authors' picks, Bees & WaspsKerri-Lee HarrisSeptember 08, 2026gallery batch 2

The advent of spring

authors' picks, Bees & WaspsKerri-Lee HarrisSeptember 08, 2026gallery batch 2

Forest life awakens during August, and by early September is rapidly gaining pace. Each year we marvel at the transformation. While many of the participants in the drama are now well known to us, there is always something new to learn. This season has already presented us with some surprises … a tiny moth of a type we’ve never seen before, and the discovery of nesting reed bees.

First, the bees

For me, the return of the bees signals the advent of spring.

Spring 2026

COLLETIDAE, Neopasiphaeinae

These are among the very first bees to make an appearance each spring. It’s typically lone males I spot first, patrolling patches of low-growing flowers. In early August there are still few other insects in flight.

Trichocolletes orientalis [7th August]

COLLETIDAE, Neopasiphaeinae

HALICTIDAE, Halictinae

Another bee making an early appearance, although perhaps a rather brief one. She would have spent the winter below ground, as a resting adult or pupa, and this may have been one of her first excursions for the season. Within seconds of this shot she disappeared underground, and there was little further activity at the site for many days.

Lasioglossum (Parasphecodes) [8th August]

HALICTIDAE, Halictinae

Within two weeks of my first sighting, a group of these small(ish) bees are actively provisioning their nests. The ground is firm-packed sand and small gravel, relatively bare of vegetation.

Lasioglossum (Parasphecodes) [21st Aug]

HALICTIDAE, Halictinae

APIDAE, Allodapini

The small, fuzzy white flowers of Styphelia ericoides are a magnet for insects. The plants start to bloom in July, but for several weeks the principal visitors are small flies. Then, quite suddenly, Exoneura appear.

Exoneura [21st Aug]

APIDAE, Allodapini

While the densely-flowering patch of Styphelia is certainly popular among the Exoneura, they are not fussy feeders. The large, bright yellow flowers of Hibbertia dentata are a good source of pollen … for those bees capable of shaking it loose from anthers. Hibbertia flowers produce no nectar, so the bees must shop elsewhere for that.

Exoneura [21st Aug]

APIDAE, Allodapini

Pea flowers are a good source of both nectar and pollen … for bees strong enough to access it. This is one of the larger species of Exoneura here locally. As she reaches into the flower with her head and long tongue to reach the nectar, she also spreads the lower petals of the flower to expose the pollen-laden anthers.

Exoneura [28th Aug]

APIDAE, Allodapini

COLLETIDAE, Neopasiphaeinae

When gathering pollen, bees tend to move between flowers and plants of the same species. This is why even generalist bees can be highly effective pollinators. And why it can be to the plants’ advantage to grow in clusters and to flower synchronously. Here in the forest, the ‘busiest’ Styphelia plants are those growing in close association.

Leioproctus (Leioproctus) [27th Aug]

COLLETIDAE, Neopasiphaeinae

Such a huge pollen load, and bright yellow too! I suspect that this female has been visiting nearby Hibbertia. While I guess it is possible that she harvested all this from the tiny flowers of Styphelia, it seems more likely she’s been elsewhere and is now just stopping by for some nectar.

Leioproctus (Leioproctus) [27th Aug]

COLLETIDAE, Neopasiphaeinae

HALICTIDAE, Halictinae

Most bees in the family Halictidae are generalists, so they’re not restricted to the flowering time of any particular plant. Indeed, we see pollen-laden Lasioglossum throughout spring and summer months.

Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) [27th Aug]

HALICTIDAE, Halictinae

Ground-nesting is the norm among halictid bees. This female was actively digging into the coarse sand and gravel, probably in the initial stages of nest construction. Hard work in a such a substrate. Note too the mites attached to the base of her abdomen, largely concealed here by the wings.

Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) [29th Aug]

HALICTIDAE, Halictinae

It is common for bees to carry mites … although this is a particularly large load, of relatively large mites!

Such mites are generally harmless to the host bee, and are merely hitching a ride from her natal home to the new nest she will soon establish. There they will dismount, moult, and begin to feed. Depending on the mite species, they may feed on bee waste products, rob the larval food stash, or even take blood from bee larvae. The bee-mite relationship is often mutualistic. Some native bees have even evolved specialised areas on their bodies to accommodate these little hitchhikers (Walter et al. 2002).

