Backyard Buddies: It's all a Buzz

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16 Aug 2010

You can feel the weather warming and the fragrant scent of flowers is in the air. Can you hear the buzz of our insect friends as they get busy in your backyard? Spring flowers are full of rewards for little buzzing bee visitors - nectar, which is rich in sugar, and pollen that provides protein. Flowers advertise these rewards to attract bees through their colour, shape and scent.

You can feel the weather warming and the fragrant scent of flowers is in the air. Can you hear the buzz of our insect friends as they get busy in your backyard?

Spring flowers are full of rewards for little buzzing bee visitors - nectar, which is rich in sugar, and pollen that provides protein. Flowers advertise these rewards to attract bees through their colour, shape and scent.

There are about 2,000 native species of Australian bees, but have you seen any in your backyard?

Australia’s Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife’s Backyard Buddies program is all about getting more enjoyment from native animals in your backyard. It provides tips and advice on how to make your backyard buzz this Spring.

“Unlike commercial honeybees imported from Europe, Australian bees have spent millennia evolving with Australian wildflowers so they’ve adapted to each other.” said Ms Gale, CEO of the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife. “Our native bees come in a great range of colours and sizes, from a tiny 2mm to a whopping 24mm. Some have furry overcoats while others are smooth and sport shiny armour.”

“You can find Australian native bees in all of the country’s varied environments. During the warmer months in Western Suburbs, you have a good chance of seeing some of our native bees. They nest in habitats as diverse as tree hollows, underground burrows or inside plant stems.” explained Ms Gale.

Native bees you are likely to spot the warmer areas of the country include Stingless Social Bees, Blue Banded Bees and Teddy Bear Bees. You can discover Stingless bees building resinous nests inside hollow trees. They store their aromatic honey in tiny pots. Blue Banded bees have distinct blue stripes and love visiting purple flowers such as native peas. Look out for fat Teddy Bear Bees nesting in shallow burrows in the soil.

In the cooler parts of the country you will find Leafcutter and Reed Bees. Many gardeners first discover Leafcutter Bees when they notice the neat circular pieces that the bees have cut away from the edges of leaves. The bees weave these leaf pieces making tiny cells for their young. Reed Bees make a habit of nesting in dried stems of a number of plants including tree ferns and the dead canes of lantana. When removing these plants from gardens or bushland, people often don't realise they are destroying the colonies of bees. Check for nests and relocate them before removing.

Is there a battle of the bees? If commercial European honeybees and our native bees are foraging on the same flowers, they don’t fight. However, European bees are better foragers than most native bee species and can fly at lower temperatures. In situations of limited food resources such as our urban areas, the European bees come out on top. Most native bees are small and fragile creatures and have difficulty competing with the highly efficient commercial bees we have introduced from Europe. If you can’t find any native bees in your backyard, there are lots of things you can do to bring our buzzing bees to your backyard.

How to be a Bee Buddy

Plant bee food plants - bees love angophoras, eucalyptus, brachyschomes, callistemon, melaleucas, scaevolas, grevilleas, tea trees, hibbertias and westringias.
Provide a nice bee home. Make nest sites for some solitary bees from dead or hollow stems or by drilling holes in blocks of hardwood timber.
Avoid using insecticides in the garden.

Did you know?

European honeybees collect 90% of available nectar and pollen but pollinate only about 5% of our plants.
Native bee honey called Sugarbag has a unique, tangy flavour.
Not all bees sting. For most Australian bees stinging is not their style.
Most Australian bees are solitary. Of the 2000 species of native bees only 10 are social and form hives.
Native bees are great for pollinating home vegetable gardens. Blue Banded and Teddy Bear bees perform a special type of pollination method known as “buzz pollination” which encourages fruiting of tomatoes, eggplant, kiwifruit and chillies.
You may be able to buy stingless native bees for your backyard, visit www.aussiebee.com.au.
Bees have four wings but all flies have only two wings.

Backyard Buddies: It's all a Buzz

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