Long Horned Bees. But why the aggregation?????
(07/29/2007) What kind of bees live in my garden, added location info
Bugman,
I will first tell you that I have taken it upon myself to see if I can identify these bees myself.  I think they could be the European Dark Bee (Apis mellifera)(?) but the pictures don't seem to match exactly.  The habits of these bees is also very puzzling.  In the evening these bees all congregate on my Miscanthus grass in my garden.  They cling exclusively to two separate blades of grass and hang out there.  They have not built any structure to live in and seem to have collected pollen for no reason at all.  They do not seem aggressive but I still used caution taking these photos (that is why they are not very clear) because I am pregnant and thought it would be worth the effort to avoid getting stung by an entire group of angry bees.  Can you help me identify these bees?
Thanks for checking into this, I hope this e-mail reaches you, I cannot open your websites home-page and have noticed that the latest request for ID was in '05. Cheers,
Jessica Strickle

Bugman,
I see your website is up and running again and have also read through some of your scoldings to those who have requested ID.  I am in Washington, IL (middle of Illinois) and these bees are about 3/4 of an inch long.  If you get a chance to answer this, great!  I just thought I might have a better chance with better information. Cheers,
Jessica Strickler



Hi Jessica,
First we feel guilty that you have called us on chastising (we like that better than scolding) our casual readership for not providing us with much needed information. We would never think to chastise you as your letter is so thorough. Yes, our website was down as we had internet connectivity problems, but our Time Warner serviceman, Tom, has assured us that the problem is remedied now. We believe, though we are not positive, that these are Mining Bees in the family Andrenidae. What has us curious is the social aggregation in a solitary species. We are going to request assistance from a true expert, Eric Eaton, on this.

Correction (07/29/2007)
Hi, Daniel:
The bees are all males in the tribe Eucerini (family Apidae), and probably the genus Melissodes, but I can't be positive. They sometimes congregate like this to "sleep," gripping a grassblade or twig in their jaws.
Eric

Giant Resin Bee
(07/05/2007) Pictures of a giant resin bee, I think
I saw a couple of REALLY large bees looking at a gap in the frame of a window.  I have since filled the gap. Actually, it might be more correct to say one was looking, and when the other approached they both flew up, facing each other.  Didn't seem particularly friendly but I could be wrong about that. After i caulked the gap (at night, no bee activity) I saw this bee again the next day, hovering around looking for the gap, very confused.  Since then i haven't seen him. I found a picture that matches this on your site, over this message: "The bee is a male 'giant resin bee,' Megachile sculpturalis, an introduced species from Asia, sometime in the 1990s. It would help to know where this shot was taken, so as to help track the progress of this species. Females nest in the abandoned tunnels bored by carpenter bees. Eric" Here are my pics; these are crops, at 100% magnification, from larger pictures.  I left the shutters in the left part of the picture for scale. Oh, location is Suffern, New York.  And we have a shed with abandoned tunnels bored by carpenter bees. EXIF information is intact in the pictures, if you care.  I was happy to have a "super zoom" to take these, even though I don't see a stinger didn't feel like getting close.
Joe S.



Hi Joe,
We concur that this is a Giant Resin Bee.

Swarming Honeybees
(07/02/2007) Bee swarm in tree
Hi all! Just thought you might appreciate a break from all the questions, and enjoy a look at a bee swarm we found a few days ago in a front yard tree in LaFayette, NY. (I was there on a visit.) A local honey bee keeper collected the swarm and is hoping that the old queen (he says it's always the old queen that leaves with 40-60% of the workers when a new queen is born) will produce a good quantity of honey for him next year. He estimates there are nearly 10000 bees in this swarm, which is about the size of two footballs. There are three pictures, one of the swarm protecting (surrounding) the queen after a rain storm, one of the keeper grabbing the swarm to sweep it into the hive box, and one of the box as he checks to be sure he has the queen (he didn't and had to re-collect from the branch.) When the queen is inside, the bees line up at the entrance, deposit a lemon scent, and fan the entrance. Fascinating and fun to watch!
Diane
Chuluota, FL



Hi Diane,
Your letter and photos just fuels our desire to raise bees and eat our own garden honey.

Leaf Cutter Bee in Action
(07/02/2007) Leaf Cutter Bee in Texas
Hi!  You don't have to respond to this as an inquiry, but I thought you might enjoy the photos I snapped of a leaf cutter bee in my backyard in southeast Texas.  I've had this rosebush for over a year now and have only this week spotted the leafcutter in action.  They are very quick at their skill; I guess I either haven't been out at the right time, or they are very shy.  I've seen the neatly cut circles and I knew who the culprit was, I just hadn't seen her before.  I was pretty excited! Thanks for your cool and informative site!
Lindsey



Hi Lindsey,
We are sure our rose growing readership will appreciate your photos of a Leaf Cutter Bee in action. These bees are important native pollinators and the damage they do to leaves is minor. Of greater concern is their habit of tunneling into rose stems to create nests. Here is a link to the Colorado State University horticulture website with more information.

