Native red mistletoe Peraxilla tetrapetala relies on native birds for pollination and seed dispersal. Until recently it was believed only birds such as tui and bellbird were able to open this peculiar flower, whose ripe bud springs open only when twisted by a bird. What mystifies experts is how bees have learned this behaviour, given they are solitary.
A bee's life right under our feet
Native bees don't produce harvestable honey, but they do collect and store nectar for their young. They dig holes or tunnels in fine soil or sand and, happily, they can't sting.
I had a Gerald Durrell moment while on holiday at Awaroa Inlet in Abel Tasman National Park last summer. The house we were staying at was near the beach, and what we thought were small black wasps hovering around on the lawn, on closer inspection, turned out to be bees.
As I whiled away a hot afternoon lounging in a campchair, I was drawn to the busy-bee activity in front of me. The tell-tale feature telling us they were bees were the yellow pollen sacs on the females' back legs. Although the bees are solitary, this spot appeared to be an ideal nesting site. Many nests were in a sunny piece of ground that had dry sandy soil.
I found these industrious bees fascinating. As soon as one landed it quickly propelled itself into the soil, digging down until it had disappeared, leaving a little mound as the only proof it was there. This bee, a species of Leioproctus, is one of our larger native bees. Native bees range in size from 4-12mm long. Female bees dig a hole or small branching tunnel, lay an egg and feed the developing larva with protein-rich pollen and nectar.
Unfortunately, a hungry blackbird had figured out that there were tasty treats in the sand and greedily pecked at the nest site, devouring the baby bees.
Bee aware
Native bees are vitally important for the pollination of our native plants, and they help pollinate crops and fruit, too. Otago University PhD student Jan Iwasaki says it is important to realise that it's not just honeybees that contribute to pollination. Having a more resilient pollination system in place that uses all other bee species is important for food security, agriculture and a functioning ecosystem.
Jan is researching whether honeybees and native bees compete for nectar. Native bees have shorter tongues than honey- and bumblebees, and although they share many flowers, native bees can't access nectar in deeper flowers such as clover. His research suggests exotic and native bee competition is not too much of an issue.
Research by AUT PhD candidate Ngaire Hart indicates native bee numbers are declining in parts of Whangarei. She has developed a system to study bee populations using digital photos in a virtual "sweep net". Data is processed via free software which can count nests. In time, Kiwi kids might take a leaf out of Durrell's books, and get a buzz helping to collect data, this time without the butterfly nets.
Looking after the bees' needs
• We can protect our special bees by maintaining and increasing habitat, including native bush.
• Avoid spraying pests, and don't use systemic insecticides. If we followed France's lead, we would ban pesticide use altogether.
• Choose plants with open, simple flowers, such as manuka. Native plants are best but native bees will also forage on beneficial flowering plants such as coriander.
• Plan flowering sequence to provide nectar and pollen from spring to autumn.
• Sow beneficial insect seeds. Check out 'Wonderful Wildflowers' at kingsseeds.co.nz; wildforage.co.nz; and 'Wildflower World' at gardenpost.co.nz
• For information on bee-friendly garden plants and trees visit these sites: treesforbeesnz.org and eastwoodhill.org.nz/conference/
