Australian Native Bees

How many species of native bees are in Australia?

• 700

• 1000

• 1700

• 2500

Commercial honey bees (Apis mellifera) are not native to Australia. When where they introduced?

• 1805

• 1822

• 1828

• 1832

Australian native bees can be the following colours:

• Black, yellow

• Black, yellow, red

• Black, yellow, red, metallic green

• Black, yellow, red, metallic green, blue polka dots

What is Australia's smallest native bee?

• Quasihesma

• Great Carpenter

• Tetragonula hogingsi

• Tetragonula carbonaria

Most Australian native bees are solitary. How many species are there that are social?

• 5

• 11

• 200

• 315

The Tetragonula bees were previously called Trigona. Why was their name changed?

• The genus Trigona includes over 100 species.

• DNA shows that the Trigona bees in our region were sufficiently different from others.

• Someone needed to systematically review all the species in the whole genus.

• All of the above.

In which part of Australia are stingless bees found?

• Queensland

• Queensland, Northern areas of WA & NT

• North East NSW

• Queensland, Northern areas of WA & NT, North East NSW

Stingless bees can be excellent pollinators of certain crops in Australia.

• They are particularly useful for macadamias, mangoes and watermelons.

• They are particularly useful for strawberries, citrus, avocados and lychees.

• They are particularly useful for crops grown inside greenhouses.

• All of the above

Which of the following is NOT a book on native bees?

• John Klumpp, 'Australian Stingless Bees'

• Chris Brown, 'Swarming of Australian Native Bees'

• Tim Heard, 'The Australian Native Bee Book'

• Anne Dollin, Introduction to Australian Native Bees

One of these tips will not help you plan your Bee-Friendly garden.

• Select plants that flower in spring.

• Select flowers with a variety of colours and shapes.

• Plant a group of each flower species.

• Select plants that provide nesting materials for the bees too.

• Avoid insecticides.