Guide to Native Bees of Australia

Abstract

Bees are often thought of as yellow and black striped insects that live in hives and produce honey. However, Australia’s abundant native bees are incredibly diverse in their appearance and habits. Some are yellow and black but others have blue stripes, are iridescent green or wasp-like. Some are social but most are solitary. Some do build nests with wax but others use silk or plant material, burrow in soil or use holes in wood and even gumnuts!
 A Guide to Native Bees of Australia provides a detailed introduction to the estimated 2000 species of Australian bees. Illustrated with stunning photographs, it describes the form and function of bees, their life-cycle stages, nest architecture, sociality and relationships with plants. It also contains systematic accounts of the five families and 58 genera of Australian bees. Photomicrographs of morphological characters and identification keys allow identification of bees to genus level. Natural history enthusiasts, professional and amateur entomologists and beekeepers will find this an essential guide.

The state of the world’s urban ecosystems: What can we learn from trees, fungi, and bees?

“…Herbaceous plant diversity also needs to be promoted, especially for oligolectic species, for example in urban grasslands (Fischer, Eichfeld, Kowarik, & Buchholz, 2016), wasteland/brownfield sites (Twerd & Banaszak‐Cibicka, 2019), and gardens and allotments (Baldock, 2020; Baldock et al., 2019). By contrast, many Australian native bee species, particularly within the Colletidae (the most diverse Australian bee family), are pollen specialists of endemic trees and shrubs in the Myrtaceae and Proteaceae (Houston, 2018) and will only thrive in urban settings if these native woody plants are present (Threlfall et al., 2015). Planting non‐native ornamental trees in this scenario mostly favors non‐native honey bees (Threlfall et al., 2015).…”

Radiation of tropical island bees and the role of phylogenetic niche conservatism as an important driver of biodiversity

“…Three of these islands first emerged during the Oligocene and exhibit substantial ranges in elevation up to 1324 m. Endemic bee species of the genus Homalictus (Halictidae) arose from a single dispersal event into Fiji during the Quaternary [22]. Homalictus species are generally communal ground-nesting species and often generalist pollinators, yet little has been published on their habits [23]. Most Fijian Homalictus species forage on both weedy and native plants, indicating polylectic diets, while H. fijiensis is a super-generalist pollinator [24].…”

Nesting biology of the Australian solitary bee Paracolletes crassipes Smith (Hymenoptera: Colletidae) accords with that of the Diphaglossinae

“…Some Aust ralia n Neopasiphaei nae, not ably Anthoglossa Smith and Trichocolletes Cockerell, also construct vertical brood cells and have a liquid provision, but none is known to construct curved, varnished cell necks or larval cocoons (Houston 2018(Houston , 2020. Comparison of nesting biology across taxa of hairy colletids is hampered because information is lacking for some key groups: (a) Anthoglossa, treated as a subgenus of Paracolletes by Michener (1965Michener ( , 2007; (b) the diphaglossine tribe Dissoglottini (particularly the genus Mydrosomella Michener which contains small species 'with the superficial appearance of some Paracolletini' (Michener 1986b).…”