newt in the throat

bee. incel. body. pillow. orchid. 

Number 16.  THE CAMPAIGN TO KNOW YOUR WILD BEES.

In a rough world where you can be eaten at any moment.  There is usefulness in being able to make self-supporting capsules for your babies with enough food and liquid to last a year.

A wee little Anthophora.  

Meet Anthophora flexipes.  

I don’t know much about this species since it lives out West where I don’t live, but it is cute and it is an Anthophora.  Collected way up the mountains from a burn study in Yosemite National Park by Claire Kremen’s bee study group.  We have been working on prepping specimens, this one is better than when we got it, but I am not satisfied with the hair.  Fortunately we have solved this major problem and will present that soon.  Onward Science.

All original pictures completely public domain and available at our Flickr site: https://www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/

Photography Information: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_yvIsucOY

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Download our free field guide to the genera of bees:http://bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Public Bee Servant, sam droege

What, not enough Wing Bling our Carpenter Bee friends?  Well check this out, Pilgrim, …. from Thailand.  Another Xylocopa specimen found lounging around the Packer Lab.  

So…did you know that Xylocopa lay the worlds largest insect egg?  

No, you did not.

All original pictures completely public domain and available at our Flickr site:https://www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/

Photography Information:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_yvIsucOY

Follow us on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/usgsbiml/

Public Bee Servant sam droege

Agapostemon splendens - Nearly the size of a honey bee this is indeed a splendid bee.   It is associated with sand, very high populations can occur along the dune lines of the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, but it also shows up in any open soil with a high sand content.  Thus in sandy ag fields A. splendens can be a big pollinator player.  

Now you know to look for this bee in the summer with your butterfly binocoulars and you will be rewarded pilgrim.  

All original pictures completely public domain and available at our Flickr site:https://www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/

Photography Information:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_yvIsucOY

Follow us on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/usgsbiml/

Public Bee Servant sam droege

A female Caenonomada bee from  Argentina, taken .from the collection of Laurence Packer at York University outside of Toronto.  This bee replaces at least some of the pollen/nectar  component with plant oils when creating its food mix for the egg it will lay in the nest.

All original pictures completely public domain and available at our Flickr site:https://www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/

Photography Information:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_yvIsucOY

Follow us on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/usgsbiml/

Public Bee Servant sam droege

HEAVY METAL

This bumble bee sized shimmering gladiator formed from molten blues and greens was collected by Tim McMahon a few days ago in the Bagaces region of Costa Rica, where he used chemical lures similar to the orchid oils that these bees gather the canopy dwelling orchids.   A large, parasitic orchid bee (Exaerte smaragdina) the equally large  Eulaema and Eufriesea host species are not so happy to have these bees around.  

All original pictures completely public domain and available at our Flickr site:https://www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/

Photography Information: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_yvIsucOY

Follow us on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/usgsbiml/

sam droege

Hawaii was colonized once by a single species of Masked Bee (Hylaeus), which evolved and split into dozens of species.  Subsequent to Polynesian and European colonization a steady progression of non-native plants and bees have invaded.  One of those is Megachile chlorura, which originates in the Philippines and may have come over in cargo, though its exact transport is unknown.  Now found on several of the islands I found this one on Maui several years ago.  

All original pictures completely public domain and available at our Flickr site:https://www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/

Photography Information: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_yvIsucOY

Follow us on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/usgsbiml/

sam droege, public bee servant

Now this is one handsome male.  This is Megachile albitarsis, we took it long enough ago (am working through out backlog of things needing photoshopping) that I can’t recall the circumstances.  This large, not uncommon, southern bee has big hands.  These are used to cover the female’s eyes during mating.  You can make up your own story as to why.  Also, check out the slightly expanded last antennal segment….why?  Photo by Brooke Alexander.  

