Tag: garden
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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…
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Sculptured resin bee (Megachile sculpturalis)
Megachilidae > Megachile > Megachile sculpturalis Even to the novice observer, sculptured resin bee (Megachile sculpturalis) is hard to miss. These large, loud, exotic megachilids hardly are closer in size to a small dragonfly than to most other bees in the region. It has been highly successful in human-disturbed landscapes, where it’s drawn to numerous…
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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…
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European woolcarder bee (Anthidium manicatum)
Megachilidae > Anthidium > Anthidium manicatum European wool-carder bee (Anthidium manicatum) is a highly conspicuous bee of gardens and disturbed habitats. A. manicatum is stocky, with bold black-and-yellow patterning along the abdomen and yellow legs. Large males defend territories by patrolling patches of flowers and using abdominal spines to assault intruders of similar size like…
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Half-black/Sanderson’s bumble bee (Bombus vagans/sandersoni)
Apidae > Bombus > Bombus vagans / Bombus sandersoni Half-black bumble bee (Bombus vagans) and Sanderson’s bumble bee (Bombus sandersoni) are two forest-associated bumble bees with similar patterning. Both species have long, messy light-yellow hairs on the top half of the abdomen, though some individuals of B. sandersoni deviate considerably from this standard color pattern.…
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Tricolored bumble bee (Bombus ternarius)
Apidae > Bombus > Bombus ternarius Tricolored bumble bee (Bombus ternarius) is hard to miss. Its striking black, yellow, and orange patterning separates are more reminiscent of bumble bees of the western United States than most of our eastern fauna. B. ternarius is widespread, common, and particularly adaptable in suburban and urban areas, though it…
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Common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens)
Apidae > Bombus > Bombus impatiens Common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) is by far the most abundant bumble bee in the northeast. Most males and female can be easily identified from the lemon-yellow coloration and single yellow band on T1. This bee is active throughout the year, but becomes particularly abundant in August, September,…
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Brown-belted bumble bee (Bombus griseocollis)
Apidae > Bombus > Bombus griseocollis Brown-belted bumble bee (Bombus griseocollis) is a common bumble bee in the northeast, often found in gardens, parks, and cities. Most males and female can be easily identified from the short “buzz cut” hairs on thorax, lemon-yellow T1 and brown-yellow band on T2. Small nests are active throughout the…
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Golden northern bumble bee (Bombus fervidus)
Apidae > Bombus > Bombus fervidus Golden northern bumble bee (Bombus fervidus) is always a treat to see. This handsome bumble bee is found in open lands including meadows, agricultural fields, and cities. Through B. fervidus is widespread, it is never very common, and is thought to be in decline, possibly due to the widespread…
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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…