Stony Range RBG FaunaAustralian Bush Turkey Australian Magpie Myrmecia nigrocincta Pittosporum Leaf Beetle Red-tipped Crab Spider Stingless Bee Tetragonula sp Tiger Spider
One of the largest genera of stingless bees, the native bee Tetragonula were previously called Trigona sp, and are also commonly known as Stingless Bees, Sweat Bees, Sugarbag Bees.
A small black bee, with some species showing colour variation (as pictured). The stingless bee at Stony Range Regional Botanic Garden have a white/grey head and metallic green abdomen and have been ID as species Tetragonula carbonaria.
The nests are made from a mixture of wax, gums and resins (usually sourced from shrubs and trees). They are often found nesting in tree hollows, wooden outdoor furniture, buildings and even on steel supports.
These Native Bees are good pollinators of many native plants. Tetragonula bees are active all year round, although during the cooler periods, they are less active.
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Subphylum: Hexapoda
- Class: Insecta
- Informal: Pterygotes
- Order: Hymenoptera
- Superfamily: Apoidea
- Informal: Apiformes
- Family: Apidae
- Subfamily: Apinae
- Tribe: Meliponini
- Genus: Tetragonula
- Species: Tetragonula carbonaria
Many thanks to Dan Smailes who told us that these bees were locally rescued colonies (T. carbonaria) that we relocated into Stony Range Botanical Gardens & Native Bees Sanctuary – Sydney Native Bee Rescue
Footnote & References
- Tetragonula Moure, 1961, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/Tetragonula
- Stingless Bees (Tetragonula & Austroplebeia), Aussie Bee, https://www.aussiebee.com.au/tetragonula-and-austroplebeia.html
- Trigona sp., James Cook University Australia, https://www.jcu.edu.au/discover-nature-at-jcu/animals/miscellaneous-fauna/Trigona-sp.
- Native Stingless Bee – Trigona carbonaria, Brisbane Insects and Spiders, https://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_bees/StinglessBees.htm
- Trigona, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigona (last visited Oct. 5, 2022).
Stony Range RBG FaunaAustralian Bush Turkey Australian Magpie Myrmecia nigrocincta Pittosporum Leaf Beetle Red-tipped Crab Spider Stingless Bee Tetragonula sp Tiger Spider
Stony Range Regional Botanic GardenStony Range RBG Fauna Stony Range RBG Flora
New South WalesNew South Wales Fauna New South Wales Flora Barunguba Montague Island Blue Mountains Bourke Bundeena Central Coast Kosciuszko National Park Lower North Shore Lightning Ridge Mount Kaputar National Park Northern Beaches Sapphire Coast Snowy Mountains Region South Coast Stony Range Regional Botanic Garden Sydney