Native Bees

Dr Tim Heard, Research Scientist, talks about the design of an Australian native beehive, suitable for many species, especially Tetragonula carbonaria and Tetragonula hockingsi. It is designed for propagation and honey extraction.

Internal Architecture of the Nest of the Australian native bee Tetragonula carbonaria.

In this video, Dr Tim Heard, Research Scientist, has opened a hive to show you the various structures found naturally.

Dr Tim Heard, Research Scientist, shows how to split (propagate) an Australian native beehive, showing Tetragonula carbonaria as the example.

Dr Tim Heard, Research Scientist, explains how to extract honey from an Australian Native Beehive.

From the CSIRO site: "Think of a bee. You’re probably imagining a fuzzy yellow and black thing with a little stinger helping pollinate things. Well done! That’s a great description of the European honeybee, Apis mellifera, but try and imagine another bee… How about a native Aussie bee. Any ideas? No? Well, buckle up, buttercup, we’re going on a wild native bee-hunting ride. "

A Tool for Studying Australian Native Bees

Would you like to identify a bee or other insect you've seen in your garden?

First ask these three questions:

• Is it really a bee?
• Is it a Native bee?
• What type of Native bee is it?