What a little cutie. I’m referring to the Australian blue-banded bee. They’re always so welcome in our garden. However, to my horror, I discovered that they have a ferocious bite, especially when it latches on to the delicate skin between your toes. Unlike European bees, our native blue banded bees don’t die after they sting. Technically they don’t sting – they bite, and they can bite multiple times. Honestly, I thought I must have been bitten by a redback spider. It bloody hurt. Not that I have ever been bitten by a redback. I’ve been bitten by a young funnel web spider. Apparently funnel webs are less venomous when they are young, but don’t quote me on that. That bite wasn’t nearly as painful.


Anyway, it must have been horrifying for the little bee as well, finding itself lodged between the toes of some great lump. I ignored the initial discomfort at first but then it started to hurt like hell. I kicked off my sandal to investigate and saw something tumble into the grass. As I hunched down to try to ID it, on the off-chance I might have to call an ambulance, it rose before my eyes from the grass like a chopper from a James Bond movie, buzzing angrily in astonishment. “How dare you!”, it seemed to say. I am pretty deaf but that buzz rang loudly in my ears. No mistaking the message. Poor thing. I was so sorry for it and also very sorry for myself.

I still love them.

Tread carefully, everyone.

Kind Regards.
Tracy.

54 thoughts on “Bee Careful”

  1. Poor wee bee! And poor you Tracy. That would be a very delicate spot to be bit. Silly bee to have entered your sandal! I have stepped on a bee before and been stung on the bottom of my foot. I now have an aversion to walking barefoot on the grass.

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    1. I sympathise, Heather. I never walk anywhere without some sort of foot covering as it was drummed into me as a small child that people with Type 1 diabetes have to look after their feet. I walked through a patch of weeds that morning. The little bee must have been having a rest on one of the weeds and accidentally got caught up in my sandal as I brushed past. They are not aggressive in anyway. It was just trying to get my attention. It was a delicate spot but I am fine now. Still, I was surprised that it hurt so much.

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      1. Glad to hear you are fine now. I think it is often the case with bees when they sting, more a protection than aggression. Can’t say the same for the dreaded wasp.

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  5. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a native bee, but I believe there are between 1500 and 2000 (depending on which website you look at).
    Lucky you to actually see them (even if the bite did hurt). 🙂

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    1. They fly too fast for me to see well, Vicki, but I was very close to the one that buzzed me so there was no mistaking its identity. They like to have a rest too but you have to know where to look for them. I never go looking for them at rest because, well, they are resting. Also, they quite like salvia so you may come across them there. They will start to die off soon when the weather turns cold.

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  6. Oh, between the toes–such a fragile place to be bitten. That is where our fire ants like to strike, although they are not near as cute as your little bees.

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  7. Amazing images Tracy, but what an ordeal. I’m allergic to bees so I’m very careful when I’m around them. But sometimes you don’t know they are there until you invade their territory. I hope the pain didn’t last too long.

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    1. Yes, you definitely must be careful, Anne. I imagine you have to take an epi pen with you wherever you go.
      I think my bite was only noticeable because the bee was able to latch on to a particularly soft spot. It is exceedingly rare for a native bee to bite anyone so I am told, and when they do it is only a nip. I’m completely fine now and will pay more attention next time I go into that part of the garden.

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      1. I’m not that allergic yet. The area of the sting just swells up. They say it gets worse with every sting. I find the bees won’t sting unless you really get in their way, like stepping on them! The last time I got stung was by a yellow jacket when it was on the mustard bottle I was picking up. I had a swollen middle finger for about a week. That was fun!

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  9. He’s beautiful — poor bees. I wasn’t going to plan beans this year but two things have changed my mind. Humingbirds and bees. “My” bees (hibernate under my house) depend on me. I love standing among my beans while the buzzing beings hang out around me.

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      1. Yes. I read a book for the contest that opened my eyes and diminished both my despair and cynicism — and it was written by a scientist, a biologist, and it’s a textbook. It made a beautiful argument for having a little faith and patience. It made me think we might be hooked on panic. The title is The Accidental Reef and it’s about the healing of the Great Lakes. I moved to this house and found an ecosystem. Bees and songbirds. A little encouragement (birdbath, scarlet emperor beans) has attracted some rare migrants. Last year it was a hummingbird that’s almost never seen in Colorado. She sucked nectar from my bean flowers while I stood quietly a foot away from her. ❤️

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  12. Well there you go. I have never been bitten probably as I have never trod on one. In my garden they tend to scarper when I get too close.
    You have now just ruined my telling all of the insects scardy cats from overseas that they are harmless. I wonder if Teddy Bear Bees bite as well?

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    2. I was pretty shocked, Brian, but at least I didn’t have to fish around between my toes to remove any barb. As my TL told me, “You were blessed.” 🙂
      Your overseas friends have fire ants, Now that is some serious biting and pain, do I think you can rightfully claim that the native bees are harmless. I don’t know about the teddy bear bees.

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  14. I was very excited to see my first blue banded bee in the garden this very morning Tracy! Thank you for the warning as I didn’t know BB Bee could bite and I’ll fossick very carefully amongst the flowers when trying to catch a photo of said bee. I can’t imagine the fear after being bitten by a funnel web spider, no matter how small. I love your bee photos. They are so clear and beautiful.

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    1. That is exciting, Jane. They particularly like the pink salvia and will also fertilise tomato plants. In all the years we have had them, this is the first time I’ve ever been nipped. They normally take off pretty quickly when someone comes too close. 🙂
      I must have been about 10 when I was bitten. I was in bed at the time and this spider was on my covers. I touched it in the dark and then touched it again to confirm my suspicions that it was a spider and that was when it bit me. Spent the night in hospital under observation. We were living in the Southern Tablelands at the time so I don’t know whether it was the dreaded Sydney funnel web.

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    1. On your carpet? Must have come in on some blooms you cut from the garden, Darren. You must have got quite a surprise. I was reading about your native bee, the Dorset bee, today in The Guardian. Do you k ow that one, Darren?
      It sounds pretty cute too.

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      1. We found a few in the house that weekend, so maybe. I read that article in the Guardian and wish we had those up North! But I love our huge furry bumblebees. They often overwinter in my greenhouse and zoom around in there on mild days. The fact that I always have something in flower all through the winter probably makes it quite a desirable hibernation spot 🙂

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    1. Since the ants got trapped in my socks and trousers yesterday, Ann-Christine, I’ve realised that the little bee’s nips were mild in comparison, and I feel guilty for eliciting all this sympathy when I didn’t really need it. 🤣 it’s actually about the size of a regular bee or a tad smaller, it is the cropped backside photo that makes it look large.

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