Crab Spider Stalks Bumble Bee
(06/16/2007) crab spider
Where was this site when I found some crazy huge fuzzy spider!?  I see the spider in my photo has been identified a couple of times already but I just wanted to share this photo (I'm just proud of it).  I am actually terrified of spiders but still find them quite interesting.  I like honey bees and I am wondering about the fate of the honey bee in the photo.  They got into quite the scuffle and eventually the honey bee flew off - I am just wondering if he'd be alright after a a fight with one of these guys.
Thanks!



Hi Rebecca,
What's That Bug? has been accepting correspondance from our curious readership online for over five years, and prior to that, for two years in print, though the modest photocopied American Homebody zine probably never crossed your path. Your Crab Spider is stalking a Bumble Bee, not a Honey Bee. Unless the spider sank its fangs into the bee, the Bumble Bee probably lived to pollinate numerous flowers after the near fatal encounter. Sadly, Crab Spiders do not know the difference between beneficial and harmful insects. Since Crab Spiders spend so much time on flowers, a large portion of their prey consists of beneficial pollinators.

Worker Bee Honey Bees work themselves to Death!!!
(06/15/2007) honey bee on the verge of retirement?
Daniel,
My nest question is more in regards to behavior than species. This is a picture I took in my backyard in Eugene, Oregon of what I assume is just your garden-variety honey-bee. They're crazy for all the lavender we have and, though we have a bee-sting sensitive daughter, we're happy to have them as only the ornery wasps on our porch have ever stung her.. But I digress.. If you notice, this bees wings look positively torn up and ragged and she was flying around a bit more sluggishly than the rest. Do the worker honeybees literally just gather nectar and pollen until their wings fall apart or do they die of old age before that? Seems like kind of a drag to be a bee whose wings have crapped out. You'd think they'd get a nice cushy retirement in the hive or something.. These girls need to unionize..
Brian



Hi Brian,
According to Ross E. Koning's amusing Biology of the Honeybee site: Worker Bees live "20-40 days summer (worked to death) 140 days winter ". All that gathering does take its toll.

Wild Honey Bees nesting in Hollow Tree
(06/14/2007) Are these honey bees?
Hi, Bugman!
I found these in the root of a tree in my back yard.  They look to me like plain honey bees, but I’m told they wouldn’t nest underground. Best Regards,
Russell G. Richter



Hi Russell,
Honey Bees that have naturalized or gone wild and are not being kept in hives need to nest somewhere. Hollow trees are common locations as are crawl spaces and attics in homes. Your bees might be unually resourseful and have taken up home in the only place they could find, the hollowed root system of an old tree. For more information on Honey Bees, check out the Bees and Beekeeping site.

Metallic Green Bee
(06/11/2007) Metallic Green Wasp
Hi Daniel and Lisa,
My boys and I rescued two wasp-like creatures from our pool today. The first dried off and took off before I could get any pictures. I did manage to get a couple of shots of the second one before it was able to fly away. I’ve looked through your wasp pages and didn’t really find an exact match. The cuckoo wasp seemed to match the closest, but not quite. There didn’t seem to be any metallic green on the abdomen of my specimens, mostly black with white stripes.  I’ve looked through one of my field guide’s to insects and thought the virescent green metallic bee could possibly be a match. The bee (or wasp, or fly) in question wasn’t very big… only about 2cm in length. Any thoughts? Thanks again!
Yvonne
Barrie , Ontario

(06/12/2007) Halictid Bee    Hi Daniel and Lisa,
  I just got word from Eric Eaton from Bug Guide that my creature is  “ Probably a species in the genus Agapostemon, but a halictid in any event.”.  I’ve since looked up the Halictid Bee on the web and found many images that match my insect.
    Yvonne



Hi Yvonne,
Sorry we didn't get back to you fast enough before Eric Eaton came to the rescue and identified you Metallic Green Bee.

Bumble Bees
(04/23/2007) help with bees
I took these pictures of some kind of bees that ruined several of my plants last summer. I think one must be the queen, judging from the relative sizes. They burrow large caverns under clumps of plants (especially thyme) and the plant above dies. Do you know of any way to discourage them this year? By the way, we live in NE Pennsylvania.



These are Bumble Bees and they do make underground chambers. We are surprised to hear that their little hive has killed your plants. we have no suggestions.

Orchard Bees Mating
(01/10/2007) mating orchard bees
Dear Bugman,
Great bug site! My son took this picture of two lovin' orchard bees on our deck in April of 2005. These bees regularly nest under the siding on the south side of our home. They are docile, early spring risers and are very welcome visitors to our apple trees.
Sandy Nunn
Kakabeka Falls
Ontario



Hi Sandy,
Thank you so much for sending us this wonderful image from your son's photo archive.

