Tag: summer
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Anthidiellum
Anthidiellum are tiny, compact anthidiines that are associated with dry, sandy habitats. Bees in this genus build nests out of tree resin. In the northeast, Anthidiellum nests are resinous jug-like structures that hang from vegetation, each of which contains a single developing offspring. Anthidiellum can be locally abundant, especially when host plants are abundant, and…
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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…
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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. It has a particularly large head, including a genal tooth (like Halictus ligatus/poeyi), which sets it apart from close relatives…
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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,…
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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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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…
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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…
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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…