many are valuable pollinators in natural habitats and for agricultural crops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carpenter bee</span> Common name for a genus of bees

Carpenter bees are species in the genus Xylocopa of the subfamily Xylocopinae. The genus includes some 500 bees in 31 subgenera. The common name "carpenter bee" derives from their nesting behavior; nearly all species burrow into hard plant material such as dead wood or bamboo. The main exceptions are species in the subgenus Proxylocopa, which dig nesting tunnels in suitable soil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buzz pollination</span> Technique used by bees to release pollen

Buzz pollination or sonication is a technique used by some bees, such as solitary bees and bumblebees, to release pollen which is more or less firmly held by the anthers. The anthers of buzz-pollinated plant species are typically tubular, with an opening at only one end, and the pollen inside is smooth-grained and firmly attached. With self-fertile plants such as tomatoes, wind may be sufficient to shake loose the pollen through pores in the anther and accomplish pollination. Visits by bees may also shake loose some pollen, but more efficient pollination of those plants is accomplished by a few insect species who specialize in sonication or buzz pollination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern carpenter bee</span> Species of insect

Xylocopa virginica, sometimes referred to as the eastern carpenter bee, extends through the eastern United States and into Canada. They are sympatric with Xylocopa micans in much of southeastern United States. They nest in various types of wood and eat pollen and nectar. In X. virginica, dominant females do not focus solely on egg-laying, as in other bee species considered to have "queens". Instead, dominant X. virginica females are responsible for a full gamut of activities including reproduction, foraging, and nest construction, whereas subordinate bees may engage in little activity outside of guarding the nest.

<i>Xylocopa aerata</i> Species of bee

Xylocopa aerata, the golden-green carpenter bee or green carpenter bee, is one of two species of carpenter bee found only in the conservation areas around Sydney, and in the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales in Australia. Its only other habitat as of 2020 is on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. The species is especially vulnerable to fire, and much of its habitat was burnt during the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season.

<i>Tetragonula carbonaria</i> Species of bee

Tetragonula carbonaria is a stingless bee, endemic to the north-east coast of Australia. Its common name is sugarbag bee. They are also occasionally referred to as bush bees. The bee is known to pollinate orchid species, such as Dendrobium lichenastrum, D. toressae, and D. speciosum. It has been identified as an insect that collects pollen from the cycad Cycas media. They are also known for their small body size, reduced wing venation, and highly developed social structure comparable to honey bees.

<i>Xylocopa bombylans</i> Species of bee

Xylocopa bombylans, the peacock carpenter bee, is a species of carpenter bee found in Australia. It gets its common name by its habit of burrowing into wood.

<i>Bombus fervidus</i> Species of bee

Bombus fervidus, the golden northern bumble bee or yellow bumblebee, is a species of bumblebee native to North America. It has a yellow-colored abdomen and thorax. Its range includes the North American continent, excluding much of the southern United States, Alaska, and the northern parts of Canada. It is common in cities and farmland, with populations concentrated in the Northeastern part of the United States. It is similar in color and range to its sibling species, Bombus californicus, though sometimes also confused with the American bumblebee or black and gold bumblebee. It has complex behavioral traits, which includes a coordinated nest defense to ward off predators. B. fervidus is an important pollinator, so recent population decline is a particular concern.

<i>Tetragonula iridipennis</i> Species of bee

The Indian stingless bee or dammar bee, Tetragonula iridipennis, is a species of bee belonging to the family Apidae, subfamily Apinae. It was first described by Frederick Smith in 1854 who found the species in what is now the island of Sri Lanka. Many older references erroneously placed this species in Melipona, an unrelated genus from the New World, and until recently it was placed in Trigona, therefore still often mistakenly referred to as Trigona iridipennis. For centuries, colonies of T. iridipennis have been kept in objects such as clay pots so that their highly prized medicinal honey can be utilized.

<i>Tetragonula hockingsi</i> Species of bee

Tetragonula hockingsi is a small stingless bee native to Australia. It is found primarily in Queensland. The colonies can get quite large, with up to 10,000 workers and a single queen. Workers of Tetragonula hockingsi have been observed in fatal fights with other Tetragonula species, where the worker bees risk their lives for the potential benefit of scarce resources.

<i>Tetragonula</i> Genus of bees

Tetragonula is a genus of stingless bees. In 1961, Brazilian bee expert J.S. Moure first proposed the genus name Tetragonula to improve the classification system by dividing the large genus Trigona stingless bees into 9 smaller groups. About 30 stingless bee species formerly placed in the genus Trigona are now placed in the genus Tetragonula. These bees are found in Oceania, in countries such as Australia, Indonesia, New Guinea, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, and the Solomon Islands. The most recent tabulation of species listed 31 species.

<i>Austroplebeia</i> Genus of insects

Austroplebeia is a stingless bee (Meliponini) genus in the family Apidae. The genus was erected by Jesus Santiago Moure in 1961. The genus comprises five described species endemic to Australia and New Guinea. Austroplebeia are more closely related to the African stingless bees than rest of the species found in Asia and Australia.

<i>Austroplebeia australis</i> Species of bee

Austroplebeia australis is a stingless bee species in the tribe Meliponini first validly described by Heinrich Friese in 1898. Within Australia, they are occasionally referred to as bush bees.

<i>Austroplebeia cincta</i> Species of bee

Austroplebeia cincta is a small eusocial stingless bee first described by Mocsáry in 1898 and it is found across Australia, West Papua, and Papua New Guinea.

<i>Austroplebeia cassiae</i> Species of bee

Austroplebeia cassiae is a small eusocial stingless bee first described by Cockerell in 1910 and it is found in Australia.

<i>Austroplebeia magna</i> Species of bee

Austroplebeia magna is a small eusocial stingless bee first described by Dollin, Dollin and Rasmussen in 2015 and it is found in Australia.

<i>Austroplebeia essingtoni</i> Species of insect

Austroplebeia essingtoni is a small eusocial stingless bee first described by Cockerell in 1905 and it is found in Australia. They are one of the smallest stingless bees in Australia and can survive in very arid areas with annual rainfalls down to 300 mm.

<i>Tetragonula mellipes</i> Species of stingless bee

Tetragonula mellipes is a small eusocial stingless bee first described by Friese in 1898 and it is found in Northern Australia.

References

  1. "Common Questions about Australian Native Bees". Aussiebee.com.au. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  2. "Australian native bees". Wheen Bee Foundation. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  3. "Tetragonula: a new name for our bees". Aussiebee.com.au. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  4. "Common Questions about Australian Native Bees". Aussiebee.com.au. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  5. Anderson, Palisa (2020-11-13). "Stingless sugarbags: the joys of keeping native bees". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  6. "Rare Honey Varieties" . Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  7. "Help stop the importation of European bumblebees!". Aussiebee.com.au. 2008-10-26. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  8. "Native Bees". Western Australian Museum. Retrieved 2016-08-22.