Stingless bee basics- Types of stingless bees Types of stingless bees most commonly kept One thing people might want to see is a few of the types of bees that people keep in boxes. Have a look in the video below as Dean Haley takes us for a tour inside some of his hives. …
Stingless bee basics- Monitoring bee hives Monitoring bee hives is one way to learn heaps more about your bees. From seeing queens do dances to new bees hatch. If you have the time I recommend installing a panel to see your bees. Check out the video to see inside some hives and a…
Interview with Ailton Fontana Ailton Fontana Recently I conducted an interview with Brazil’s very well respected stingless bee keeper Ailton Fontana. I asked him his story of how he got started and quizzed him about indigenous stingless bee keeping in Brazil. As a part of furthering knowledge, I wanted to interview people from…
Interview with Alan and John Waters Today I had the pleasure to meet with two long time stingless bee keepers who happen to be brothers, Alan and John Waters. Both Alan and John keep a variety of species including Tetragonula carbonaria, Tetragonula hockingsi and Austroplebia australis. Alan and John demonstrated a vertical…
Interview with Kevin Stiller Today I met with Kevin Stiller! Kevin is a man who I can tell has a lot of native bee knowledge. He has kept honey bees for 48 years and only recently given it away. His interest with native bees however remains strong and it shows. Kevin is retired…
Interview and lessons from Allan Beil Recently Dean and I went to visit Allan Beil. We spent a couple of days learning from this very kind, helpful man. Allan is a conservationist and has helped many scientists find the information they need about native bees. If you have read a scientific article…
Native Bee Resins Other Native bee Resins (Substitutes) A conversation with John Klumpp reminded me of all the odd things I have heard native bees collect. Here is a small list of odd things: Types of bitumen based products used in waterproofing and automotive Different types of grease Paints Blue-tac Silicone-based products Resins…
Native bees robbing mother hive Recently my friend Dean was out and about and discovered a Native bee hive that was starting a new colony. There is a bit of information out there that suggests when native bees are setting up a new hive, they send out the workers,…
Tetragonula Clypearis Tetragonula Clypearis are one of Australia’s smallest bees. I fell in love with this little bee at first sight. They are found all over cairns and the surrounding areas. They prefer to build in a house rather than a tree when given the option. Out of the 30 or so nests I saw…
Tetragonula Carbonaria Tetragonula Carbonaria are a small hardworking bee that is found along the east coast of Australia predominantly between Sydney and Rockhamton. Some colonies are reported as far south as Bega and as far north of Cooktown. They are slightly smaller than that of Tetragonula hockingsi and are a little more docile.…