In the past week I received two nearly identical questions about mining bees. Both writers wanted to know why they had mining bees in September while everyone says that mining bees come in the spring. Excellent questions. DJ wrote: All I read about these bees indicates they are usually around in early spring, but mine […] Read more
Apparently, ground bees don’t care how far off the ground the ground really is. These rooftop bees were photographed by Erin McGann. She writes, “We have a rooftop garden in Vancouver, Canada with two honey bee hives up there too. This spring we spotted a collection of little holes in one of our beds. My […] Read more
I finally got a photo of a metallic green bee. It turns out these bees are a wee bit camera shy and it took a lot of persistence to get this one to pose. This bee is mostly likely in the genus Agapostemon in the family Halictidae. Even though the 44 species of Agapostemon are […] Read more
A girl’s gotta earn a living somehow. This little bee, probably a sweat bee in the genus Lasioglossum, has taken to dancing around the filaments of a Phacelia flower. The bee is so tiny that she can’t reach the pollen on the anthers without crawling up the narrow stalk. Once there, she has to balance […] Read more
Okay, maybe not. This is, after all, a male bee. In this species, the yellow face and the yellow legs indicate maleness, but you have to admit, that’s quite a pout. Halictus rubicundus is a very common species in North America. It is found in Canada and throughout the United States from March until September. […] Read more
Cuckoo bees are called “cuckoo” because they don’t forage for pollen to feed their young. Instead, they steal it. Female cuckoo bees hang around the nests of other bees and wait for an unguarded moment to slip inside. Once there, the invader lays her eggs on the pollen provision that was collected by the host […] Read more
A lek is a gathering of male animals where the males parade around, showing off their best features to their female admirers. By marking her score card, a female can then select the best father for her offspring. Leks occur just before and during breeding season, and may attract participants from great distances. According to […] Read more