We cut a branch off a large tree near our farmhouse and I found these little insects bunched together on one leaf. They could be native bees. Does anyone know?
Update: They have been identified by a Flickr friend as male native bees, Euryglossa adelaidae.
Battling bees? No, one bee that appeared to be fighting its own reflection on the bumper bar of our car but may have been eating something. I couldn't tell.
But this bee is at the centre of another battle. The Bumble Bee was 'introduced' into Tasmania in 1992 and is gradually expanding its range. Some vegetable growers want to see it introduced onto the mainland. What a horrible thought. It's a huge, huge bee and the damage being done in Tasmania is still being assessed.
I was sitting on the deck, enjoying my coffee, when a tiny fly-like creature landed in my cup. I fished it out, transferred it to a leaf and photographed it.
My friends on Flickr eventually identified it for me. It's a native bee, one of the Masked Bees named because they have yellow or white 'bandit' markings on the face. Its scientific name is Hylaeus euxanthus.
