School of Animal Biology

Banksia Bee

Description

The Banksia Bee (Hylaeus alcyoneus) The Banksia bee is a solitary bee found throughout the southern regions of Australia. It is named after its preference for pollen and nectar of Banksia species. It is unusual for bees in that the male is larger than the female and this is believed to be a result of its mating strategy. Males occupy and defend flower spikes of Banksia trees waiting for females to arrive and mate with. This resource defense strategy is probably what has driven the evolution of larger males. Smaller males, unable to defend a spike will adopt a different strategy. They roam around looking for abandoned flower spikes or trying to intercept females before they arrive at flower spikes. Dean Paini Photo by Simon Conroy

Image information

400x344 at 72 dpi

Date image taken

11 Sep 2008