Sorry :-)

Does everyone know of the native blue-banded bee? They're common in Sydney,
as they like to nest in holes in mortar, so you often see them buzzing around
doorways. I have only seen them singly -- until today!

We were repairing a flyscreen and noticed several of them buzzing around an
old sow-thistle which had flowered off (so they weren't after nectar). When
we had a good look at the plant, the bees were attaching themselves to it by
their jaws. If another bee came too close, they'd wave their two front pairs
of legs to tell the other bee to go away a bit. By the time we'd finished,
there were 7 bees all trying to attach themselves to the same plant. They
seemed to be grooming themselves (or possibly moving nectar to the back legs?)
when they weren't warning each other away.

Now there *is* a thunderstorm coming up, but (a) they have perfectly good
holes of their own and (b) they are right in its path.

After the first downpour, there is only one bee there, still hanging on in the
same strange way.

Anyone know what this is about? Mating ritual? Are these bees solitary, or
do they just like pretending that they are?

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Life is like a cigarette -- smoke it to the butt." -- Harvie Krumpet