Valley Carpenter Bee Male
(12/08/2006) Albino Carpenter Female??
I was relaxing on my back patio in San Jose CA when this 1in+ bee fell, landing on it's back I put the oak leaf on it so that it could turn itself over then ran inside to get my camera. I was very thankful that it didn't fly away when I got back. I was able to get 3 decent pictures before it decided to leave. Any help identifying this green eyed beauty would be appriciated.
Michael Blair



Hi Michael,
This beauty is a normally colored Male Valley Carpenter Bee. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism, with the females being blue-black and the males golden with green eyes. The males are generally short lived, nervous active creatures. We usually see them in the spring here in Los Angeles.

Yellow Faced Bumble Bee
(11/06/2006) black & yellow winged . . . ???
I found this little guy [girl?] outside on the walk. Seems to be ailing or injured as it has barely moved in a day. Besides the yellow on the head, it has a yellow stripe across his butt. Interesting fuzzy legs that have little hooked ends.
Mike Armstrong
San Diego area



Hi Mike,
This is a Yellow Faced Bumble Bee, Bombus vosnesenskii. BugGuide has some additional photos, but not much information.

Wool Carder Bee
(08/20/2006) Male Wool Carder Bee
Hi,
I often refer to your website to identify a bug (and have had success with a few I'd been looking for for a year or two at least), and often out of sheer curiosity. I read the post about the Wool Carder Bee recently and thought it sounded cool and decided to keep an eye out for them... Strangely, I saw one on our Bee Balm Flower the next day and took these shots (you can clearly see the spikes on the one from behind). This one is male - the female was nearby but didn't land within range for a clear shot (no zoom OR macro lens). Hope you like 'em. Keep up the good work!
SJ (Ontario)



Dear SJ,
Like them? We love them. We are so honored that you are allowing us to post your most excellent photos of a male Wool Carder Bee, Anthidium manicatum. We are also providing a link to a Wool Carder Bee site that states: "How common is the Wool Carder Bee? The Wool Carder Bee is quite an uncommon bee, but it is particularly associated with gardens. There has been a dramatic decline in the numbers of most species of bee in the wider countryside. Intensive agriculture leaves little opportunity for wild bees to thrive, and nowadays many bee species are more common in gardens than elsewhere! A sad reflection on the state of our countryside's wildlife."

Milkweed Assassin Bug eats Honey Bee
(08/07/2006) Bug "Eating" a Bee?
Hello! We live in Spring, TX (north of Houston) and found this on our car this morning. It seemed that the black and orange bug had "stuck" the bee...reminded me of a mosquito sucking blood. When the bug noticed us, it started dragging the bee across the car. My husband tried to blow them off the car, and then the bug flew away dropping the bee. Any clues? Our 7-year-old would love to know...so would we!!! :) Didn't see it searching the site. Thanks!
~Bridget
Oh, wait!!! I searched one more time on your site before pressing "send" and found assassin bugs and there it was! Yikes! I'll attach the pic anyway. Thank you! :)



Hi Bridget,
We are thrilled you located the Milkweed Assassin Bug on our site and your photo of this Assassin Bug feasting on a Honey Bee is a nice addition to our site.

Giant Resin Bee from Michigan
(07/28/2006) Would love ID on this bee
Hi there,
My son and I noticed a bee we've not seen before visiting our flowers this summer. I know you are swamped, but I couldn't find one like it on your bee page. It is over 1.5" long. We saw a smaller variant also, about 1", but I couldn't nab a picture of it. Your site is our favorite on the Web. I'm glad and sad you are so popular.
Scott Williams and Kyle Mink



Hi Scott and Kyle,
Thanks for the compliment. We wish you had provided us with global coordinates. We are checking to see if Eric Eaton recognizes this bee which has us baffled. Eric quickly wrote back: "The bee is a male 'giant resin bee,' Megachile sculpturalis, an introduced species from Asia, sometime in the 1990s. It would help to know where this shot was taken, so as to help track the progress of this species. Females nest in the abandoned tunnels bored by carpenter bees. Eric"

D'Oh! Sorry! We are in Ann Arbor Michigan. My son is convinced it is a hybridized African bee -- finally making it up this far north. He normally is on target ID'ing insects (ever since the age of 3, and he's 11 now). Thanks!
Scott and Kyle

Female Leafcutter Bee
(07/23/2006)
Every once in awhile, the What's That Bug? editorial staff needs to dust off the camera to get a photo just to prove we can. While gardening today, we were observing a pretty little bee we have seen in the summer in the past, but are unsure as to its identity. It flies very rapidly, and in flight, it looks pale blue. It has a striped abdomen and the ventral surface is bright yellow. There are not noticeable pollen sacs and we are wondering if the bee collects pollen on the hairs of the abdomen. If flies very quickly and erratically, and is difficult to capture photographically. After about a half an hour, our efforts were rewarded. Now we hope Eric Eaton can tell us what this beauty is.