These are not the infamous Varroa mites currently making headlines, and I’ve read that Varroa are indeed unlikely to transfer to native bees (Houston 2018).

Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) [27th Aug]

HALICTIDAE, Halictinae

COLLETIDAE, Neopasiphaeinae

Distinguishing female from male bees is easy if the bee is carrying a pollen densely packaged on the back legs or beneath the body. Males are never involved in nest provisioning. In this photo, the clues are a little more subtle. She has no pollen payload, but the back legs are noticeably hairy. These specialised hairs (‘scopae’) are used in pollen transport.

Trichocolletes orientalis [29th Aug]

COLLETIDAE, Neopasiphaeinae

Note the lack of ‘scopal hairs’ on the back legs of this male Trichocolletes, and compare them with the female in the previous photo. Other clues include the number of visible abdominal segments (7 rather than 6) and, in this species, the brilliant golden hair tufts on the face.

Trichocolletes orientalis [3rd September]

COLLETIDAE, Neopasiphaeinae

Male Trichocolletes have been on the wing for weeks now, and it’s starting to show on some individuals. This one is getting rather bald on the back (thorax), has ragged wings, and is down to a single antenna!

Trichocolletes orientalis [3rd September]

COLLETIDAE, Neopasiphaeinae

HALICTIDAE, Nomiinae

My first sighting of this species for the season, and my only one so far. These large, showy bees are hard to miss, so I doubt I’m simply overlooking them. The orange faces of females peering from their nest burrow openings along our sandy tracks are a common sight throughout summer. I suspect this female is newly emerged, and has yet to start nesting.

Lipotriches australica [1st Sept]

HALICTIDAE, Nomiinae

The long, shining scopal hairs on the back legs confirm that this is a female.

Compare the size of this bee with the little Exoneura and other bees visiting to same plants. Lipotriches dwarfs the tiny Styphelia flowers.

Lipotriches australica [1st Sept]

HALICTIDAE, Nomiinae

HALICTIDAE, Halictinae

A novel species! Well, nearly. Initially I thought this was my first ever sighting of this rather stunning, golden-haired bee, and identification had me stumped. But it turns out that I’ve photographed the same species before – just once, on 9th September 2024.

Lasioglossum (Parasphecodes) waterhousei (?) [2nd Sept]

HALICTIDAE, Halictinae

APIDAE, Allodapini

I don’t see many male Exoneura, and with good reason. The sex ratio in bees of this tribe tends to be skewed towards females. When these goggle-eyed, hairy-faced bees turn up, I know I have a male.

Exoneura robusta (?) [2nd Sept]

APIDAE, Allodapini

Other unusual features of these males are their tarsi (the end segments of the legs). The front tarsi are particularly long, and the basal segment of the hind tarsus is swollen. When I noticed these males for the first time (mid Sept 2023), they were swarming around the flowers … a behaviour associated with attracting females. My 3 sightings this year have each been of individual males, feeding. I’m keeping a close eye out for mating swarms though!

Exoneura robusta (?) [2nd Sept]

APIDAE, Allodapini

Like most Proteaceae, Hakea flowers have a specialised method of pollen dispersal. The anthers burst before the flower actually opens for insect visitors. The pollen grains are picked up by the end of the stylus (stigma), and only then does the flower open. The stigma is positioned such that insects visiting for a nectar drink receive a dab of sticky pollen on the back.

Exoneura [1st Sept]

APIDAE, Allodapini

Pink pollen!!

This female will groom the grains from her back, moving it to the hairs of her hind legs for transport.

Exoneura [29th Aug]

APIDAE, Allodapini

The flowering of Hakea macraeana has long puzzled me. The drooping branches are certainly eye-catching when festooned with delicate white flowers, as they are now. Yet insect visitors are relatively few – to the point where I’ve sometimes wondered about the identity of the plant’s pollinators. I wonder no more!

Exoneura [29th Aug]

APIDAE, Allodapini

The most numerous bees we see are the little, red-bodied Exoneura. As their common name of ‘reed bees’ suggests, they nest in the pithy stems of reeds or other dead plant material. Yet despite years of prowling the forest in pursuit of nesting wasps and bees, I had never found an Exoneura nest … until this week!

Spring 2026

APIDAE, Allodapini

Several Exoneura flying about the broken ends of a dead Persoonia stem caught my attention. The plant was killed by the fire 6 years ago. Although still standing, it snapped in half some months back, exposing the relatively soft inner wood.