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BeesFly mimics a Bumble Bee and is inverted!
Location: Fairfield, Maine USA
August 23, 2010 12:35 pm
Dear bugman,
I thought this was a bumble bee at first, but then it flew near me and it flew like a hummingbird. Another very distinctive trait that does not show in my pictures, was that its abdomen was curling upward (in profile) toward the sky, instead of the typical downward curl profile I see most bees doing. Sorry it’s really hard to describe and the thing was so active I lost track of it almost immediately. Anyway, I am very curious to know what this was, so here are the only pictures I could get. Not bad, but sort of simpilar viewpoints…
Thank you,
James R
Leafcutter Bee
Hi James,
This is one of the Leaf-Cutting Bee in the genus Megachile, a large and complicated genus that would require an expert to identify the species. According to BugGuide: “Most nest in pre-existent holes in wood. Female typically cuts neat, more-or-less round pieces out of leaves to serve as separators between cells of nest.“
Hi Daniel,
Thank you so much for the rapid identification!
It’s always exciting to learn a bit about an insect I’ve never seen or heard of before.
Best wishes,
James
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