Within minutes, Eric wrote back: "Daniel, Yes, it is a female leafcutter bee, genus Megachile, and yes, she does collect pollen in a dense brush of hairs on the underside of her abdomen. Leafcutter bees nest in pre-existing tunnels in wood (some species do make burrows in the ground). They fashion individual, barrel-shaped cells from plant cuttings. A leafcutter can shear a perfectly oval (or round) piece from a leaf in under 30 seconds! The round pieces cap the finished cell. Inside each cell she packs a ball of pollen and nectar for a single offspring. She lays an egg in the finished cell, caps it, then begins a new cell stacked atop the first, repeating this for the length of the tunnel. These are amazing insects, and vital pollinators of both wild and cultivated plants. Eric"

Plasterer Bee
(07/19/2006) unknown bee
I've attached an image of a bee I encountered in northern Georgia next to a lake. It appeared to be excavating a hole in a sandy wall, nearby there were hundreds of these holes, I assume also by these bees. I looked on your site and thought for a second it could be a plasterer bee. Any idea?
Anthony



Hi Anthony,
We agree that this is a Plasterer Bee in the family Colletidae. According to the Audubon Guide: "The Plasterer Bee lines its underground chambers with a thin, delicate, cellophane-like coating of saliva, suggesting its common name."

male Wool Carder Bee	female Wool Carder Bee

Dear Patty,
We are so sorry to have lost your original email and are thrilled you have resent it. We are happy to have received your photos. Your letter and all the research is absolutely amazing. Thank you for sharing this wonderful information with our readership.

Green Metallic Bee
(07/09/2006) wood eater / wood nester?
Good day Bugman,
I live in a log home. I recently found that one of the logs holding up one end of my front porch awning was damaged at its base. I started to pick away at the wood, thinking first it was water damage. As I continued to dig my fingers vertically up through the center of the log, I found a bunch of shiny, greenish, winged bugs with antani on their heads. They are a little over a 1/4" long and 1/16" wide. The look abit like one would think a "green hornet" would look. I thought they were termites, but I looked up termite on google and did not find a photo that matched my bug. Any idea what this bug is?
Thanks,
Robert Nieminen
Southbury, CT



Hi Robert,
We believe this is a Green Metallic Bee in the genus Augochlora, in the Halictid Family. According to the Audubon Guide: the "Female digs nest of many branching burrows in dead wood or uses pre-existing borrows of other insects. Female supplies each cell with pollen ball and nectar, and lays an egg on each ball. Larvae or pupae overwinter. Adults emerge in spring."

Virescent Green Metallic Bee
(06/26/2006) >Green metallic sweat bee?
On or about 6/20/06 while digging in my backyard, Sammamish, Washington (just east of Seattle) I saw this new to me bee. You great website leads me to believe it is a green metallic sweat bee. I did not see any postings from the pacific NW.
Larry Hart, Sammamish, WA



Hi Larry,
Virescent Green Metallic Bees range, according to Audubon: "from Quebec and Maine to Florida, west to Texas; also Oregon to British Columbia." We also see them in Los Angeles.

Giant Resin Bee
(06/20/2006) Mr. Bee
Hey Bugman,
There's bees all over my vitex tree. A lot of them are this guy that I don't recognize. I looked at your bees but still not sure. Leafcutter bee? My husband thinks it might be a hornet or mimic of some kind. Always appreciate your kind help for the " insect challenged" here in West Tennessee.
Beth and Rick



Hi Beth and Rick,
We don't recognize your solitary bee, but we hope Eric Eaton, who at long last has returned from Appalacia, might know the answer. Here is Eric's speedy reply: "The bee is a Giant Resin Bee," Megachile sculpturalis, so the submitter was right on with her identification. This species was introduced to North America from Asia in the 1990s, and has quickly spread over most of the eastern U.S. The females nest in the abandoned tunnels carved by our native carpenter bees. Eric"

Leaf Cutting Bee Nest
(06/04/2006) need help in ID'ing a bee
Sir, Today I was cleaning and working on on my RV when I saw a large bee, about the size of a bumble bee, dark green in color, carrying a leaf, fly into the tailpipe of my generator's muffler. I waited for it to come out, but after a few minutes, it did not come out. Not wanted a clogged up muffler on my generator, I tapped on it with a hammer, still no bee. I got some wasp spray and shot a stream into the tailpipe. Nothing came out. So I decided to start the generator and see if I could blow him/her our. When I started the generator, 3 leafy, cigar shaped things flew out of the tailpipe. The are about finger width in diameter and about 3 or 3 1/2 inches long. They seem to be full of some type of yellow liquid. Attached are two photos of the cocoons or egg cases. Would really like to know what they are.
Thanks,
Larry
PS, I live in south Texas.



