Bees (Hymenoptera, Apiformes)

Add a sighting Subscribe View significant View unverified

An introduction to Australian Native Bees can be found here:

https://www.aussiebee.com.au/beesinyourarea.html

The identification of bees from photographs can be difficult as tiny details on the animals have to be seen. Michael Batley, our moderator for bees has begun a trial identification tool for bees. The test groups are Megachilid bees and Hylaeine bees found in the Sydney basin and Blue Mountains.

If you want to try the identification tools, the addresses for the two groups are below:-

Megachilid bees

Hylaeine bees

Bees (Hymenoptera, Apiformes)

Latest sightings

Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) sp. (genus & subgenus) at Holder, ACT - Yesterday by Miranda

Unverified Bee (Hymenoptera, Apiformes) at Wodonga, VIC - Yesterday by KylieWaldon

Apis mellifera (European honey bee) at Campbell, ACT - 4 Oct 2025 by LineMarie

Apis mellifera (European honey bee) at West Wodonga, VIC - 7 Oct 2025 by KylieWaldon

Tetragonula carbonaria (Stingless bee) at Bargo, NSW - 4 Oct 2025 by Snows

Unverified Bee (Hymenoptera, Apiformes) at Overland Corner, SA - 30 Sep 2025 by AlisonMilton

Amphylaeus morosus at Braemar, NSW - 7 Oct 2025 by Curiosity

Apis mellifera (European honey bee) at Cooma, NSW - 7 Oct 2025 by mahargiani

Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) lanarium by clarehoneydove

Megachile (Hackeriapis) canifrons at Hall, ACT - 6 Oct 2025 by Anna123

Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) sp. (genus & subgenus) (Halictid bee) at Symonston, ACT - 4 Oct 2025 by RodDeb

Apis mellifera at Lorne, NSW - 5 Oct 2025 by Butlinz

Xylocopa (Lestis) aerata at Kangaroo Valley, NSW - 5 Oct 2025 by lbradley

Hylaeus (Hylaeorhiza) nubilosus (A yellow-spotted masked bee) at Hall, ACT - 4 Oct 2025 by Anna123

Apis mellifera (European honey bee) at Wodonga, VIC - 4 Oct 2025 by KylieWaldon

Unverified Bee (Hymenoptera, Apiformes) by Miranda

Apis mellifera (European honey bee) at Campbell, ACT - 3 Oct 2025 by Hejor1

Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) sp. (genus & subgenus) at Richardson, ACT - 3 Oct 2025 by KaiDewPHD

Apis mellifera (European honey bee) at Lanitza, NSW - 25 Sep 2025 by Carolina

Apis mellifera at Kungala, NSW - 1 Oct 2025 by donnanchris

Hylaeus (Gnathoprosopoides) bituberculatus (Hylaeine colletid bee) at Hall, ACT - 27 Sep 2025 by Anna123

Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) sp. (genus & subgenus) (Halictid bee) at Dickson, ACT - 30 Sep 2025 by Hejor1

Lipotriches sp. (genus) (Halictid bee) at Dickson, ACT - 30 Sep 2025 by Hejor1

Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) sp. (genus & subgenus) at Karabar, NSW - 29 Sep 2025 by Harrisi

Apis mellifera (European honey bee) at Ainslie, ACT - 29 Sep 2025 by Hejor1

Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) sp. (genus & subgenus) (Halictid bee) at Ainslie, ACT - 29 Sep 2025 by Hejor1

Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) lanarium (Halictid bee) at Ainslie, ACT - 29 Sep 2025 by Hejor1

Unverified Bee (Hymenoptera, Apiformes) at The Whiteman, NSW - 27 Sep 2025 by geoffcrispin

Exoneura sp. (genus) at Mount Kembla, NSW - 28 Sep 2025 by BackyardHabitatProject

Lipotriches (Austronomia) phanerura at Mount Kembla, NSW - 28 Sep 2025 by BackyardHabitatProject

Xylocopa (Lestis) aerata (Golden-Green Carpenter Bee) at Mount Kembla, NSW - 28 Sep 2025 by BackyardHabitatProject

