It's a different species though, this is the Australian one: https://imgur.com/X1vf3v4

Oddly enough they're solitary, rather than living in hives.

I live in Australia and have gardened for decades paying attention to bees and other insects around me. The first time (just recently) that my parents talked to me about blue-banded bees, I was convinced they were trying to trick me. I had never seen one in my 40ish years. They've since sent me photos of two that they've encountered.