Alice Springs Bees

Alice Springs Fauna •

Alice Springs and Central Australia is home to a number of native bees, that vary in size and appearance, to the popularly recognised large Amegilla bees, tiny bush bees (Austroplebeia), the colourful Xanthesma, the distinctive red eyes of the Megachile aurifrons and the red-headed Hylaeus ruficeps, just to name a few of the native bees.

Alice Springs Native Bees

As well as varying in size and colour, many of the Alice Springs native bees have a preferance to specific genus/species of plants. For more information on the native bees, check out the following listed bees.

Alice Springs Bees Index

Click the images to see more information on the listed native bees sighted here in Alice Springs, Central Australia.

Amegilla chlorocyanea bee, Alice Springs Desert Park, NT — Amegilla Blue-banded Bee (*Amegilla chlorocyanea*)

Hylaeus albonitens, Alice Springs, NT — Bright-white Masked Bee (*Hylaeus albonitens*)

Austroplebeia australis, Alice Springs, NT — Bush Bee (*Austroplebeia australis*)

Ceylalictus perditellus, Alice Springs NT — Native Perditellus Halictid Bee (*Ceylalictus perditellus*)

Desert Reed Bee (Exoneurella eremophila), Alice Springs NT — Desert Reed Bee (*Exoneurella eremophila*)

Golden-browed Resin Bee (Megachile aurifrons) capping the nest — Golden-browed Resin Bee (*Megachile aurifrons*)

Genus Homalictus, most likely Species Homalictus urbanus, Alice Springs, NT — Emerald Homalictus (*Homalictus urbanum*)

Deceased Lasioglossum (Homalictus), Alice Springs NT — Sweat and Furrow Bees (*Lasioglossum Homalictus*)

Lasioglossum (Parasphecodes), Alice Springs NT — Halictid Bee (*Lasioglossum Parasphecodes*)

Genus Lipotriches - native bee, Alice Springs NT — Sweat Bees / Lipotriches Bee (*Lipotriches*)

Megachile (Rhodomegachile) deanii, Alice Springs NT — *Megachile (Rhodomegachile) deanii*

Red-headed Masked Bee (Hylaeus ruficeps), Alice Springs NT — Red-headed Masked Bee (*Hylaeus ruficeps*)

Reed Bee (Braunsapis sp), Alice Springs NT — Reed Bee (*Braunsapis sp*)

family Stenotritidae, genus Stenotritus, Alice Springs NT — family *Stenotritidae*, genus *Stenotritus*

Superfamily Euryglossinae, genus Xanthesma (Xenohesma) female, Alice Springs NT — Superfamily *Euryglossinae*, genus *Xanthesma (Xenohesma)*

European Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) / Gossypium sturtianum (Sturt's Desert Rose), Alice Springs, NT — European Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) – introduced species

Alice Springs BeesAmegilla Bee Braunsapis sp Bright-white Masked Bee Bush Bee Ceylalictus perditellus European Honey Bee Exoneurella eremophila Golden-browed Resin Bee Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) eremaean Lasioglossum (Homalictus) Lasioglossum (Homalictus) on Eucalyptus orbifolia Lasioglossum (Homalictus) dotatum Lasioglossum (Homalictus) urbanum Lasioglossum (Parasphecodes) Lipotriches Megachile deanii Red-headed Masked Bee Stenotritidae genus Stenotritus Xanthesma (Xenohesma)

The following scientific grouping/listing of the bees listed above:

Genus Amegilla (Notomegilla)
Genus Braunsapis
Genus Hylaeus (Gnathoprosopis)
Genus Austroplebeia, species Austroplebeia australis
Genus Exoneurella, species Exoneurella eremophila
Genus Ceylalictus, species Ceylalictus perditellus
Genus Hylaeus (Euprosopoides), species Hylaeus ruficeps
Genus Lasioglossum (Chilalictus), species Lasioglossum eremaean
Genus Lasioglossum (Homalictus), species Homalictus urbanus
Genus Lasioglossum (Homalictus)
Genus Lasioglossum (Parasphecodes)
Genus Lipotriches
Genus Megachile, species Megachile aurifrons
Genus Megachile (Rhodomegachile), species Megachile deanii
Family Stenotritidae, genus Stenotritus
Genus Xanthesma, subgenus Xanthesma (Xenohesma)
Genus Apis, species Apis mellifera

Alice Springs European Honey Bee

As well as native bees, the European Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) is a common sight in Alice Springs, used in the locally produced honey,

The European Honey Bee (also known as the Western Honey Bee) ranges in size from 13-16 mm and are usually recognised by the yellow and black abdominal banding and fine visible hairs all over the body. Their antennae are slightly longer than their head and they have light brown to transparent wings with dark veins. There may be some slight variation in colour, depending on the age of the bee (worker bees can lose their hairs over time) and also feral honey bees can be slightly darker in colour — you can read our page Dark Apis mellifera.

Most of us would be able to identify the European Honey Bee, but if you are not sure, following are some images of the European Honey Bee.

If you have seen and photographed any species of native bees here in Alice Springs and Central Australia, we would welcome your photos and where they were taken to expand our content for the benefit of all. Your name will appear as the copyright holder of the image.

You can contact us through this website and Facebook Ausemade.

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
(unranked): Unicalcarida
Suborder: Apocrita
Superfamily: Apoidea
Clade: Anthophila
Families:
- Andrenidae
- Apidae
- Colletidae
- Halictidae
- Megachilidae
- Melittidae
- Stenotritidae
Synonyms: Apiformes (from Latin ‘apis’)