Exoneura sp. (genus) (A reed bee) at Canyonleigh, NSW - 26 Sep 2025 by blacksheep

Apis mellifera (European honey bee) at Wodonga, VIC - 27 Sep 2025 by KylieWaldon

Apis mellifera (European honey bee) at Morton Plains, VIC - 26 Jan 2015 by WendyEM

Unverified Bee (Hymenoptera, Apiformes) at Lanitza, NSW - 27 Sep 2025 by Carolina

Unverified Bee (Hymenoptera, Apiformes) at The Pilliga, NSW - 25 Sep 2025 by HelenCross

Apiformes (informal group) at Morton Plains, VIC - 25 Apr 2013 by WendyEM

Unverified Bee (Hymenoptera, Apiformes) at Bilinga, QLD - 24 Sep 2025 by Miranda

Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) lanarium (Halictid bee) at Cook, ACT - 22 Sep 2025 by CathB

Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) hemichalceum at Acton, ACT - 21 Sep 2025 by TimL

Apis mellifera (European honey bee) at Watson, ACT - 21 Sep 2025 by rhyshardy

Exoneura sp. (genus) (A reed bee) at Gundaroo, NSW - 19 Sep 2025 by Gunyijan

Lasioglossum (Parasphecodes) sp. (genus & subgenus) (Halictid bee) at Yarralumla, ACT - 19 Sep 2025 by SimoneS

Apis mellifera (European honey bee) at Tharwa, ACT - 19 Sep 2025 by ChrisHolder

Exoneurella lawsoni at Belconnen, ACT - 18 Sep 2025 by TimL

Lasioglossum (Parasphecodes) sp. (genus & subgenus) at Wodonga, VIC - 17 Sep 2025 by KylieWaldon

Apis mellifera (European honey bee) at Melbourne, VIC - 18 Sep 2025 by Hejor1

Apis mellifera (European honey bee) at Wodonga, VIC - 17 Sep 2025 by KylieWaldon

Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) sp. (genus & subgenus) (Halictid bee) at Harrison, ACT - 27 Oct 2021 by AndyRoo

Unverified Bee (Hymenoptera, Apiformes) at Holder, ACT - 14 Sep 2025 by Miranda

Trichocolletes orientalis (Colletid bee) at Acton, ACT - 14 Sep 2025 by TimL

Trichocolletes orientalis (Colletid bee) at Hall, ACT - 13 Sep 2025 by Anna123

Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) sp. (genus & subgenus) (Halictid bee) at Hall, ACT - 13 Sep 2025 by Anna123

Apiformes (informal group) at Kingsvale, NSW - 13 Sep 2025 by BCTbluebucket

Apis mellifera at West Wodonga, VIC - 9 Sep 2025 by KylieWaldon

Xylocopa (Koptortosoma) sp. (genus) by Gaylesp8

Lasioglossum (Parasphecodes) sp. (genus & subgenus) (Halictid bee) at Higgins, ACT - 9 Sep 2025 by AlisonMilton

Moderators

MichaelMulvaney

Amata

DiBickers

KylieWaldon

Zestin

become a moderator

Announcements

There are currently no announcements.

Discussion

Snows wrote:

4 hrs ago

Thanks @Curiosity ,hope they are useful

Tetragonula carbonaria

Curiosity wrote:

8 Oct 2025

Nice sighting, @Snows! A female with good detail of the structure on her hind legs for collecting pollen.

Tetragonula carbonaria

PeterA wrote:

7 Oct 2025

I think - a male.

Megachile (Hackeriapis) canifrons

PeterA wrote:

29 Sep 2025

Second look - the dull thorax, dark legs and mark on T1 make L. hemichalceum more likely.

Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) hemichalceum

KylieWaldon wrote:

27 Sep 2025

wow. that is so interesting MichaelM. They are so much bigger than most of the native bees that when I see them together they just seem to come in a push the native ones out of the way. But whether the native bees would polinate fruit trees or veggies I don't know, and I do like fruit and veg. Kylie TY :)

Apis mellifera