Masked bee

Description:

A tiny solitary native bee (10mm long); all shiny black except for bright yellow shoulders and backpack.

Habitat:

SE coastal Australia, open dry sclerophyll forest mainly eucalyptus

Notes:

This tiny bee was visiting a mallee root checking the tiny holes in the very hard wood. Possibly looking for an ideal nesting site. They build a solitary style nest. Very poor lighting. Bad focus.