Blue Banded Australian Bee Earrings

Blue Banded Bee Earrings.

Made in Australia from our original hand painted design, these earrings are printed with eco-friendly inks onto light weight, sustainably grown hoop pine and paired with stainless steel hoops, perfect for sensitive ears!

Amegilla cingulate, the Blue-banded Bee is a solitary native bee, found throughout most of Australia except Tasmania, foraging on native and exotic flowers. They are one of the prettiest bees in the world, named for the beautiful metallic blue bands that run across their abdomens. They range in size from 8-14 mm and can sting but are not aggressive and have a distinctive, low to the ground, darting, hovering flight pattern.

They are known for their unique buzz pollination technique, where they vibrate their bodies at a specific frequency to release pollen from flowers that are otherwise difficult to pollinate. This is important for many native plants and some introduced fruit and vegetable crops.

As solitary bees they do not live in hives and need to make honey. The female mates, digs a burrow in soft soil, rock, wood or mortar, creates oval shaped cells, fills them with pollen and nectar for food, lays an egg, seals the cell and leaves the larvae to develop alone. Males sleep outside in groups hanging from stems and leaves. Like other bees they are threatened by habitat loss, pesticides and climate change.