Day all,
Heres a great site on Bees. http://www.aussiebee.com.au
I got into this trying to identify a bee I hadn't seen before and it turns
out it seems it was a native blue banded bee which is being considered as a
pollinator for glasshouse crops.
Here is the site.
If I can get a picture of the little bugger I'll bee able to verify this.
Its seems the one I saw had only two or three bands.
We also have European wasps, which I would love to get rid of...
Re gards Jonno

It's a great resource alright Johnno. When you finish looking at that
website, another site with more information is www.australiannativebees.com
It is good as gardeners to be aware of the various species of native bees,
where they live and what they like - how to attract them to your garden.
When you have read all that stuff as well, look at www.sugarbag.net - another
great resource pertaining to the smaller stingless bees.
Jock

"Jonno" wrote in message
...
: Day all,
: Heres a great site on Bees. http://www.aussiebee.com.au
: I got into this trying to identify a bee I hadn't seen before and it turns
: out it seems it was a native blue banded bee which is being considered as a
: pollinator for glasshouse crops.
: Here is the site.
: If I can get a picture of the little bugger I'll bee able to verify this.
: Its seems the one I saw had only two or three bands.
: We also have European wasps, which I would love to get rid of...
: Re gards Jonno
:

On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:18:03 +0000, Jonno wrote:


If I can get a picture of the little bugger I'll bee able to verify
this.
They certainly do not sit still for long.

Its seems the one I saw had only two or three bands.
That could be it. The blue bands vary from "white-blue" on our local ones.


We also have European wasps, which I would love to get rid of...
I just trapped those for a couple of years and they seem to have
disappeared. Perhaps whomever had the nest nuked their place.

On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 07:06:07 +0000, Jonno wrote:

Also sound louder than their european cousins.
Sounded a bit like a mini chainsaw (note Jonno sometimes exagerates)

I take it that you don't get teddy bears then?

Actually, all this bee talk is a bit sad as we haven't seen any this
spring and summer and normally we would see at least one BB each day.

terryc wrote:
On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 07:06:07 +0000, Jonno wrote:

Also sound louder than their european cousins.
Sounded a bit like a mini chainsaw (note Jonno sometimes exagerates)

I take it that you don't get teddy bears then?

Actually, all this bee talk is a bit sad as we haven't seen any this
spring and summer and normally we would see at least one BB each day.

We've been noticing an *awful* lot of your ordinary Australian Hornets
lately. Must be a bumper year for them. We've also got Paper Wasps
nesting under our eaves and foraging in the garden. Can you imagine how
I cheered when I saw one carting a Cabbage Moth caterpillar off to feed
its family?

--
Trish Brown {|:-}

Newcastle, NSW, Australia

"Trish Brown" wrote in message
...
terryc wrote:
On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 07:06:07 +0000, Jonno wrote:

Also sound louder than their european cousins.
Sounded a bit like a mini chainsaw (note Jonno sometimes exagerates)

I take it that you don't get teddy bears then?

Actually, all this bee talk is a bit sad as we haven't seen any this
spring and summer and normally we would see at least one BB each day.

We've been noticing an *awful* lot of your ordinary Australian Hornets
lately. Must be a bumper year for them. We've also got Paper Wasps nesting
under our eaves and foraging in the garden. Can you imagine how I cheered
when I saw one carting a Cabbage Moth caterpillar off to feed its family?
How can I train the European wasps to do that?
They kill anything and everything. They love blood and bone.
I reckon theyre a pretty slack bunch. They get with it and relax on the side
of my birdbath during our heatwave in Melbourne, using it as their version
of a beach. I reckon out native bees are partial to water as well, so people
should have a birdbath for them. Anything too deep will drown them...
A family of magpies were stressed enough to hang out under out verandah the
other day, beaks open and looking for the water placed under there.
While it was for plants we didnt mind of course. The birdbath had been
empied the second time that day, that how much they splashed about, and how
it evaporated.

--
Trish Brown {|:-}

Newcastle, NSW, Australia

"Chookie" wrote in message
news:ehrebeniuk-411358.21321607022009@news...
In article ,
Trish Brown wrote:

terryc wrote:
On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 07:06:07 +0000, Jonno wrote:

Also sound louder than their european cousins.
Sounded a bit like a mini chainsaw (note Jonno sometimes exagerates)

I take it that you don't get teddy bears then?

Actually, all this bee talk is a bit sad as we haven't seen any this
spring and summer and normally we would see at least one BB each day.

We've been noticing an *awful* lot of your ordinary Australian Hornets
lately. Must be a bumper year for them. We've also got Paper Wasps
nesting under our eaves and foraging in the garden. Can you imagine how
I cheered when I saw one carting a Cabbage Moth caterpillar off to feed
its family?

I'm seeing a lot of wasps and hornets, too. Can't see any paper wasp
nest,
but there must be one about. Like you, I'm happy to have them -- they
don't
bother me and I don't bother them!

I often see blue-banded bees but I think I've only seen a teddy bear bee
once.

WRT the European Wasps, Johnno -- ring your Council and tell them you've
seen
them around and see if they have any luck locating them.

I'm not sure they would be interested, but will call them on Monday and see
what they say!

"Jonno" wrote in message
...
Day all,
Heres a great site on Bees. http://www.aussiebee.com.au
I got into this trying to identify a bee I hadn't seen before and it turns
out it seems it was a native blue banded bee which is being considered as
a pollinator for glasshouse crops.
Here is the site.
If I can get a picture of the little bugger I'll bee able to verify this.
Its seems the one I saw had only two or three bands.
We also have European wasps, which I would love to get rid of...
Re gards Jonno

on a slightly different note, i thought i'd pass on the following as it was
in my local paper - if you see a bee (of any kind) with a raised shiny lump
on it's back, it may very well be the ghastly verroa mite (the mites attach
to the bees) & one should contact one's council, r.l.p.b. or similar, to try
to track down the infected hive/s & destroy the mites.

poor bees, they do nothing but good.
kylie

On Sun, 08 Feb 2009 02:03:21 GMT, "0tterbot" wrote:

on a slightly different note, i thought i'd pass on the following as it was
in my local paper - if you see a bee (of any kind) with a raised shiny lump
on it's back, it may very well be the ghastly verroa mite (the mites attach
to the bees) & one should contact one's council, r.l.p.b. or similar, to try
to track down the infected hive/s & destroy the mites.

Is your local paper printed outside Australia? We don't have varroa
mites here (yet). If you find them, tell the Dept. of Ag. straight away.
--
Ross McKay, Toronto NSW Australia
"All we are saying
Is give peas a chance" - SeedSavers