Australian Native Bees - AmazingBees | for everyone interested in bees and beekeeping

Despite the wide range of native bee species we rely on crop pollination by European Honeybees introduced to Australia from Europe.

Most of the food plants for us and our animal stock, like Broccoli, Carrots, Peas, Beans, Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Strawberries, Cherries, Almonds, Apples, Apricots, Pears, Sunflowers, Canola, Cucumber, Pumpkins, Melons, Zucchini etc. have been introduced to Australia by the European settlers. These plants do not naturally occur in Australia.

European Honeybees are the natural pollinators for these crops as well as for the flowers we have also imported, therefore they are best suited for pollinating these plants.

Although Australian Native Bees can be found in most of Australia's diverse habitats, not all of them are suitable for crop pollination as they are not living in large colonies, most native bees are solitary bees.

As we grow our crops in large concentrated areas we also need large numbers of pollinating bees in those areas when required, which can only bee achieved when larger bee colonies, kept in beehives, can be transported.

And then there is the honey; mankind has had an interest in European Honeybees for thousands of years for their honey. As the honeybees originate from cooler climates they have developed the ability to gather and store great amounts of honey during the warm season to survive through the cold season. Bees from warm climates store very little honey if at all. And what is the reward for beekeeping without the honey?

Australian stingless bees only store about 1 kg of honey per year in their hives. A small niche industry is starting in Australia with this tangy 'Sugarbag honey'. However, the stingless bees cannot produce enough honey to supply Australia's large scale commercial needs. In comparison, in a good year here in Australia European Honeybees can produce a surplus of 70 to 100 kg honey in their hive.

Of the 1,600 species of wild bees native to Australia about 14 species are stingless.

Some Stingless Bees have been "cultivated", i.e. kept in boxes which can be brought to the fields for pollination. Australian Stingless Bees however live only in the warmer climates and the number of hives being kept by beekeepers at present is limited.

Stingless bees are starting to be used for crop pollination of crops such as Macadamia and Avocado in Queensland and northern NSW. However, the vast majority of crop pollination in Australia is done by European honeybees.

Blue-banded bees (Amegilla cingulata) are native to Australia and are solitary insects. They are eye-catching because of their shimmering blueish colour and because they can often be seen hovering over a flower. They typically build their nests in sandstone, mud or the mortar-gaps in the brickwork of houses.

Kin Kin Native Bees are producers of hives of two species of native stingless bees, Tetragonula carbonaria and Tetragonula hockingsi. These hives are available for rental to commercial orchardists and for sale to the general public when available. Availability of hives is generally seasonal.