Paperbark native bees

09/01/2026

Love getting behind Invertebrates Australia and the Invasive Species Council's Bug Hunt project and uploading my photos of bees and all sorts of bugs into iNaturalist.org! It creates such a fantastic record of your own sightings, and helps contribute valuable info to scientists and conservation managers.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-09/qld-bug-hunt-insects-photos-research-citizen-scientists/106171252

https://bughunt.org.au/

04/01/2026

Check out those eyes! 😍 I've only once spotted a sweet little Australian Small Carpenter Bee (Ceratina australensis), at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan (Dharawal Country, NSW).

Females make nests in the stems of pithy plants. I'm enjoying reading 'Native Bees of Australia - a Comprehensive guide' by Bernhard Jacobi (2025) at the moment, and he notes that sometimes two females will share a nest. One lays the eggs and gathers food provisions, while the other takes the role of nest guard.

Loving uploading my bee and bug sightings to iNaturalist in support of Bug Hunt, a national citizen science project led by the Invasive Species Council and Invertebrates Australia, with support from the Australian Geographic Awards for Nature program.

18/11/2025

Help create the first springtime snapshot of bugs across Australia!
Join Week, Nov 17–23.

Add your photos of native bees and all the cool critters you see while bee spotting (other insects, spiders, worms and snails!) to iNaturalist and join the Bug Hunt Australia project.

Every photo helps protect native wildlife and spot invasive species early — one bug at a time!

· Visit: https://bughunt.org.au/bugs-in-my-backyard-week/ and subscribe for updates & info about prizes
· Download the iNaturalist App and join the Bug Hunt Australia project at https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/bug-hunt-australia



Invasive Species Council, Invertebrates Australia, Australian Geographic

30/10/2025

Lovely article about planting for native bees in the Illawarra!

Garden designer Narelle Happ shares three plants to bring in the bees

14/09/2025

Baking isn't quite my forte🤣, but I had to enter some native bees in the Threatened Species Bake Off!

Golden-green Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa aerate) are listed as threatened in South Australia and extinct in Victoria.

We’re lucky to have them here on the South Coast of NSW, and they are one of the bees I get most excited about spotting!

Females are a stunning metallic green, while the males are a gorgeous metallic green and gold.

11/09/2025

Come say hi to the Illawarra Shoalhaven Branch - Australian Native Bee Association at the Illawarra Nature Festival on Saturday 13 Sept between 1pm and 5pm. Free tickets at https://events.humanitix.com/illawarra-nature-festival-2025

🐰💕Don’t miss it !
🌿
🐰💕Get your free ticket today
🌿
🐰💕Dr Amy-Marie Gilpin will be with us on our buzzing stall along with some of her Ecological Interactions Research Team from Western Sydney University to answer all your scientific bee questions
🌿
💕🐰Amy will also be speaking about ground nesting bees from 2pm - 2:15pm on Sat 13th
🌿
🐰💕ANBA informative stall with lots of
bee -autiful items for sale
🌿
💕🐰1pm - 5pm on Sat 13 Sept
🌿
🐰💕Buzz on down and say hello
🌿
💕
🐰
🌿
💕
🌿
🐰
#

05/09/2025

Cannot bee-lieve the first native solitary bee I've spotted this season landed on my 3D printed pollen models yesterday while I was talking about native bees to school students!

I'll bee back at Wollongong Botanic Garden from 12pm - 4pm today (Sat 6 Sept) with the Illawarra Shoalhaven Branch - Australian Native Bee Association as part of the Wollongong Botanic Garden Nature Shake Community Day - come along if you're in the Gong! https://wollongongbotanicgarden.com.au/bg-events/nature-shake

23/08/2025

Looking forward to being at Wollongong Botanic Garden's Nature Shake event on 6 Sept with the Illawarra Shoalhaven Branch - Australian Native Bee Association - come and say hi at our native bee activity tent from 12pm - 4pm!

https://wollongongbotanicgarden.com.au/bg-events/nature-shake

🐝 Buzz into the World of Native Bees!

Drop in for a fun and fascinating chat with members of the Australian Native Bee Association at Nature Shake on 6 September and discover the incredible world of native stingless bees — up close and in action!

Learn how these tiny pollinators play a big role in our environment, ask all your bee-related questions, and get inspired by their unique behaviours and habitats.

Plus, there’s something special for the kids: they can create their very own Blue Banded Bee wristband to take home as a buzzing reminder of the day!

Whether you're a curious nature lover or just keen to meet some friendly bees, this stall will get the whole family buzzing!

For more event updates, visit our website or jump over to our Nature Shake event on Facebook!



📷 Paperbark native bees

Nature Shake

02/08/2025

Loved everyone's buzzing enthusiasm to learn about native bees at Landcare Illawarra's Talking LandCare event last week!

Looking forward to sparking more curiosity about native bees for at Bundanon’s Science Symposium 'Hidden Messages from the Shoalhaven’s Ecologies' on 15 Aug.

Tickets at https://www.bundanon.com.au/whats-on/hidden-messages-science-symposium-2025/

23/07/2025

I'll bee at this event at Bundanon on Friday 15 Aug - check out the program and book your spot at https://www.bundanon.com.au/whats-on/hidden-messages-science-symposium-2025/

23/07/2025

Tomorrow night - 24 July! Bee there if you can. 🪷🌱🌸

Come join us on Thursday 24 July for a truly special Talking Landcare event about native pollinators 🐝🪰🦋 from 6pm at Foxground Fireshed, two amazing speakers and free supper provided. Sign up here: https://events.humanitix.com/talking-landcare-native-pollinators

14/07/2025

Great article about the free talk this Sunday 20 July at UOW with James Dorey!

When it comes to native bees, Illawarra folks have a bit of a hive mind; we all love them! The success of the recently launched Illawarra branch of the Australian Native Bee Association is proof of that. Lots of local families have gotten themselves...