Australian native bees

[2] Eleven species, of these social native bees, are in two genera, Tetragonula[3] and Austroplebeia, and have no sting.

[4] The stings of most Australian native species of bee will cause relatively minor discomfort to most people and are, "not as painful as those of a bull ant or paper wasp and last only a few minutes".

In cool-climate areas of Australia, all the honey the bees produce is needed by the swarm to live through winter.

Research is currently underway into use of Amegilla ("blue-banded bees") for use in pollinating hydroponic tomatoes, while some hydroponic growers are petitioning for introduction to the Australian mainland of the European bumblebee, Bombus terrestris—the island continent Australia has a history of sensationally poor outcomes from introduced species so the question of use of native vs introduced bees for pollination in Australia is controversial.

Native Australian bees face many threats, particularly from parasitic insects such as some wasps, flies and beetles.