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Fire-tailed Resin Bee - Megachile mystaceana

Family MEGACHILIDAE

This page contains pictures and information about Fire-tailed Resin Bees that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.

Body length 15mm 
 
The above photo was taken in late afternoon in Wishart Bushland during late summer. Fire-tailed Resin Bee has black head and thorax. Its abdomen is distinctively bright, orange-brown in colour. This is a solitary bee and build nest by resin, gum or mud in enclosed spaces such as space between folds of fabric and old Mud-Dauber Wasp nest. They will nest in drilled wooden blocks too.
 
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This bee likes to visit flowers of family Fabaceae.
 
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On Feb 2009, we repaired the pergola in our backyard and had a wooden board left. We drilled a few 10mm diameter holes on it and hung in the pergola. Few days later we had an occupancy.    
 
 

Reference:
1. Native Bees of the Sydney region, a field guide - Anne Dollin, Michael Batley, Martyn Robinson & Brian Faulkner, Australian Native Bee Research Centre. P48.

 
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Last updated: April 20, 2009.