Category: Summer Bees
-
Dark-veined and Agile longhorn bees (Melissodes trinodis/agilis)
Apidae > Melissodes > Melissodes trinodis / Melissodes agilis If you grow sunflowers in your backyard garden, you won’t have to go very far to find one of this pair of longhorn bees Melissodes trinodis and Melissodes agilis. Separating this species pair in the field is difficult (especially males), and both members have a strong…
-
Carpenter-mimic leafcutter bee (Megachile xylocopoides)
Megachilidae > Megachile > Megachile xylocopoides Carpenter-mimic leafcutter bee (Megachile xylocopoides) is a large, glossy black megachilid. It can be found throughout the summer on asters like coreopsis, sunflowers, and goldenrods in gardens and backyards. M. xylocopoides is a straightforward field identification: it hardly resembles another megachilid in the northeast. Rather, its model is the…
-
Pugnacious leafcutter bee (Megachile pugnata)
Megachilidae > Megachile > Megachile pugnata Pugnacious leafcutter bee (Megachile pugnata) is a sunflower bee through and through. This distinctive, large megachilid is common in summer on composite asters in gardens, backyards, and agricultural fields. The female has a particularly large head with a spikey genal tooth on the cheek (like Halictus ligatus/poeyi), which sets…
-
Oblong woolcarder bee (Anthidium oblongatum)
Megachilidae > Anthidium > Anthidium oblongatum Oblong woolcarder bee (Anthidium oblongatum) thrives in human-disturbed landscapes like roadsides, backyards, and the margins of agricultural fields. This exotic anthidiine has a strong preference for exotic legumes like birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) and crownvetch (Securigera varia). This bee is distinctive with a squat build, green eyes, orange tegulae,…
-
Painted dark bee (Stelis louisae)
Megachilidae > Stelis > Stelis louisae Louisiana painted-dark bee (S. louisae) is a colorful and distinctive member of an otherwise rare and poorly understood group of megachilid cuckoos. S. louisae is thought to predominately parasitize nests of megachilids that line their nests with tree resin: Megachile campanulae in New England and M. exilis in mid-Atlantic…
-
European small-woolcarder (Pseudoanthidium nanum)
Megachilidae > Pseudoanthidium > Pseudoanthidium nanum European small-woolcarder (Psuedoanthidium nanum) is found on small weedy asters growing in cracks in the sidewalk. This exotic species thrives in the most industrial and urbanized places. P. nanum is a recent arrival in the northeast, but has since spread to major population centers along the eastern seaboard. Phenology…
-
Sunflower burrowing-resin bee (Paranthidium jugatorium)
Megachilidae > Paranthidium > Paranthidium jugatorium Sunflower burrowing-resin bee (Paranthidium jugatorium) is an uncommon, distinctive bee found on sunflowers. P. jugatorium is common in both forests and nearby gardens within their range, but in the northeast, this range is seemingly restricted to high-elevation alkaline soils such as the Berkshires in Massachusetts or the Green Mountains…
-
Two-spotted bumble bee (Bombus bimaculatus)
Apidae > Bombus > Bombus bimaculatus Two-spotted bumble bees (Bombus bimaculatus) carry spring on their wings. Queens are often among the first bumble bees seen each year, taking advantage of a pulse of forage in the forest canopy and spring ephemerals in the understory. Colonies grow and senesce quickly, producing the earliest reproductive after less…
-
Eastern carpenter bee (Xylocopa virginica)
Apidae > Xylocopa > Xylocopa virginica Eastern carpenter bee (Xylocopa virginica) is perhaps one of the most widely-recognized bees in our region. Males’ bossy attitude and females’ penchant for chewing into wooden decks makes them difficult to ignore. Note black glossy abdomen to separate from bumble bee queens at a glance. Human-disturbed environments suit carpenter…
-
Chimney bee (Anthophora abrupta)
Apidae > Anthophora > Anthophora abrupta Don’t worry if you have to do a double-take: abrupt chimney bees (Anthophora abrupta) can fool even the most seasoned bee watchers. This fast-flying Bombus-mimic is active in mid-summer where it occurs in both rural and suburban landscapes. Unlike bumble bees, however, A. abrupta have brush-like scopae on their…