Australia has over 1500 native bees the majority are solitary bees which means they live alone or in small families.

Some indigenous bees like the blue banded bee are superior pollinators as they are able to utilise buzz pollination, a method that European Honeybees do not use. Some flowers hide their pollen inside tiny capsules. A Blue Banded Bee can grasp a flower of this type and shiver her flight muscles, causing the pollen to shoot out of the capsule. She can then collect the pollen for her nest and carry it from flower to flower, pollinating the flowers. Quite a few of our native Australian flowers require buzz pollination

Unfortunately, Australian Indigenous Bees like the blue banded bee are experiencing health and population decline due to the use of toxic pesticides such as neonicotinoids. Unlike European Honeybees, solitary bees nest in the soil or vegetation meaning their exposure to these pesticides is greatly increased compared to bees that live in a hive.

Sydney Sock Projects Blue Banded bee socks are a fantastic conversation starter not only about native bees but about their increased risk to toxic agricultural controls. 10% of proceeds are donated to Save the Bees Australia which we use to help fight the battle against these nasty pesticides.

Buy here 

https://sydneysockproject.com/collections/save-the-bees-australia/products/blue-banded-bee-sock