Hi Larry,
We wish you had a photo of the Leaf Cutting Bee in the family Megachilidae. The female provisions her nest with nectar and pollen and creates a series of individual cells using circular leaf fragments.

Female Carpenter Bee
(05/31/2006) Bumble Bee
Dear Bugman:
I'm very fond of your site. I love the beautiful photos your readers send in, and I love the way your writing both demystifies and celebrates our insect friends. I took this picture the other day in my garden. I was rather lazily weeding when I heard a very loud buzzing. This fellow (male? female?) was trying to collect from the columbine flowers, without much success since he was so big and heavy, and the flowers are on weak, nodding stems. I'm anthropomorphizing, but I swear the buzzing sounded grumpier and grumpier the more times he flopped off. I followed him (?) around with my camera for about five minutes before he stayed still long enough for me to get this pretty decent shot. I thought you might enjoy it, as well as confirm that this is indeed a bumble bee?
Stephanie Bowker
Des Plaines, IL



Hi Stephanie,
Thank you so much for your sweet letter. There is nothing wrong with a little anthromorphization. Fabre, one of the pioneering insect authors of the 19th Century, was a master of anthromorphization. Your columbines are quite lovely. It is one of our favorite flowers. We thought this was a Bumble Bee, but Eric Eaton set us straight: "the bumble bee is actually a female carpenter bee, Xylocopa virginica."

Red-Tailed Bumble Bees move into Bird House!!!
(04/29/2006) Help identify this nest of bees
Hi Bugman!
I am so grateful I found this site and I am hoping you can identify this nest of bees which have decided to take over a bird house in our back yard. Are they dangerous? Are they endangered? I hope you can help, they make me a little nervous!
Thanx a lot!
Linda Robb



Hi Linda,
Because we are feeling cantankerous, we must begin by yelling at you. Where are you???????? Insect identification is difficult enough when location is known. If we didn't love your photo, which is awesome, we would have simply hit the delete key and moved to a letter with more substance. If you are in the eastern U.S. or Canada, these are Red-Tailed Bumble Bees, Bombus ternarius. According to our Audubon Guide: "In early spring queen enters opening in soil to build honeypots and brood cells. Small workers develop first, visit flowers for nectar, and construct new brood cells. With warmer weather, larger adults develop. Only young mated females overwinter." With the current state of the world, all living things are endangered but your native bees are not rare. They are not aggressive, but you should not disturb their nest or they will sting repeatedly. Please let them live in their awesome new home.

Sorry Bugman,
I live in Portland, Oregon. Thanks for identifing our bees. I have a few more awesome photos of them if you want me to send them to you. I have never seen a bee that looked like that before. They swarm around the front of the bird house in the middle of the afternoon when it is hot. It looks like they have some kind of a cone just inside the opening of the house. So sorry I didn't give you more information in the beginning, it is the first time I wrote to someone about them! Best Regards,
Linda Robb

Update (05/01/2006)
Eric Eaton provided us with some assistance on this one: " Ok, the bumblebees should be Bombus melanopygus, if my memory serves. We called them red-tailed bumblebees when I lived in Portland. That is a neat shot, one we could use on Bugguide because we don't have that species yet."

Eastern Tent Caterpillar	Emerald Moth

Metallic Sweat Bee
(03/12/2006) Is this a Metallic Sweat Bee?
Dear Bugman,
Is this a metallic sweat bee? I shot the photo at Bailey Tract, Sanibel FL a few days ago. It was feeding on a thistle.
Many thanks,
Susan Van Etten



Hi Susan,
You are correct, this is a Metallic Sweat Bee.

South African Cuckoo Bee
(02/20/2006) Could you tell me what this bug is please.
I saw this this weekend in South Africa (Where I reside) and would love o know what bug this is.
Many Thanks
Bjorn Behr



Hi Bjorn,
We checked with Eric Eaton who wrote back: "some kind of cuckoo bee, family Apidae (formerly Anthophoridae." He said he would try to find out the species for us. Here is what he found out: "Ok, the cuckoo bee is in the genus Thyreus, and they are parasites of other bees in the genera Anthophora and Amegilla. There are apparently several species that look nearly identical. Thank goodness for my "Field Guide to Insects of South Africa," by Mike Picker, Charles Griffiths, and Alan Weaving, 2002, Struik Publishers, 440 pp. Eric "

Leafcutting Bee lives with Hermit Crabs!!!
(02/11/2006) Bee/Wasp?
Hello Mr.Bugman.
WOW! What a Treasure trove of Bug Info! I am a Land Hermit Crab owner and I have recently found a Bee or Wasp, Dont quite know. She is Mostly Black with some thin White Stripes around her Abdomen and Seems to have Some Fuzz on the Thorax. I am in Western Massachusetts and Since it is Early February, Releasing it out into the Environment is not an Option at this time. Can ya Please Help me Identify her And if known, What May I add to my Crab Habitat for food? The Pictures of her is on a Piece of Cholla Wood. I am guessing that she is about 1/8 to 1/4 inch in Length. Thank you for any assistance.
Mike



Hi Mike,
This looks like a Leaf-Cutting Bee in the genus Megachile. Female bees like cells in rotting wood or soil with circles of leaves that they cut with their mandibles. The cells are then filled with pollen and nectar and an egg is laid. The best food source you can provide for your tenant consists of fresh flowers, so you might be amassing a substantial florist bill.

