Tag: garden
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Paranthidium
Paranthidium are tiny, compact anthidiines, with only a single member of the genus in eastern North America. They are ground-nesting, either digging their own tunnels or co-opting the abandoned tunnels of other bees, and line their nests with plant resins and occasionally pebbles. Our sole northeastern species, P. jugatorium, prefers medium-sized yellow composites like Helianthus…
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Megachile
Megachile is a widespread and highly diverse genus of bees. They range in size from about one-quarter the size of a honey bee, to nearly twice as large. Megachile females transport pollen beneath their abdomens (often holding up their abdomens while foraging). They are united by their varied nesting strategies. Females build linear nests that…
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Hylaeus
Hylaeus are tiny colletid bees that are more wasp-like than bee-like. Their common name (“masked bees”) reflects the strong yellow and white markings often present on their faces – the shape and arrangement of these markings is often helpful for identification. All species nest above ground in cavities and, like all colletids, they line their…
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Hoary squash bee (Peponapis pruinosa)
Apidae > Peponapis > Peponapis pruinosa Pruinose squash bee (Peponapis pruinosa) is one of the most common vegetable garden pollinators in the northeast. With a bright orange thorax and protruding clypeus, males and females are distinctive among regional eucerines. For P. pruinosa, the early bee gets the pollen: females are active very early in the…
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Two-spotted longhorn bee (Melissodes bimaculatus)
Apidae > Melissodes > Melissodes bimaculatus Two-spotted longhorn bee (Melissodes bimaculatus) is one of the most distinctive bees in the northeast. Jet-black, with a zippy flight, and a tendency to visit common garden plants, M. bimaculatus is straightforward to find and identify in summer. Intriguingly, this species has a penchant for foraging on common agricultural…