Native Stingless Bee Care

The basics about stingless bees, where they do well, how to look after them and what to look out for.

Finding a good location

Native hives don't do well in the cold. This is why their native range doesn't stretch that far South or inland.

They do best in a spot that is sunny all day in winter but only gets morning sun in summer.

This is because full midday sun on a 40 degrees summer day can melt and kill a hive. For those extra hot summer days, a damp towel placed over a hive is a good precaution.

Therefore, the perfect spot has sun exposure to the east and north but has cover overhead (such as a tree) that blocks the sun during midday. The sun in winter sits lower in the sky, the overhead cover should be high enough to let it pass directly underneath.

I usually find that attaching a hive to the north side of a tree, and facing the hive North-East is a great spot.

Moving a Hive

Native bees know exactly where their hive is. If you move them even a meter, many of the bees will go to where their hive use to be, and will die.

However, if you wait until all the bees are inside (such as at night, or on a rainy day) and move them over 1 km away, they won't recognise the new area and will actually learn the new location!

After a few months at a new location all the forager bees will be replaced by new recruits, at this point you can move them back to the old area but in a different spot, as none of these new recruits will be familiar with the old area.

Alternatively, a hive can be moved about half a meter every day until you reach the target spot (but don't change the direction the hive is facing!)

Pests to lookout for

There are many native bee pests and predators, but there's only a couple you can help fight against, the rest is up to nature.

Spiders

Spiders love building their webs in front of native hives and they can catch a LOT of bees! It's a good idea to remove the webs and spider if possible.

Phorid flies

These are tiny little flies that try to dash in the entrance of native hives and lay eggs in there, if successful they can sometimes kill even well established hives. Extending the entrance using a tube or entrance funnel can help, but a vinegar trap may be necessary in extreme attacks

Hive syrphid flies

These flies are much bigger and look like wasps (they're a wasp mimic). They like to lay their eggs in the cracks between boxes letting the larvae wiggle their way into the hive. Using tape we can seal up these cracks, preventing them from causing any issues.

Other tips

Scorching hot days can melt a hive, on the hottest days of the year placing extra shade or a damp towel over the hive can help a lot. However, for normal days and winter you want to keep hives as warm as possible, so avoid spraying them with water!

For colder areas where winter can potentially kill a hive, it is a good idea to set up a hive on a sunny window sill! You can use tubing to direct the bees outside.

Bees will usually swarm a couple times a year. This is nothing to worry about, they are most likely either fighting, or mating a new queen. They are harmless to people and in both cases the hive is unlikely to die, although you may have new occupants! (in the case that a foreign hive won the fight)

Pesticides and soapy water kill bees, so avoid using those around your hive!

When harvesting honey, try using a syringe and avoid getting pollen in the honey. Pollen will cause honey to ferment quite quickly.

General Native Bee Facts

Australia is home to around 2,000 species of native bees, ranging from tiny stingless bees to large, metallic-blue carpenter bees. These bees play a vital role in pollination, supporting ecosystems and agriculture. Unlike the introduced European honeybee (Apis mellifera), which forms large colonies, most Australian native bees are solitary.

Solitary vs. Colony-Forming Native Bees

Colony-Forming Bees (Stingless Bees)
Only 11 species of Australian native bees, all from the Tetragonula and Austroplebeia genera, live in colonies. They:
- Lack a sting
- Build waxy, spiral-shaped brood structures.
- Are excellent pollinators for crops like macadamias and watermelons.
- Produce small amounts of medicinally valuable honey ("sugarbag honey").
Solitary Bees (Majority of Species)
Around 90% of native bees are solitary. Each female builds her own nest, lays eggs, and provides food for her offspring. Some well-known examples include:
- Blue-banded bees (Amegilla spp.) – Vibrant bees that perform buzz pollination.
- Resin bees (Megachile spp.) – Use plant resin to construct their nests.
- Carpenter bees (Xylocopa spp.) – Tunnel into wood to create their nests.

Threats to Native Bees

Despite their ecological importance, native bees face several threats:

Habitat Destruction – Urban expansion, deforestation, and agriculture reduce nesting sites and food sources.
Pesticides and Herbicides – Chemicals used in farming and gardening can kill bees or disrupt their navigation and reproduction.
Competition from European Honeybees – Introduced honeybees compete with native bees for floral resources and nesting spaces. Honeybee hives in the wild can outcompete native bees and alter ecosystems.
Climate Change – Changes in temperature and rainfall patterns affect flowering times and bee populations.
Diseases and Pests – While Australia is free from some devastating bee diseases, pathogens could spread from managed honeybee colonies to native bees.

Competition with European Honeybees

The European honeybee, introduced in the 1800s, is often seen as a rival to native pollinators because:

It competes for nectar and pollen, sometimes depleting resources before native bees can access them.
It may rob nectar from flowers without pollinating them.
Honeybees can displace native bees from nesting sites, especially in tree hollows.
They may increase the spread of pathogens and parasites, affecting native bee health.

Despite these issues, honeybees are critical for many agricultural crops, meaning that balancing their presence with native bee conservation is crucial.

The Importance of Native Bees in Farming

While honeybees are widely used for crop pollination, native bees offer unique benefits:

Buzz Pollination – Blue-banded bees and carpenter bees vibrate flowers to release pollen more efficiently than honeybees. This benefits tomatoes, eggplants, and blueberries.
Pollination with a mix of both european honey bees and native stingless bees has proven to provide better fruit set than just one or the other
More Effective Pollinators – Native bees can visit flowers more frequently and transfer more pollen per visit than honeybees.
Diverse Pollination Strategies – Different native bee species specialize in different flowers, ensuring broader pollination success.

Encouraging native bees in farming areas can improve crop yields and biodiversity.

How to Help Native Bees

Plant Native Flowers – Provide year-round nectar and pollen sources.
Avoid Pesticides – Use natural alternatives or apply chemicals outside bee activity hours.
Provide Nesting Sites – Leave dead wood, bare ground, or install bee hotels for solitary bees.
Protect Native Bushland – Support conservation efforts to maintain wild bee populations.

By understanding and supporting native bees, we help protect Australia's biodiversity and secure the future of sustainable pollination.

Honey

Native stingless bee honey is known for its potent antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, low GI, high-levels of antioxidants, and for having a particularly unique range of flavours.

The difference in flavour between stingless bees and european honey bees is due to two main differences in how they process and store nectar:

The honey is stored in pots made of wax and resin. Over time flavours from the resin make their way into the honey, much like the process of aging wine in an oak barrel. The type of resin the bee collects and how long the honey is stored can dramatically affect the flavour (this is also where a lot of the antimicrobial properties come from).
Native bees convert the sugars found in nectar into a low glyceamic sugar called trehalose that is also less sweet.