Eucerini Bee
(02/07/2006) ?
Hello friends,
Hope all is well with you today. I have a bug to identify. We went up to Mineral King in the Sequoias (California) last year and saw this bee (?) on what looks like a thistle plant. We were at about 8000 feet on the way to the top. A really good looking bug I think. Can you id this one.
Thanks,
Gene



Hi Gene,
We wrote to Eric Eaton for an identification. Here is his response: " Yes, a male eucerini bee (family Apidae, but formerly in Anthophoridae). If pretty early in the spring: Synhalonia. If later, Melissodes or something closely related."

Brazilian Symbiosis!!!
(01/30/2006) Treehoppers nimphs and stingless Bees
Hello, Daniel
More Treehoppers nymphs (Aetalion) but mutualism with ....stingless Bees !!! Thank you
Danilo Rivas



Hi Again Danilo,
Sorry about the delay, but we found your letter when going through old mail. We don't know what to make about this odd symbiosis, but Homopterans often exude honeydew, and that must be attracting the bee.

Leafcutter Bee	Orchard Mason Bee

The last picture is of a critter that has me confused as to it's true identity. This bumble bee sized fly-like creature is pictured on a stevia plant (aka sugar herb), but seems to also like holly and basil flowers, they however completely avoid catnip in bloom, which is odd as it seems to attract every other pollinator I've seen in my yard. They seem to be particularly prevalent around my beehive, though this may simply be coincidence. Can you help me identify this last specimen, and confirm my beliefs on the previous too? Any help that you could lend would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Robert Engelhardt



Hi Robert,
We will post your images of the Orchard Mason Bee and Leafcutter Bee and see if we can get an exact species names for you. Meanwhile, your mystery pollinator is a Beelike Tachnid Fly, Bombyliopsis abrupta. The adults drink nectar, and the larvae are internal parasites on caterpillars.

Update From Eric Eaton
"Yes, the left one is a female Megachile sp., though not the one he thought it was. The right one is a male Osmia sp., no telling which one from the image alone. Both are very nice images. Eric"

Green Metalic Bee
(01/15/2006) unknown wasp
This wasp was found on Tybee Island, GA. It was an extremely cold and windy day, it was hidden among these flowers. Any idea what it is?
Anthony



Hi Anthony,
This is not a wasp, but a Green Metallic Bee or Halictid Bee in the genus Agapostemon.

Bumble Bee
(12/22/2005) Bumble Bee Pic
Here's a cute bumble bee picture for you. I don't know what this flower is in my backyard but it attracts so many different bugs & I try to snap pics of them when I can. You've previously posted a cranefly pic I took on one of these flowers too. Thx, & again, your site is real cool.
Cindy
Ajax, ON CANADA



Hi Again Cindy,
We can't believe we have not had a good Bumble Bee photo on our site until your submission.

Digger Bee
(10/08/2005) burrowing bee
Dear Bugman -
Thanks for identifying my Sesiid moth - here's another question. I apologize for the poor quality of the photo, but I barely had time to snap this pollen-laden bee before it burrowed into the sandy ground and disappeared. There was no sign of a tunnel or hole, it just dug in and vanished. This photo was taken in July at Pescadero Marsh, near the beach in California. Thanks so much for your great work!
Allison



Hi Allison,
We can't give you an exact species because of the photo, but behavior leads us to believe this is a Digger Bee, genus Anthophora. These bees visit flowers and are often laden with pollen. Though solitary, they nest in colonies. According to the Audubon Guide: "Nest is contructed in clya or sand bank. Entrance is concealed by a downslanted chimney made of mud. The chimney and brood cells at ends of inner branching tunnels are thinly lined with mud. Each cell contains misture of honey and pollen plus 1 egg. Larvae feed, overwinter, and pupate in cell. Adults emerge in late spring." So, there was a predug tunnel concealed by sand, allowing the bee to quickly disappear.

Bees do it!!!
(10/02/2005) WHAT'S THE BUZZ??PAIR OF BUMBLE BEES MATING??
Hey Bugman!!
I came across this pair of bumblebees in my driveway..they definitely appeared to be making LITTLE BABY BUMBLEBEES. They were there for 3 hours..when I checked on them a few minutes ago..they..were GONE....apparently they flew off into the wild blue yonder. Happy Buggin'..or should I say..BUZZIN'!!
Dee Rocanello
East Islip, Long Island, NY



Hi Dee,
Thanks for the contribution.

