Ask First

"Ever seen a blue bee?". Thats what my coworker said to me the other day and to be honest, the photos really dont do the little guy any justice. In the sunlight he shines a dark metallic blue colour. Even though he is a little beaten up (he must have been caught in the leaf litter while it was being raked out, so he has lost some legs and a wing), he is still quite beautiful. There were a heap of them buzzing around in the skate park in a large group, and I got a little worried. They didnt seem to be building a hive, however we do often get young children at the park on their tricycles, so I didnt want them poking around a potential bee hive. After some research and a quick email to the Agricultural Department, explaining my problem, I now know what this little guy is. He is a type of native bee Leioproctus sp. (Family: Collectidae). That is gibberish to most people, myself is almost included in this bracket. I was not given a common name, but am happy to just call this guy a Native Bee. They are a solitary bee, so they do not build hives. The group of them in the skate park, are essentially a bunch of bachelors, hanging out just waiting for a lovely lady bee to come along (an apparently they are quite beautiful too). So I didnt have play the role of toxic avenger as they will move on as they manage to hook up with a woman bee. The other reason I didnt have to spray, is they are very calm bees. Turns out only the introduced Honey Bee (the one we all know and can recognise), is aggressive and will sting when provoked. Native bees are very placid creatures. Some species dont even have stings at all, the ones that do will only sting under great duress. Hell, this little guy lost a wing and a couple of legs and still didnt attempt to sting anyone. Cool as a cucumber. For a person who is allergic to bee stings, these little guys are pretty epic in my books.