TetragonulaTetragonula carbonaria
Sugarbag Bee (Tetragonula carbonaria), previously known as Trigona carbonaria, is a stingless bee that is endemic to the north-east coast of Australia.
Sometimes known as Bush Bees that is known to pollinate orchid species, as well being identified as an insect that collects pollen from the cycad Cycas media.
Tetragonula carbonaria is a small to medium-sized bee, whose size can vary. It has been documented that the Queensland T. carbonaria is smaller then the same species in New South Wales.
They are also known for their reduced wing venation (the arrangement – number and position – of veins within an insect’s wing) and highly developed social structure that is comparable to the honey bees. T. carbonaria forms honeycombs in their nests, producing an edible honey (the whole nest is sometimes eaten by Indigenous Australians).
The following colony of Tetragonula carbonaria at Moonee Beach, NE NSW. There must be about 50 or more individuals in a small hollow in a red gum. A few of the Tetragonula carbonaria bees are carrying tiny balls of sap and appear to be building out the resin entrance to the hive.6
- 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
Footnote & References
- Tetragonula Moure, 1961, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/Tetragonula
- Tetragonula carbonaria, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragonula_carbonaria (last visited Oct. 7, 2022).
- Stingless Bee, Scientific name: Tetragonula carbonaria, Australian Museum, https://australian.museum/learn/animals/insects/stingless-bee/
- Native Stingless Bee – Trigona carbonaria, Brisbane Insects and Spiders, https://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_bees/StinglessBees.htm
- Tetragonula carbonaria, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragonula_carbonaria (last visited Oct. 5, 2022).
- Photograph Tetragonula carbonaria, Moonee Beach NE NSW © Lachlan Copeland
- Many thanks to Ciaran Nagle for confirming species and activity, member of The Buzz on Wild Bees, https://www.facebook.com/groups/buzzonwildbees
TetragonulaTetragonula carbonaria
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