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

Issue 7 (August 1998)

THIS ISSUE'S FEATURED BEE Teddy Bear Bee Amegilla (Asaropoda)

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

TEDDY BEAR BEES - Covered with dense red-brown fur, the rotund teddy bear bee is one of Australia's most appealing native bees and can provide you with a real teddy bears' picnic in your garden.

A STINGLESS BEE WITH A LONG HERITAGE - Austroplebeia essingtoni, originally documented in 1842, is of Australia's most wary native bee species. When a disturbance occurs, they instantly suspend all flying activity - an excellent response against detection.

STINGLESS BEES AS POLLINATORS OF MACADAMIA - Dr Tim Heard, CSIRO Entomology, explores the potential value of stingless bees as pollinators of macadamia trees.

STINGLESS BEEKEEPING WITH TRIGONA IN VIETNAM - Hive bee products from stingless social Trigona species have a role in traditional Chinese medicine and have a ready market.

A TANTALISING TALE FROM THE AGE OF THE DINOSAURS - Have bees always depended upon flowers? An 80 million year old Trigona stingless bee fossil gives us a tantalising clue.

SEEING IS BELIEVING: THE COMPOUND EYE OF THE BEE - The compound eye of the bee does not just one lens like the human eye does, but thousands of lenses, providing the bee with almost 360 degree vision.

BEES, BROLGAS AND BLOWN-OUT TYRES - The Landcruiser ploughed through many river crossings on its native bee safari from Roper Bar and Borroloola in the Gulf Country and on to Karumba and Georgetown.

NORMAN RODD: A LIFELONG PASSION FOR BEE WATCHING - Norman Rodd's enthusiasm for bee watching has earned him a special place in the Australian record books.

TARLTON RAYMENT, A REMARKABLE NATURALIST (PART 2) - In the final three decades of his life, the dynamic Tarlton kept up actively identifying and describing native bees and maintaining a huge output of writing.