Aussie Bee Bulletin
Rare photos and intriguing facts on the secret lives of Australian Native Bees.

Issue 1 (February 1997)

THIS ISSUE'S FEATURED BEE Trigona carbonaria

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

AUSTRALIA'S BEES: A GUIDED TOUR - Australia is home to over 1,600 native bee species, varying greatly in size, colour and social behaviour. Dr Anne Dollin shows some simple ways to distinguish the different families of Australian native bees.

THE SOUTHERNMOST STINGLESS BEE IN THE WORLD - Trigona carbonaria is a cute little native bee found regularly in the gardens of Sydney and as far south as Bega, NSW.

WHAT IS THE AUSTRALIAN NATIVE BEE RESEARCH CENTRE? Introducing Dr Anne and Les Dollin, founders of the Australian Native Bee Research Centre, a privately funded body aiming to promote the preservation and enjoyment of Australian native bees.

LAST SEEN 100 YEARS AGO - Specimens of the rare Central Australian stingless bee, Austroplebeia percincta, were sent to a German museum nearly 100 years ago. In 1996 we mounted an expedition to find out if the species still existed.

WHEN IS A BEE A BEE? Many Australians mistake native bees in their gardens for flies or wasps. What are the differences?

ON NATIVE BEE SAFARI: CAPE YORK WILDERNESS - Come with us on a wild adventure safari. Look for stingless bees in remote tropical regions of Australia. First stop: Cape York wilderness on the trail of the miniature bee, Trigona clypearis.

STINGLESS BEES IN 1883 (PART 1) - Over 100 years ago a British naturalist, Harold Hockings, wrote a remarkably detailed and accurate account of Australian stingless bees, including Trigona carbonaria and Austroplebeia australis.

PROFESSOR SAKAGAMI, A GREAT STINGLESS BEE SCHOLAR - Professor Shoichi Sakagami of Hokkaido University, Japan, devoted many decades of his life to the study of the stingless social bees of Southeast Asia and Australia.