Tawny native bee (Leioproctus fulvescens) This native South Island bee is about 10 mm long, with distinctive golden-orange hairs. Unlike introduced honeybees, it lives independently rather than in large hives. Females dig nests in fine soil and collect pollen, particularly from daisy-family flowers, to feed their young. These little bees were helping pollinate New Zealand plants long before European honeybees arrived in 1839. Leioproctus fulvescens was awarded the title New Zealand Bug of the Year by the Entomological Society of New Zealand on 14 February 2023 after it gained the most votes in the inaugural Bug of the Year competition. This bee is endemic to the South Island of New Zealand, and its yellow-orange hair distinguishes it from all other New Zealand species of Leioproctus. Like many other bees, these females are abundant flower visitors, using pollen and nectar as food source. - https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/973222-Leioproctus-fulvescens