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Woolybush Bee (Hylaeus globuliferus)

The Woolybush Bee, Hylaeus globuliferus, is a poorly known bee recorded in Western Australia, with flower visits reported on Adenanthos cygnorum and Banksia attenuata. Works in its recorded range should take a precautionary approach to flowering plants and potential nesting substrates.

Conservation status

Western Australia, WA Threatened and Priority Fauna List: Priority 3.

Seasonal planning

Activity and breeding months for Hylaeus globuliferus are not known. Use the following as a planning reminder only, not as evidence of year-round activity.

Activity: Species-specific activity periods are not recorded.

Breeding: Breeding months are not recorded.

The months shown are a general planning prompt, not a species-specific activity calendar.

  • Survey and precautionary checks: Planning window only. No seasonal activity pattern is known; time flower checks to when relevant plants are flowering at the site.

Identification: Appearance and size

Species-level identification details are limited. Do not rely on general genus traits alone to confirm an identification.

No species-specific description or measurements are available. Hylaeus bees are generally small, slender and wasp-like, often with black-and-yellow or black-and-white markings, but these genus-level traits do not confirm this species.

  • Record photographs and, where authorised, retain a specimen for expert identification if a suspected individual is found.

Identification: Similar species and field signs

Characters for distinguishing H. globuliferus from similar bees are not documented. Flower-visiting bees are not by themselves reliable evidence of this species.

  • A bee visiting Adenanthos cygnorum or Banksia attenuata is a useful survey observation, not a confirmed identification.

Distribution: Known range

Records indicate a south-western Western Australian range, but named sites are not available.

Atlas of Living Australia records show 222 Western Australian records for Hylaeus (Sphaerhylaeus) globuliferus at 27 distinct 0.1 degree locations. The coordinate envelope is latitude -34.1 to -29.7 and longitude 115.2 to 119.8. Records outside WA were excluded as likely errors.

Distribution: WA regions and status

The DBCA list identifies the Midwest, Wheatbelt, South Coast and Swan regions. The species is Priority 3, meaning it is poorly known, known from several locations and not under imminent threat. No national listing is recorded.

  • Specific localities suitable for site-level confirmation are not named.

Habitat: What is known

The species' general habitat is not documented.

Flower associations are reported with Adenanthos cygnorum and Banksia attenuata. These records indicate flower use but do not establish the vegetation communities or site conditions occupied by the bee.

Habitat: Site interpretation

Do not assume that a site is unsuitable because it lacks these two plants, or suitable because either plant is present. The species may be poorly detected and its habitat requirements are not documented.

  • Assess flowering plants and potential nesting features on site rather than using vegetation type alone as a presence or absence test.

Foraging habitat: Recorded flowers

Two flower associations are recorded, but the full diet and foraging behaviour are not documented.

Hylaeus globuliferus is reported to forage on Adenanthos cygnorum and Banksia attenuata. Whether these are its only food plants or how strongly it depends on them is not known.

Foraging habitat: Work-site observations

Where these plants occur, note whether they are flowering and check them for visiting bees during suitable survey conditions. Record other flowering plants and bee observations as survey information, without treating them as confirmed species associations.

Breeding habitat: Available information

Species-specific breeding habitat and nesting records are not documented.

Nest sites, brood timing, number of generations and breeding months for H. globuliferus are not known.

Breeding habitat: Genus-level context

Hylaeus bees generally nest in pre-existing small cavities, including dead twigs and plant stems. This genus-level information has not been confirmed for H. globuliferus.

  • Treat suitable-looking stems and cavities as potential features to check, not as evidence of a nest.

Sheltering habitat: Potential features

The sheltering sites used by this species are not known.

As general information about Hylaeus, some members of the genus use pre-existing cavities in stems, dead twigs or similar small natural spaces. Use this as a precaution when checking vegetation and retained material.

Sheltering habitat: Limits of inference

There is no evidence that H. globuliferus shelters in any particular plant, cavity type or substrate. Overwintering or resting sites are not described.

  • Avoid describing a potential cavity as occupied unless the bee or nest is actually detected.

Threats: Evidence and uncertainty

Specific threats to this species have not been identified. Its Priority 3 status reflects poor knowledge; the DBCA list describes it as not under imminent threat.

A species-specific threat assessment is not available. The DBCA list describes the species as known from several locations and not under imminent threat.

