• Family: Apidae
• Tribe: Emphorini
• Approximate # species in region: 1
• Common name: turret bees

Ptilothrix are excavators through and through. Named for the turret of soil they pile up around their nest entrance, Ptilothrix nest in the most compacted of soils, which they soften with water gathered from nearby puddles and wetlands. They can often be seen skating like water striders on puddles as they collect water in their crop. A single species of this genus occurs in our region: Ptilothrix bombiformis, which is active in mid-summer from Rhode Island and south.

Species covered:

Species requiring accounts: none