Bee-zarre Bee-haviour
 

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

Chookie wrote:

Sorry :-)

Does everyone know of the native blue-banded bee?

Black and white stripes across the abdomen? Otherwise look like a dumpy
(short and stumpy) imported bee?

We had those here for three years, mostly feeding off the Plectranthus
(native weed) and Lyptospermum.

Hi,

Yes, they are solitary, and they do hang on by their jaws to sleep at
night. Cute little things, aren't they? We have them in brisbane. It
is nice to see native pollinators at work, not just honey bees.

Dave

Chookie wrote:
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?

Terry Collins writes:
Chookie wrote:
Does everyone know of the native blue-banded bee?

Black and white stripes across the abdomen? Otherwise look like a dumpy
(short and stumpy) imported bee?

Blue and black. The blue is the hue of our Aussie summer sky. The bee is
a bit broader than the imported Italian honey bee, but about the same
length, maybe a little bit shorter. I have seen the ones with white and
black bands, they are noticeably smaller, probably half the weight of
the blue-banded mortar bee, and I don't know what they are.

We had those here for three years, mostly feeding off the Plectranthus
(native weed) and Lyptospermum.
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)

Chookie writes:
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!

I've only seen them buzzing around the garden, or disappearing into a
hole in weathered sandstone. Never seen them in a group of more than one.

Anyone know what this is about? Mating ritual? Are these bees solitary, or
do they just like pretending that they are?
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)