Threats: Potential work-site pathways

Clearing could remove recorded flower resources where the associated plants occur. If the genus-level nesting pattern applies, removal of dead stems or twigs could also affect potential nesting features. These are precautionary pathways, not documented impacts on this species.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

Survey should focus on recording bees at flowers, while recognising that species-level identification and seasonal detectability are poorly documented.

Check the site against the WA coordinate envelope and the DBCA-listed regions. Review whether Adenanthos cygnorum or Banksia attenuata occur and whether they are likely to flower during the survey period.

Survey methodology: 2. Field checks and records

Inspect flowering plants, especially the two recorded flower associations, for visiting bees. Record date, weather, plant species, flowering condition, observation location and photographs. No validated survey method or seasonal window is known, so a non-detection should not be treated as proof of absence.

  • Use capture or specimen collection only where permitted and appropriate, and seek expert confirmation for suspected records.

Vegetation associations

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

No species-specific vegetation association has been indexed or source-checked in this evidence library. This is an evidence gap, not evidence of no association.

Ecosystem associations

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

No species-specific ecosystem association has been indexed or source-checked in this evidence library. This is an evidence gap, not evidence of no association.

Soil and substrate associations

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

No species-specific soil association has been indexed or source-checked in this evidence library. This is an evidence gap, not evidence of no association.

Water and wetland associations

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

No species-specific water association has been indexed or source-checked in this evidence library. This is an evidence gap, not evidence of no association.

Fauna records and mapped habitat: Not yet analysed

Record locations can be overlaid with mapping, but record frequency alone does not measure habitat preference. No species is excluded from desktop assessments by this analysis.

No quality-controlled record-to-map analysis has been completed for this species. The existing generalised distribution dots and indicative range polygons have not been treated as precise occurrence coordinates.

A defensible run needs dated, independently attributable records, coordinate uncertainty, duplicate and captive-record checks, layer versions and regional scope. Preference and absence require additional survey-effort and detection evidence.

Habitat limitations and contrary evidence: No supported exclusion recorded

Not recorded is not the same as cannot occur. Low suitability, resident habitat, breeding habitat and occasional movement are different conclusions.

This library has not established a vegetation, ecosystem or soil-type exclusion for this species. This does not mean all habitat is suitable; the evidence needed to justify an exclusion has not been assembled.

Habitat limitations and contrary evidence: Before using a negative association

  • Confirm the taxon, geographic region, life stage and habitat function covered by the evidence.
  • Check survey methods, season, repeated effort and detectability before interpreting non-detection.
  • Investigate credible contradictory records and microhabitats absent from broad mapping.
  • Do not convert a missing map class, low record count or failed data request into species absence.

Before habitat disturbance: 1. Review records and vegetation

Plan checks around the limits of current knowledge. Do not assume the bee is absent because no records are mapped.

Check available occurrence information, mapped vegetation and site surveys. Identify the two recorded flower associations and note other flowering resources and potential stem or twig cavities as precautionary features.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Set controls

Where practicable, survey flowering plants before clearing and mark areas or plants that can be retained. Brief crews on the bee's uncertain identification and the need to pause and seek advice if a suspected individual or nest is found.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Check as work proceeds

Use staged, observant work practices and respond cautiously to bee activity or potential nest features.

Have a suitably experienced fauna spotter catcher or ecologist check areas of flowering vegetation before and during clearing where required by project controls. Take care around the recorded flower-associated plants and any retained potential nesting features.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Pause and report

If a suspected H. globuliferus or a possible nest is found, pause work in the immediate area where safe, prevent unnecessary handling or damage, and ask the project ecologist to assess and document it. Do not assume that an unidentified bee is this species.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Record outcomes

Document outcomes and retain useful resources where practicable. There is no species-specific post-disturbance protocol.

Log survey effort, flower observations, any suspected bee records, work areas cleared and features retained. Submit confirmed records through the applicable project and fauna reporting processes.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Review controls

Review whether the work affected flowering plants or potential nesting features and whether further checks are warranted. Keep uncertainty explicit when reporting non-detections or unconfirmed sightings.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore recorded flower resources

Rehabilitation should be precautionary because the species' habitat requirements are not established.

Where consistent with the approved rehabilitation plan, consider locally appropriate restoration of Adenanthos cygnorum and Banksia attenuata where these plants are part of the affected site. Their reported association with the bee does not establish that planting them alone will restore habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Retain and monitor features

Retain suitable native vegetation and dead stems or twigs where safe and compatible with site requirements, as a precaution based partly on general Hylaeus nesting information. Monitor flowering and bee activity, and report observations without claiming species recovery from unconfirmed sightings.

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