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

Issue 14 (July 2000)

THIS ISSUE'S FEATURED BEE Hylaeus nubilosus One of the Masked Bees

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

THE BEES THAT GLOW WITH A SPOT OF GOLD -- These yellow-spotted bees - members of the Hylaeine or Masked Bees group within the family Colletidae - are solitary, but one amazed the researchers!

A NEW CARDER BEE ACCIDENTALLY INTRODUCED INTO AUSTRALIA -- Dr Chris Burwell reports on a new intruder from South Africa which builds fluffy yellow nests.

NATIVE BEES ENTER THE CLASSROOM -- Students from St John's Primary School, Gladstone, Qld have begun an exciting new native bee project. Meanwhile students from Frenchs Forest Public School in Sydney have made a generous donation for native bee conservation.

THREE TINY BEES SUPPORT A RARE AUSTRALIAN WILDFLOWER -- Dr Geoff Williams has discovered the vital bee pollinators of an endangered flower, Senna acclinis.

TRAGIC LOSS OF STINGLESS BEE SPECIALIST -- Denis Shepherd passed away on 14 March 2000. In 1999 he produced a video which helped many enthusiasts successfully set up and manage hives of native stingless bees.

BECOME A BEE TRACKER - PART 2 -- To successfully use native bees for pollination, we must understand how they communicate and forage. To do this we identify individual bees in the field and this is done by marking them. Here researcher Tad Bartareau reveals his personal secrets of bee marking.

COMMUNICATION IN A STINGLESS BEE NEST -- How do stingless bees share information about food sources with their nestmates? Unlike commercial honeybees, Trigona carbonaria stingless bees do not use dances to communicate Tad Barareau and three visiting German scientists have discovered how Trigona scout bees guide nestmates to food sources.

AUSTRALIA'S FIRST-EVER GUIDE TO NATIVE BEES JUST RELEASED -- Our new field guide to the native bees of the Sydney region, with colour plates and extensive illustrations, is now on sale.

ON NATIVE BEE SAFARI - OVERLAND EXPEDITION FOR AN ELUSIVE DRONE: PART 1 - BIG RIVERS, BIG STATIONS AND TINY BEES -- To find a tiny bee, Les Dollin began a major safari through the remote cattle stations and rugged rainforests of Cape York Peninsula.

FOUR NESTS FOUND IN ONE TREE - IS THIS A RECORD? -- Mark Grosskopf reports an astonishing find - four nests in one tree and all of them fighters!

IN SEARCH OF AUSTRALIA'S YOUNGEST AND OLDEST STINGLESS BEE KEEPER -- Is Tomas Heard, aged 10, Australia's youngest stingless bee keeper? Send in your nominations!