Metallic Sweat Bees
(09/14/2005) A couple for you . .
Dear Bugman,
I love your nickname.  I know (by Internet) a retired priest who's nickname is the same because he does bugs for fun too! We live in western South Dakota just east of Rapid City, NOT in the Black Hills. I have two for you, one I think I have identified from your web site as  metallic green bees, pollinating our sunflowers.  They were everywhere when our sunflowers were in full spate! The other is a mystery - the closest I have gotten is that by "insect definitions" (which I know very little about) is that this is some kind of fly because it only has one pair of wings.  There are actually two pictures taken on different days.  Both were sucking on early sunflowers along with some (YOW!) yellowjacket wasps which I manged to avoid, phew! The closest on your site was a Bee Fly, and these were definitely not eating bees! These pretty much ignored me as when I took these macros, they did not move!  One appears to onlt have on set of legs, but the second picture reveals three pairs. Bless you for a fantasic site, and not just for kids!!!
Diane in South Dakota



Hi Diane,
You sent us three copies of the Metallic Sweat Bees in the genus Agapostemon. The photo is wonderful.

Red-Tailed Bumble Bees mating
(07/29/2005)



Paul from Eastern Washington just sent in this image of mating Red-Tailed Bumble Bees, Bombus ternarius, mating on a corn stalk. What a nice addition to Love Among the Bugs.

Plasterer Bees
(04/10/2005) need help identifying a bug
Help!  We must have 100's of what looks like anthills in our yard , but instead of ants coming out of them, we have these flying insects.  They are good flyers and at this point, about 1 cm.  Photo 2 is the whole
creature and 1 is a close up of the head.  We live  in Northern Virginia outside DC.  Any help would be appreciated.
Jerry



Hi Jerry,
We wrote to Eric Eaton for some clarification on this, and he gave us this lengthy response:
"Neato!  This person is privileged to be hosting large numbers of plasterer bees, genus Colletes, family Colletidae.  They are solitary, each female excavating her own burrow, which branches into several cells underground. The bees get their common name from the fact that the female bee secretes from her body a natural polymer (that's right, PLASTIC), with which she coats the inside of each cell.  She makes a nectar and pollen "soup" that pools in the bottom, and she suspends a single egg from the ceiling.  The larva that hatches feeds on the soup, which is kepf fresh and mold-free in the plastic baggie!  Cool, huh? Colletes are among the many, many species of native, solitary bees we have in the U.S., and they are extremely valuable in pollinating wildflowers, as well as crops like alfalfa, cranberries, blueberries, and squashes that the non-native honey bees do not pollinate as efficiently, if at all. Plasterer bees are only locally common, so your "colony" may be the only one for miles, certainly the only one in the neighborhood.
Eric"
Hope that helps.

Honey Bee
(03/14/2005) Baby spiders, bee, grasshopper
Hi!  Thought you might enjoy these pix of: newly hatched linx spiders (hard to tell on small picture, but when I zoom in they look just like Mom), cute bee (maybe you can ID this one?), and a big grasshopper on a cactus.  Thanks for the wonderful site.
Best Wishes,
Donna in San Diego



Hi Donna,
Thanks for the images of the Green Lynx Spiderlings. Your bee is a common Honey Bee, Apis mellifera and your grasshopper is a Gray Bird Grasshopper, Schistocerca nitens. The females can grow to 2 1/2 inches in length or larger.

Update from David Gracer
www.slshrimp.com
Honey Bees
In addition to honey itself, many species in the genus Apis are harvested for bee brood (the high-protein larvae in the honeycomb; the brood harvested from Apis laboriosa is called Bakuti in Nepalese. Notice that evocative Latin name). To the extent that they’re eaten at all, domestic honeybees are consumed almost exclusively at certain Entomology Department get-togethers. While most American beekeepers would shudder at the thought of harvesting their future worker bees as a food source, the larvae are vastly more nutritious than the honey, and from everything I’ve read they’re delicious. One of these days I will have to give it a try….

Virescent Green Metallic Bee
(10/12/2004) Bugman,
From your website it seems I have photographed a "Metallic Sweat Bee". This was taken 10/7/04 in West Greenwich Rhode Island. I have lived in this area for 40 years and never seen one. Is this appearance the result of the recent hurricanes?
Mike Raia



Hi Mike,
Nice photo of one of the metallic sweat bees, probably the Virescent Green Metallic Bee, Agapostemon virescens. Yours is a female. Female bees have the abdomen ringed in white and males in yellow. They range from Quebec to Florida, west to Texas, and also Oregon. For nests, they dig burrows in bare and sandy soil. Adults drink nectar, but collect pollen to feed the young.

