A Stunning Aussie Bee

Paul Hadley

The autumn morning was spectacular in the western suburbs of Sydney. It gave us some reprieve from the ‘lockdown blues’ we were experiencing. The Abelia shrub in the front garden was in full bloom and the sound of bees could be heard coming from it.

The sight of the European honey bees busy at work was great to see but a louder, more prominent buzz could be heard above the drone of the others. It was the flash of iridescent blue banding that stunned me.

This bee was similar in size and structure to the other bees but was a louder, a more spectacular bee in every sense. How could I have never noticed this type of bee before? Where was it from?

I was surprised to find that this is an Australian beauty, dispelling my ignorant view that Aussie bees were diminutive, not as striking as other ‘international’ bees. It is a solitary bee that exhibits ‘buzz pollination’ when it collects the pollen from the flowers. I feel privileged to have discovered the blue-banded bee.