Bees play a crucial (if not the most important) role in Earth’s ecosystems, so they are pretty widely distributed all over the planet.
Although these tireless little workers are a very common sight and everyone is very familiar with them, you should know that there is a species of bee that looks completely different from the honey bee we all know. – blue bee – a unique bee species that lives only in Australia.
Native to Australia, the blue-banded bees are undoubtedly one of the most beautiful insects on the planet. As their name suggests, these adorable creatures have their small bellies covered in metallic blue stripes.
However, although these beautiful creatures can be found all over the continent – except Tasmania – believed it or not, the Aussie didn’t know they existed. Not until now, and they just can’t get enough of them!
Recently, a series of photos of the lovely blue bee – taken by wildlife photographer Nick Volpe – have surfaced online. They have gone viral with many Australians who don’t even know these creatures existed.
Just like any other bee species (or insect), blue bees love to wander from flower to flower. However, they do not produce honey. Instead, they are famous for a type of pollination known as ‘buzz pollination’, due to their ability to extract pollen from some flowers by shaking them.
The species, also known as Amegilla cingulate, are far from aggressive, although they have stings. Blue bees can grow up to 0.45 inches, and they are usually solitary, living up to 40 days.
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