Euglossa bee
(10/06/2004) What is this?
Hi Daniel,
I was happy to hear from you,and wanted to let you know that as soon as I can I will send some pictures for your site,things tend to go in cycles with me getting busier at certain times as well,however in the meantime I'm sending a picture,not resized to your sites specs, just the site it was submitted to,but just so you can see because I'm wondering if you can tell me what kind of insect this is...it acts like a bee,and I've seen them around my yard a lot,and have always called them little green bees,but I have no clue as to what they actually are,I live in South Florida,near the Fort Lauderdale area. I submit to photography sites,so most likely I'll be asked by everyone what it is,I'm really hoping you'll know!!!
Thanks very much,
Beth Bernier



Hi Beth,
Your photo is absolutely gorgeous. We were unsure exactly what your beautiful metallic insect was. It is colored like a sweat bee or a cuckoo wasp, but its body form resembled a fly more. The telltale feature of a fly is that they have two and not four wings. We are turning to a more knowledgeable source:
"Dear Daniel: Boy, that sure does look like an orchid bee in the genus Euglossa, but as far as I know, they are found strictly south of the Mexican border. I suppose it could be a recent introduction (or something else I am unfamiliar with),  Definitely an apid bee of some sort. Thanks for sharing!
Sincerely,
Eric"
Later Eric wrote back
Euglossa bee? Daniel:
Here is a real expert answer as to what the bee is (it is a Euglossa sp.), and how it might have turned up so far out of its normal range.
Eric
Dear Friends, esp. Doug Y:
I think this is a Euglossa sp. bee, but what would it be doing in Ft. Lauderdale???
Obviously, it's visiting flowers. ;-)
At any rate, this is not surprising, given that it's a well-known phenomenon for hurricanes to move insects around. Many, MANY of the odd US records for Mexican lepidoptera coincide with major storms - and I certainly think this year would qualify as a major storm year. So, I would expect such a stray to be a meaningless data point, especially as it's a male Euglossa - though if there's one, there may be more, and if that includes some fertilized females, then who knows? Climatically, there isn't really any obvious reason southern Florida couldn't support orchid bees. If there are repeated sightings in the future, then at least we have some evidence pointing to this being the year the invasion might have occurred.
Peace,
Doug Yanega
Dept. of Entomology, Entomology Research Museum
Univ. of California - Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521-0314
phone: (951) 827-4315
(standard disclaimer: opinions are mine, not UCR's)
http://cache.ucr.edu/~heraty/yanega.html

Hi Daniel,
Well that's quite exciting news!!! If your expert friends are interested..I can tell you that these bees have been here at least a year,perhaps longer as I have been trying to get a good photo of one for at least that long,and there have been at a few bees present most times,they seem to love my wild morning glories,as well as the flowers shown in the image,in fact they seem to be quite attracted to any flower in the violet/blue color. I've also seen them before at a nearby nature preserve called Fern Forest.My exact address is 5500 SW 6th Court in Margate,Fl. That's so an exact location can be noted,also if there's anyone that wishes to contact me about the bees for scientific purposes please feel free to give them my email address.   Thank you again for your help!
Beth

Update: (12/14/2006)
Hello my name is Lance I have seen this bug as well in South Florida. It is bright green and an incredible flier. I have seen this bug hover in a single spot as still as a statue, then very quickly dart just a couple of inches over left or right or forward. I wish I could get a picture of it. It went into a hole it made or something else made burrowed into concrete....perhaps building a nest....I just wanted you all to know the behavior so maybe it would help better understand it....maybe a new kind of bug

(06/18/2004) Metallic Sweat Bee
We found this beautiful Sweat Bee busily gathering honey and pollen from a wild artichoke in the canyon today. These are solitary bees with metallic green bodies. They nest in a tubular burrow dug in the ground, often in clay banks. They are members of the genus Augochlorella.

ed. Note: (09/06/2004) Eric just wrote in: "The metallic sweat bee is probably an Agapostemon sp. rather than whatever the current name on it is, but they are hard to separate without the specimen in hand."

(06/07/2004) Are we really a USA Today Hot Site?
Saw your web site - Hot Site from USA Today.
Just shot this last weekend.. The bees were going crazy over this bush in my yard.. Didn’t mind me one bit. It was amazing to me to see how much this bee had stuck to it.
Cheers,
John

Thanks for the Honey Bee photo John.

Hello!
I have a lot of green flies that live in the ground.    They have many holes , in the sand of my flagstone path,  that they go in and out of of the holes all day, more so in the morning.  They have bright green bodies, it looks like they are collecting pollen because some have a lot of yellow powder on there back legs.  They are not causing any problems they are actually really fun to watch I just wanted to know what they are doing in there underground world. 
Thanks !
Lesha Bertolucci   
Petaluma, CA

Dear Lesha,
Metallic Sweat Bees Agapostemon and Augochlorella species, have bright, usually green bodies and nest in the ground, digging tubular burrows. they are called Sweat Bees since they are often attracted by human perspiration. They do pollinate flowers.