Learn about our Native Bees/Ngaro Huruhuru
Thanks to DOC for this great resource https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/getting-involved/students-and-teachers/invertebrate-factsheets/native-bees-factsheet.pdf
Did you know that we have native bees in Aotearoa?
When you hear about bees, you probably think of honeybees. Many people don’t realise that we have special native bees/ngaro huruhuru and almost all of them are only found in Aotearoa. They rarely sting and are solitary, so have one family in a nest, rather than a big hive. As they are smaller than honeybees, and often black, people often mistake them for flies.
These bees usually nest in holes underground (sometimes in plant material) and they do not travel far, so they need flowers close by to collect pollen to feed their larvae. They love the flowers on native plants such as pōhutukawa, kānuka, mānuka, korokio, and native mistletoe. These plants love the native bees too, as they are great pollinators!
You can help our native bees by planting flowering native plants.
Download free native bee posters here: https://kaitiakicreations.podia.com/
Read more about the threat to these special native bees in a Stuff article here.
We absolutely love the graphics below by talented science communicator Iona Rachilde, https://www.rachilde.com/ . She managed to put into a fun graphic all of the things that we want to tell people about our special native bees. How clever is she?!
