Sugarbag Bees

Description:

Australia has around 12 species of native bees that live in hives and which do not sting! Common names for this species also include Native Stingless Bee, Australian Stingless Bee, and Sweat Bee. They are small (about 3-5 mm in length), compact, dark-coloured bees, and black with whitish hairs on the side of the thorax. The brood comb of this species is a characteristic horizontal spiral - http://www.wheenbeefoundation.org.au/imp... The entrance and surrounding areas of their nest are coated with a smooth, thick layer of black, red, or yellow cerumen, which is a material formed by mixing beeswax (a glandular secretion of worker bees) with propolis. They produce a unique type of tangy honey called ‘sugarbag’, but each hive can only produce a small amount (up to one kilogram) of honey per year. This honey has been shown to have substantial germ-killing and medicinal properties.

Habitat:

There were several man-made hive boxes scattered around the property. Mostly native vegetation - trees, shrubs, herbs, vines, etc. Semi-rural area in the Lockyer Valley, west of Brisbane. Usually found in the warmer northern and eastern areas of Australia.

Notes:

It is very difficult to get decent photos of these bees. They are so small, and lightning fast. I did enjoy watching them though. As I moved my camera closer to the hive entrance, they would hastily exit the nest and swarm around my hand, but once I moved away, they all flew quickly back to the hive and disappear within a second or two.