Build it and they will come…

In recent years, with the publicity of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) of European Honey Bees in the Unites States of America and Europe, there has been increased research into native bee species. CCD is a term used to describe the mass disappearance of worker honey bees from the hive. The result is a breakdown of the colony and insufficient workers being present to maintain that colony. In America the cause of CCD has not been clearly identified although many reasons have been suggested, including infectious diseases, malnutrition, pesticides, mites (Varroa destructor), immunodeficiencies, bad beekeeping practices (antibiotic use, long-distance transportation of hives) and electromagnetic radiation. In Australia CCD has always been associated with the microsporidian Nosema apis but this is not the case in America. Where over 50% colony losses in their beekeeping operations have been reported for example 750,000 – 1,000,000 hives died between 2007-2008.

With no massive losses to hives in Australia, research into Native Bees has never the less been advancing. Of interest to me, in Western Sydney (between Parramatta and Lithgow) there are 200 different bee species, most are solitary and therefore do not suffer from colony collapse, because there are no colonies, they don’t produce honey in bulk, but the do provide a massive source of pollination and are therefore of great interest to agriculture. Who knew – not me! It’s a whole new world for me…In NSW we have Carpenter bees, Reed bees, Blue banded bees, Teddy bear bees, Leafcutter bees, Resin bees, Masked bees and Homalictus bees, the diversity is amazing, the different niches are fascinating…and niches are every where -Yellow, Black and Green Carpenter bees are not always welcome in some residencies because as the name might imply they build their nest is decking, carports, porches as well as trees, but curiously of these 200 local species 70% live in the ground.

Carpenter bees, Blue banded bees and Teddy bear bees are capable of a special behaviour known as buzz pollination, which is ideal for the flowers of tomatoes, capsicums, eggplants and chilli peppers. Good plants for attracting native bees include (not so amazingly) Australian natives especially Abelia grandiflora,

Angophora spp, Baekea spp, Buddleja davidii, Callistemon spp, Eucalyptus spp, some Grevillea spp, Hardenbergia violacea, Leptospermum spp, Melaleuca spp and Westringia spp. As well as introduced herbs like basil, sage and lavender. Ideally, you need lots of different kinds of flowers that bloom during the different seasons, so there is always something available to the bees on any given day. Not all nectar and pollen is equally nutritious, so a variety is important for a healthy bee diet. The greater diversity of flowers you plant the better. Native bees generally have a much shorter foraging range than honey bees, so you can’t assume they will nest in your yard but get their pollen and nectar somewhere else.

We do however have a native honey bees (Tetragonula carbonaria previously Classified as Trigona carbonaria) in the Sydney region that does create colonies and is now much demand with enthusiasts. It is better adapted to warm climates, so the bad news, for me anyway, is that they don’t survive the cold winters of the Upper Blue Mountains. Hazelbrook is about the limit of their range, even there the climate is marginal for these stingless ‘sugar-bag’ bees, so that boxed hives need to be carefully sited and managed. Harvesting excessive honey from hives is not recommended in these areas as the bees will not fly at temperatures below 18 °C, so they need the honey they collect during summer to survive the long winter months.

Tetragonula carbonaria  are a tiny 3 – 5 mm, black and are considered stingless along with only 9 other species, Australia wide. It has been said that all native bees are stingless but this is not the case. Like Honey bees a nest consists of a queen, drones, and hundreds of worker bees. In the wild they usually nest inside hollow trees but in urban situations they may be found inside wall cavities or underneath concrete footpaths. Or you can create a bee box/hive. According to the web Elke Haege, sell Native Bees and hives for the Sydney region, her Tetragonula carbonaria are bred and acclimatized to the Sydney region. If your interested her
website is http://www.elkeh.com.au.

But as I have said where I live these bees would not survive so I am concentrating on solitary bees. They only lay a single egg at a time and therefore don’t fly around laden with pollen bags, one egg needs less food than a whole brood, but it does mean if you have lots of individual eggs hatching out there you need numerous individual rooms in your ‘hotel’. So if like me, you just want to add native bees into your garden’s diversity, you can create a bee ‘hotel’. Blue Mountain Mountains Organic Community Garden in Katoomba has one in Victoria Street if you want to check one out. Basically if you want to provide nest sites it can be bundle of bamboo canes or even drinking straws or a block of hardwood drilled with holes (4 mm up to 9 mm wide and about 150 mm deep). Different bee species are differing sizes hence the different sized holes. By autumn most adult solitary bees die, however, the developing young bees live on in their cells, emerging in the next spring to fly amongst the flowers and vegetables.

Bee ‘hotels’ should be at least a meter or so above the ground, ideally closer 2m. Individual bamboo bundles or wood blocks can be hung up using wire, while metal garden stakes with wood screws work well for holding larger wooden shelter boxes. Watch out for wasps, ants and spiders. Keep approaches to the nest lubricated with petroleum jelly, or a similar product, this makes it difficult for ants and spiders to keep their grip, and keep the immediate area around the nest clear of tall grass and weeds so ants and spiders cannot climb up directly onto the nest.

Then there are all those ground dwelling species to cater for. Apparently they prefer bare ground, not grassed or mulched. Not so much like my permie garden, so the answer is rammed earth inside besa bricks. Lay them both vertically and horizontally for different niches. For example the Blue banded bees (Amegilla spp) with most species 8–13 mm long like vertical surfaces, even old style mortar in between house bricks, whilst Teddy bear bees (also Amegilla spp) has most species 7–15 mm long build there brood holes in horizontal ground.

When my interest was first piqued I needed to get my head around knowing what is a native bee compared to a wasp or a fly? Well, firstly I discovered flies have only two wings whilst bees and wasps have four. Then whilst both bees and wasps will sip nectar from flowers, only bees feed their young with pollen collected from flowers, while wasps feed their young on insect or spider prey. So if you see an insect collecting pollen from a flower, it is a bee, if not it’s a wasp. You could say that bees are vegetarian, whilst wasps are carnivorous. Now I keep a hand lens in my pocket and I have discovered a whole new world out there. I hope you do too!