The 12 Bees of Christmas

Australia Edition

🎵 On the first day of Christmas, my beekeeper sent to me
A Resin bee in a gum tree. 🎵

🎵 On the second day of Christmas, my beekeeper sent to me
Two Neon Cuckoos,
And a Resin bee in a gum tree.  🎵

🎵 On the third day of Christmas, my beekeeper sent to me
Three Wool Carders,
Two Neon Cuckoos,
And a Resin bee in a gum tree.  🎵

🎵 On the fourth day of Christmas, my beekeeper sent to me
Four Green Carpenters,
Three Wool Carders,
Two Neon Cuckoos,
And a Resin bee in a gum tree.  🎵

🎵 On the fifth day of Christmas, my beekeeper sent to me
Five Blue-banded beeeeeeeees,
Four Green Carpenters,
Three Wool Carders,
Two Neon Cuckoos,
And a Resin bee in a gum tree.  🎵

🎵 On the sixth day of Christmas, my beekeeper sent to me
Six Leafcutters lifting,
Five Blue-banded beeeeeeeees,
Four Green Carpenters,
Three Wool Carders,
Two Neon Cuckoos,
And a Resin bee in a gum tree.  🎵

🎵 On the seventh day of Christmas, my beekeeper sent to me
Seven Wasps in error,
Six Leafcutters lifting,
Five Blue-banded beeeeeeeees,
Four Green Carpenters,
Three Wool Carders,
Two Neon Cuckoos,
And a Resin bee in a gum tree.  🎵

🎵 On the eighth day of Christmas, my beekeeper sent to me
Eight Miners mining,
Seven Wasps in error,
Six Leafcutters lifting,
Five Blue-banded beeeeeeeees,
Four Green Carpenters,
Three Wool Carders,
Two Neon Cuckoos,
And a Resin bee in a gum tree.  🎵

🎵 On the ninth day of Christmas, my beekeeper sent to me
Nine Stingless bees biting,
Eight Miners mining,
Seven Wasps in error,
Six Leafcutters lifting,
Five Blue-banded beeeeeeeees,
Four Green Carpenters,
Three Wool Carders,
Two Neon Cuckoos,
And a Resin bee in a gum tree.  🎵

🎵 On the tenth day of Christmas, my beekeeper sent to me
Ten Orchid males mid-mating,
Nine Stingless bees biting,
Eight Miners mining,
Seven Wasps in error,
Six Leafcutters lifting,
Five Blue-banded beeeeeeeees,
Four Green Carpenters,
Three Wool Carders,
Two Neon Cuckoos,
And a Resin bee in a gum tree.  🎵

🎵 On the eleventh day of Christmas, my beekeeper sent to me
Eleven Mason Bees building,
Ten Orchid males mid-mating,
Nine Stingless bees biting,
Eight Miners mining,
Seven Wasps in error,
Six Leafcutters lifting,
Five Blue-banded beeeeeeeees,
Four Green Carpenters,
Three Wool Carders,
Two Neon Cuckoos,
And a Resin bee in a gum tree.  🎵

🎵 On the twelfth day of Christmas, my beekeeper sent to me
Twelve Bumble bees buzzing,
Eleven Mason bees building,
Ten Orchid males mid-mating,
Nine Stingless bees biting,
Eight Miners mining,
Seven Wasps in error,
Six Leafcutters lifting,
Five Blue-banded beeeeeeeees,
Four Green Carpenters,
Three Wool Carders,
Two Neon Cuckoos,
And a Resin bee in a gum tree. 🎵

Now, the Explanations:

The orchid male story is point #10.

1. Resin bees (Family: Megachilidae) are solitary bees that collect tree sap to line their nests.
2. Cuckoo bees (Family: Apidae) are parasitic, and do not build nests or care for their young. They lay eggs in the nests of other solitary bees (our poor blue-banded bee is a favourite). Cuckoo bee larvae hatch before their host, in which case they go on to eat the nest provisions and host eggs, developing into adults that continue the cycle (Litman 2019).
3. Wool carder bees (Family: Megachilidae) are solitary bees that scrape hairs (“carding”) from plant fibers to build their nests. Native to Europe, North Africa, and Asia, they were introduced to Australia in 2000, and have since spread across the continent.
4. Green carpenter (Family: Megachilidae) bees are wood borers that nest in dead wood and vascular stems
5. Blue-banded Bees (Family: Apidae) are very cute and rather loud. A solitary species that conducts buzz pollination. They nest on the ground in mud, or in the case of your humble author, in the bricks outside his bedroom window.
6. Leafcutter bees (Family: Megachilidae) are solitary bees that cutting circular pieces from leaves to construct their nests. Despite their leaf-lifting activities, they are harmless to plants.
7. Beekeepers can also mistake some wasps for bees… if the body is hairy, it’s a bee. if the body is smooth and buzzing loudly in your general direction, you’re about to be hurt.
8. Miner bees (Family: Andrendiae) are solitary ground nesting bees that excavate borrows from well-drained soil.
9. Stingless bees (Family: Apidae) are social bees and much smaller than the European honey bees. Instead of stinging, they bite. Hard. And in large numbers.
10. Males orchid bees (Family: Apidae) are not very smart. The bee orchid, Ophrys apifera, looks like a bee produces a similar scent to a female orchid bee, luring the males into thinking said flower is a fertile female (Baguette et al., 2020). The males attacks the blossom and attempts to mate with it, only to be covered in pollen and disappointment. Sometime later, the same male smells another orchid and attacks it, thinking that this time it is different. As the male buzzes inside the flower, the pollen from the first plant is transferred to this next plant, fertilizing it. This process repeats for some time – the orchid gets fertilized and the male receives meaningless sex.
    • Short video of this process.
11. Mason bees (Family: Megachilidae), are solitary bees known for using mud or other masonry-like materials to construct their nests.
12. Bumble Bees (Family: Apidae) are social bees are known for their distinctive, loud buzzing sound – the result of having strong flight muscles.

Merry Christmas!