Teddy bear bees

[Bundalene]

Has anyone come across the Teddy Bear bee, an Australian native bee which is about double the size of the European bee. They have distinctive orange bands along their abdomen. The bees fly similarly to a blow fly, hovering in a spot for a few seconds and then moving to another. I have read that they do not have a stinger.

Google Image Result for http://www.aussiebee.com.au/Images/teddy-bear-bee-2.jpg (http://images.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.aussiebee.com.au/Images/teddy-bear-bee-2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.aussiebee.com.au/teddy_bear_bee.html&usg=__5HS54AIr0Ox6ek7PqoEV2Q4RjR0=&h=279&w=326&sz=56&hl=en&start=14&sig2=VzsmCFYAjIWuiRFN-76WQw&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=Wbj2WVDl0tAs1M:&tbnh=101&tbnw=118&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dteddy%2Bbear%2Bbees%26um%3D1%26hl%3De n%26sa%3DX%26rlz%3D1W1ADRA_en%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=U-mNS4yFG4Hi7AP3-M3PCQ)


We have had a hive in our shed for about a month now. They have made their nest in the ground in a crack in the concrete against an old support post. and I find it fascinating watching them come and go. There can be up to a dozen around the entrance of the nest, first thing in the morning.

Pic downloaded off the net
http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/5874/teddybearbee11.jpg (http://img28.imageshack.us/i/teddybearbee11.jpg/)

To date I have been unable to get a photo.

Erich

[Chucaro]

Oh well, you have more pets now :)

[banjo]

We have had one flying around our shed lately it looks similar to that pic.
I stay well clear of it i thought it was a bumble bee.....

[Bundalene]

Does anyone know about these bees. We had them in our shed exactly a year ago, they stayed for about 6 weeks and then disappeared,


They have come back in the last few days. I am curious whether it may be the bees born here, coming back to nest again, or maybe there is a particular nectar in the garden that is around this time of the year.

It is hard to get a pic as they don't stay still for long enough.



Erich

[KarlB]

Here is not a bad place to start Erich: Amegilla bombiformis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia@@AMEPARAM@@/wiki/File:Big_Ol_Teddy_Bear_Bee.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Big_Ol_Teddy_Bear_Bee.jpg/220px-Big_Ol_Teddy_Bear_Bee.jpg"@@AMEPARAM@@commons/thumb/4/42/Big_Ol_Teddy_Bear_Bee.jpg/220px-Big_Ol_Teddy_Bear_Bee.jpg

Cheers
KarlB
:)

[KarlB]

You will find some diagnostic images here: http://www.padil.gov.au/viewPestDiagnosticImages.aspx?id=2781 (http://www.padil.gov.au/viewPestDiagnosticImages.aspx?id=2781)

You will also find information on the net under the name: Amegilla (Asaropoda) bombiformis.

Cheers
KarlB
:)

[cookiesa]

Hmm, will have to look closer we seem to have huge bees in Tas

[KarlB]

Hmm, will have to look closer we seem to have huge bees in Tas

You have Bumble Bees in Tasmania. These are nasty exotic pest species.
Can find info here: http://apps.internal.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/intranet/showspecies.pl'taxon_id=78168
and here: PaDIL - Fact Sheet (http://www.padil.gov.au/viewPest.aspx?id=455)


Cheers
KarlB
:)

[cookiesa]

Very informative, thanks!

[KarlB]

I didn't mean to post the first web page. It is an internal one at my workplace with no public access. Sorry. What I mean to post was this: http://www.padil.gov.au/viewPestDiagnosticImages.aspx?id=455

Cheers
KarlB
:(

[jackz]

had a couple on one of our tea-trees last week, along with a bunch of dark blue wasp looking things... God knows what they were!!!!!:eek: