Australia has over 2000 species of native bees, and they need your help to survive.
Australian native bees are the foundation of our ecosystem. Not only do they support our native environment across the country, but they also help with agriculture and are vital to pollinating many crops.
Although Australia has diverse climates, from rainforests to deserts to snowy mountains, native bees can be found in every region.
Native bees are currently under threat from a variety of diseases, as well as habitat loss and damage from human interference.
So, how can we help the mighty native bee and support its amazing ventures in our ecological community?
What do native bees look like?
First, let’s explore what the native bee looks like. There are more than 2000 different species of Aussie native bees, and they all look vastly different from each other.
Some are vibrant in colour, have identifiable patterns, like the stripy Blue-Banded Bee, are shiny and furry, or even come in vivid metallic colours.
When determining whether you’ve spotted a native bee, it is best first to rule out any introduced species, which are quite common and usually easy to spot.
As you can see in the image above, the blue-banded bee (Amegilla) on the left-hand side is colourful and has blue stripes running down the back of him.
On the right, the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) is a more common sight.
If you do happen across a bee in your garden, and want to know what kind it is, you can use the Aussie Bee website identifier flow chart to help you.
How to care for Australian native bees
Australian native bees are currently under threat, mainly due to disease and habitat loss. While fighting disease is not something that can be done by the individual, creating areas in your garden to support bee pollination and building of safe habitats definitely is!
According to the CSIRO, there are three main ways you can make your garden bee friendly:
Create a biodiverse garden
Your garden can become a haven for native bees and other Aussie wildlife to live in. The best way to start promoting biodiversity in your backyard is simple, by planting native plants!
From wildflowers, like the ptilotus above, to choosing native lawn alternatives instead of grass, your garden can help Aussie animals, insects and birds thrive.
The CSIRO recommends using native wildflowers that bees can pollinate so they can help your garden in return. Here are our top picks of native flower species:
- Banksia
- Callistemon (Bottlebrush)
- Melaleuca (Paperbark and tea-tree)
- Acacia (Wattle)
- Xerochrysum
- Edible plant varieties, including macadamia and Lilly Pilly
Build a ‘bee hotel’
Unlike European bees, most Aussie native bees are solitary creatures. This means that a female bee will make a nest by herself in hollowed out wood, including in tree trunks, fallen logs and branches.
One of the best ways to help the bees is by creating a ‘bee hotel’ to house the lodger bees, that will happily build their nest in already pre-existing holes.
The easiest way to do this is by cutting lengths of hollow bamboo or small cardboard tubes and sticking them into walls, tree crevices and other areas around the garden.
Make sure to do this near lots of greenery and flowering native plants to entice the bees to their new home!
Raise awareness
Finally, raising awareness about the importance of native bees is essential to keeping them healthy and happy.
Just as you have created a safe home for them to live in, by raising awareness with friends and family, they too can build ‘bee hotels’ and plant more native species to support the bees!
You can also contribute your own bee data to helpful collection apps like iNaturalist as a way to keep track of native species and interactions in your local area.
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