Teddy Bear Bee's - Manerlong - Wurundgeri word for Bee - Grace Brown
Traditional Aboriginal dot painting on raw linen canvas 60cm x 60cm
The Teddy bear bee in this painting have been gold leafed to represent the bee's colours.The wildflowers surrounding the bees represent the amazing array of flowers they like.The Teddy Bear Bees mostly build their nests in soft soil. They are solitary bees and the females build their nest individually. Other teddy bear bees may build their nests close to each other. This species of bees are found in different regions of Australia except for Tasmania.They are found in eastern Australia, from Queensland through New South Wales and into Victoria, and as well as New Guinea and the Aru Islands to the north.
The Teddy Bear Bee has a golden colouring and ranges from 15 - 20cm in length and are typically a fatter looking bee. They have dark hairless bands on their abdomen and are covered all over, including legs with golden hairs. They have a golden wing colour and medium length antennae.
There are over 1500 native bee species in Australia that pollinate our bushland flora and garden flowers. Australian native bees can be black, yellow, red, metallic green or even black with blue polka dots! They can be fat and furry, or sleek and shiny. Stingless bee honey is called Sugarbag and was prized by Aboriginals who collected it from wild nests. Stingless bees store their flavoursome honey in clusters of small resin pots near the extremities of the nest. The resin adds a wide variety of tangy flavours to the honey, such as lemon or eucalyptus. However, sugarbag honey is a rare product and only to be savoured as each hive only produces about 1 kg of honey per year.
Australian native bees, from tiny black to big and fluffy, from solitary reed dweller to builder of magical spiral resin colonies, our wide range of Australian native bees busily pollinate our flowers, bushland plants and our extensive food crops.
Enjoy my Manerlong painting - Teddy bear bee painting! nious.