Aussie Bee Online
About Native Bees
What are Native Bees?
Bee Photo Gallery
Bees in Your Area
Rescuing Native Bees
Bees in Houses - Advice
Stingless Native Bees
What are Stingless Bees?
Buying Stingless Bees
Tim Heard's Book
John Klumpp's Book
Aussie Bee Back Issues
Support Native Bees
Aussie Bee Shop
Who We Are
What is the
Australian Native Bee Research Centre
of the Australian Native Bee Research Centre
Promoting the Preservation and Enjoyment of Australian Native Bees
The Australian Native Bee Research Centre, hosting the Aussie Bee website, is a privately-funded organisation based in the lower Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, NSW. It publishes information booklets, a field guide and other products to distribute information on all native bee species to the Australian public and help ensure the bees' survival in Australia. It also published Aussie Bee bulletin for a five year period.
Les Dollin, founders of
The work of the Australian Native Bee Research Centre was featured in 2000 in a detailed segment on ABC’s Gardening Australia. The Dollins have also been guests on Burke’s Backyard, and on ABC radio’s Science Show and Earthbeat programs.
The Australian Native Bee Research Centre's co-founders, Les Dollin (a skilled bushman) and Dr Anne Dollin (an entomologist) have explored the most remote areas of Australia, locating rare species of native bees and studying their behaviour and nests. In 1997 they wrote a major scientific paper describing the Australian species of stingless social bees in the genus Trigona* (Invertebrate Taxonomy, Vol 11: 861-896) with Professor SF Sakagami. In 2015 they completed a second major scientific paper describing the Australian and new Guinea species of stingless bees in the genus Austroplebeia (Zootaxa, 4047: 1-73) with Dr Claus Rasmussen. These two papers are the result of research on the stingless bees stretching over 35 years.
(* Recently renamed Tetragonula)
Les and Anne have supported the growth of the new stingless bee industry in Australia by investigating the latest techniques and hive designs then distributing this information to stingless bee keepers. They have also contributed to research on blue banded bees and stingless bees, and the potential of these bees as greenhouse crop pollinators.
On Christmas Day 2001 a major bushfire devastated the grounds of the Australian Native Bee Research Centre. Fortunately the main building, which houses the Centre's research collections, microscopes and Aussie Bee stocks, survived the fire but the bee gardens and many precious bee nests were lost. With the wonderful assistance of many Aussie Bee supporters, the bee gardens have now been rebuilt, better than ever! Read the full story in article 5 of Aussie Bee Online.
The publications of the Australian Native Bee Research Centre have been warmly endorsed by a wide variety of specialists in the fields of science, agriculture and the environment.
Sales of the booklets, field guides and other products support the work of the Australian Native Bee Research Centre.