All original pictures completely public domain and available at our Flickr site:https://www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/

Photography Information: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_yvIsucOY

Follow us on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/usgsbiml/

sam droege, public bee servant

What does it take to teach a bee to use tools? A little time, a good teacher and an enticing incentive. Read more here: http://to.pbs.org/2mpRUAz

Credit: O.J. Loukola et al., Science (2017)

@clockworkrobotic

Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa sp., Apidae) by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr. Pu'er, Yunnan, China See more Chinese Hymenopterans (wasps, hornets, bees, ants and sawflies) on my Flickr site HERE…..

omg roundest fuzzblob

Cuckoo Wasp (Holopyga ventralis), Houston, TX

photographs by Chuck | Flickr

A friend of mine found this bee on his house a few days ago, and we are sure that it is a bee. However we don’t know the species. Anybody has an idea?

This is a male Valley Carpenter Bee (Xtylocopa varipuncta), sometimes affectionately known as the “Teddy Bear Bee” 

Tawny Mining Bee (Andrena fulva)

…a striking “fox-colored” species of mining bee (Andrena spp.) which is native to Europe, ranging from the Balkans to southern Scandinavia and the United Kingdom. Tawny mining bees are often encountered in light woodlands and dry grasslands, but will occasionally be seen in parks and gardens. Adults fly from March to May, pollinating a range of plants. Tawny mining bees will construct solitary nests underground, but these nests are often located in colonies only a few square meters apart. 

Classification

Animalia-Arthropoda-Insecta-Hymenoptera-Andrenidae-Andreninae-Andrena-A. fulva

Image: ©entomart

Orchid bees are famous for their long tongues, which are ideally suited to sipping pollen from the narrow necks of orchids in the neotropical regions of South America, where both are common. The massive mouthparts are just one of many adaptations born out of the partnership between the orchid family and this group of bees, many of which are distinguished by their bright, metallic colorations that make them look like flying green, gold, or blue gemstones. As orchids and bees have evolved close relationships, certain species of bee have come to prefer certain species of orchid, and vice versa. The flowers even have a specialized way of transferring their pollen via bee.

“Orchids transfer pollen in sticky clumps called pollinia,” explains Jerome Rozen, curator in the Museum’s Division of Invertebrate Zoology. Different orchids have evolved shapes that place these pollinia at specific sites on an orchid bee’s body. “Some pollinia will stick to a bee’s head,” Rozen says. “Others will cling farther back on its body.”

These precise placements of pollen increase the chances that the bee will successfully fertilize another flower of the same species. A pollinia that attaches to a bee’s abdomen, for instance, is unlikely to be knocked off until that bee visits another orchid of the same kind that placed it.

Orchid bees also collect scents from flowers. Scraping up aromatic chemicals using brush-like fibers found on their legs, a male orchid bee will transfer the chemical to a pouch in its abdomen. By visiting a variety of blossoms, males create unique bouquets, which scientists think are used to impress females during mating. “It’s thought that creating a combination of smells demonstrates fitness,” says Scientific Assistant Ely Wyman.

The importance of combining scents is also suggested by the absence of females at traps—males show up in force when a single, strong scent is present, but just one aroma is not enough to draw out females of the species. Researchers use this behavior to their advantage when collecting specimens: Wyman says potent essential oils like eucalyptus and wintergreen tend to be the most effective at attracting male orchid bees, though he has also had success with less savory aromas. “I have a jar of artificial feces smell that I’ve used in the past,” says Wyman. “I don’t travel with that anymore, though. I’m too afraid it will break in my luggage.”

See orchid bee specimens on display in Life at the Limits, now on view at the Museum.

Xylocopa caerulea is a relatively large species, reaching an average size of 23 millimetres (0.91 in). The thorax region of these insects are covered with light blue hairs, giving it a striking blue colour. The sides of the abdomen and first abdominal segments are also covered by similar, albeit a finer and thinner coat of blue hairs.This species is widely distributed in Southeast Asia, India and Southern China.

Blue Carpenter bees always deserve to be reblogged!

Some photo sources: [1] - [2]