Blue belt

The Blue-banded Bee, Amegilla cingulata, is native to Australia. It gets the cingulata part of its name from the Latin word for 'belt'. This one was feeding in a Thai Basil plant in our garden.

Unlike honey bees, this species practices 'buzz pollination'. To stimulate a flower to release pollen, the bee holds the flower and vibrates with a loud buzzing sound.  There is more information on this page from the Brisbane Insects website.