When it comes to native bees, Illawarra folks have a bit of a hive mind – we all love them!

The success of the Illawarra branch of the Australian Native Bee Association (ANBA) is proof of that. Since its launch in October 2024, lots of local families have gotten themselves a stingless bee hive (or two) and are discovering the joys of having several thousand pet bees fly in and out of their yards.

However, with the cold, wet weather, the sugar bag bees (Tetragonula carbonaria) are all tucked up in bed, while the shrubs at the botanic gardens are no longer humming with blue-banded (Amegilla sp.) and teddy bear bees.

Luckily, the ANBA has the perfect July event to keep you buzzing until the weather warms up: an afternoon with James Dorey, learning about some of our 1700+ species of native bees. 

James is an evolutionary biologist who is researching the evolution, taxonomy and ecology of native bees. He works as a lecturer at Wollongong University and is also an award-winning macro photographer and the author of Bees of Australia: A Photographic Exploration.

James grew up on the Northern Rivers, on a farm that his father was revegetating. Watching new species move in encouraged his early love of animals, but that love didn’t extend to all members of the animal kingdom. Not initially, anyway. 

“I wasn’t really interested in insects, let alone bees, until my second year of undergrad at the University of Queensland, where I bought a secondhand macro lens … and I started taking photos of first wasps and then bees in my yard in suburban Brisbane,” he says. 

“I ended up catching [around] 33 different species of native bee on a single tree out the front of my house in Fairfield and I was hooked from that point onwards.”

And while James might be a lecturer, you don’t have to don your graduation gown and mortarboard for this talk. 

“I’m hoping to deliver a very casual talk with time for questions and meandering about Australian bees, cool facts about bees in general, and plenty of photographs to entertain when folks get bored of my voice!”

Love bees? Try this 

• Attend the free talk on Sunday, July 20: 'Australian Native Bees with James Dorey'. Bookings are required, visit Eventbrite
• Check out James’ stunning macro photography on his website
• Keep up with the many exciting events run by the Illawarra/Shoalhaven branch of the ANBA here