Stingless bees are starting to be used for crop pollination of crops such as Macadamia and Avocado in Queensland and northern NSW. More photos of Masked Bees.

Anne and Les Dollin have been researching Australian native bees for 40 years, with a special interest in our stingless bees. Dr Duffy harvested venom from honeybee hives at the University of Western Australia, as well as in Ireland and England. • Bees in Houses - Advice They usually nest inside hollow trees but in northern areas they also nest in urban situations such as inside wall cavities or underneath concrete footpaths. Local WA authorities strongly oppose the introduction of Stingless Bees to more southern areas as they may disturb the delicate ecology of the state’s beautiful wildflowers.

They typically build their nests in sandstone, mud or the mortar-gaps in the brickwork of houses. Dr Duffy hopes the discovery could lead to the development of a treatment for triple-negative breast cancer, which accounts for 10 to 15 per cent of all breast cancers and for which there are currently no clinically effective targeted therapies. For example there are large black 14 mm bees with white tufts of hair, and small 8 mm black bees with bright orange abdomens.

Populations of native bees can be threatened by landclearing and pesticide use.  However, you can support them by planting bee-friendly gardens and setting up bee hotels. More photos of Carpenter Bees. Teddy Bear Bees Click to continue> Teddy Bear Bee (Amegilla bombiformis) The Teddy Bear Bee is golden brown with dark brown bands on abdomen. • Common Questions • Native Bee Videos Most native bee species are solitary, only a few live in colonies. • Commercial honey bees (Apis mellifera) are not native to Australia. European Honeybee (Apis) - 12mm. Blue-banded bees (Amegilla cingulata) are native to Australia and are solitary insects. Bee venom harvested in Perth Dr Duffy harvested venom from honeybee hives at the University of Western Australia, as well as in Ireland and England. Males rest overnight clinging to plant stems.

Australian stingless bees only store about 1 kg of honey per year. • Seminars "What melittin does is it actually enters the surface, or the plasma membrane, and forms holes or pores and it just causes the cell to die," Dr Duffy said. Australia’s first field guide on native bees, Native Bees of the Sydney Region.

They are also known as 'Great Carpenter Bees'. Australia has no native species of Bumble Bees. Stingless Bees are found in Sydney, on the eastern side of the Blue Mountains and in coastal areas down to Bega. Australia has over 1,700 species of native bee. "Perth bees are some of the healthiest in the world," she said. These delightful solitary bees are one of Australia's favourite native bee species. Most species of these rotund furry brown bees are 7 to 15 mm long. The Stingless Bee is the only truly social bee found in the Sydney area. 3. 5. Eleven of the species, the social native bees, are in two genera, Tetragonula[2] and Austroplebeia, and have no sting.[3].

The researchers also discovered within 20 minutes the melittin had another powerful effect. PO Box 74, North Richmond NSW 2754, Australia, Native Bees of the Sydney Region: A Field Guide. • Free In-depth Articles The most … Hives would not survive in these areas without special artificial support.

Support Native Bees Venom from honeybees has been found to rapidly kill aggressive and hard-to-treat breast cancer cells, according to potentially groundbreaking new Australian research. Stingless Native Bees Currently, several scientific organizations are conducting research on how the blue-banded bee benefits agriculture through its distinctive "buzz pollination".These bees are very important for the production of food and contribute to at least 30% of crops in Australia.

These are the native honey-producing bees (Tetragonula - previously called Trigona -- and Austroplebeia). They also present news, photographs, videos and stories from the world of native bees on their Aussie Bee Website Facebook page. (Six Australian species) • Native Bee Videos [citation needed], The different species of Australian native bee have different habits and preferences in gathering pollen, so different species are better pollinators of a given plant than other species. They have published major scientific papers, sorting out the species names of our Tetragonula and Austroplebeia species. Masked Bees have very little hair and carry pollen to their nests by swallowing it. They are common residents in Bee Hotels. Like all bees, native Australian bees are a type of specialised wasp that has evolved to vegetarianism.

31 of the most easily-recognised Sydney species are included. Aussie Bee > Key Facts about Australian Native Bees • There are at least 1,700 species of "true blue" Australian native bees (see photos of some common examples below). • Crop Pollination

Inside their resinous nest are a queen, males, and hundreds or even thousands of worker bees. They are also found in QLD and NT. For this Introductory Guide we have chosen ten major groups of Australian native bees. These slender black bees (most less than 10 mm long) are called ‘Masked Bees’ because they have pale markings on their faces. • Commercial honey bees (Apis mellifera) are not native to Australia. Masked Bees weave their brood cells from an amazing cellophane-like secretion. They nest in pre-existing holes or gaps in timber or stonework.

However, the stingless bees cannot produce enough honey to supply Australia's large scale commercial needs. Teddy Bear Bee (Amegilla) - 12mm. Beekeeping in Australia is a commercial industry with around 12,000 registered beekeepers owning over 520,000 hives by 2013-2014. More details... 2. • Bee Photo Gallery Tetragonula hockingsi workers (previously called Trigona hockingsi) on their brood comb. Support Native Bees have been introduced to Australia by the European settlers. They nest in soft dead timber. Receive all the native bee news, including: Read the most recent issue of Aussie Bee Email Update. These Carpenter Bees like a warm climate, and in NSW and WA they are restricted to … Australia is a host of only 11 native social bee species. She said the honeybee venom had proven extremely potent. Social native Australian bees have a traditional social hive structure. Most native bee species are solitary, only a few live in colonies. About Aussie Bee • Keep Stingless Bees They are one of the few species of native bees that form large social nests. So stingless beekeeping is becoming increasingly popular.

• Bees in Houses - Advice More Photos. Habitat. The main ones are the European honey bee ( Apis mellifera ), the Bumble bee ( Bombus terrestris ) in Tasmania, and the Asian honey bee ( Apis cerana ) in Queensland. 4. Native Australian stingless bees are under threat from human development. And visit the Aussie Bee Photo Gallery for more photographs of our colourful native bees! The females have a glossy black abdomen and bright yellow fur on the thorax. Spotting a Native Bee is one thing - having a camera ready before it moves on, another... below: a large Australian Native Bee on Silver Stringybark flowers, aussiebee.com.au/blue-banded-bee-update-2012.html. These 15 to 24 mm long bees are the largest native bees in Australia. • Donations • Who We Are