honey bee swarm
Mon, Jun 22, 2009 at 2:03 PM
thought you might like a picture of a nice summer honey bee swarm for your website. i walked outside this afternoon to take out the trash and found these ladies on a birdbath in my back yard. i would have liked clearer pictures but i didn’t want to stress them out any more than they already were by getting any closer than i did. they’ve been there for about 3 hours now and seem to still be growing in number, not that i mind, i think they’re fascinating, but how long do swarms generally stay in the same place during a relocation like that?
rebekah
summerville, south carolina
Honey Bee Swarm
Hi Rebekah,
We are thrilled to post your photo of a Honey Bee Swarm. The swarm will stay until the scouts find a new location, or until they feel threatened or disturbed. Last spring, a swarm settled into one of our shrubs in Southern California, and they remained for about three hours.
¶
Posted 22 June 2009
§
‡
°
Red and black what I think is a beetle eating a bumble bee
Sat, Jun 20, 2009 at 1:42 PM
I was outside working in my yard when I looked up on my awning and saw what I thought was a bumble bee holding a flower, but then I saw some liquid drop and I decided to look closer. When I did, I saw that it was a bunch of small red and black beetles eating the bumble bee. I was kind of shocked. I just moved to northern North Carolina and have seen some strange bugs, but these ones eating the bumble bee is the strangest. If you could, please tell me what this is.
Angelica
Reidsville, NC
Florida Predatory Stink Bugs eat Bumble Bee
Hi Angelica,
These are immature Florida Predatory Sting Bugs, Euthyrhynchus floridanus, sometimes called Halloween Bugs because of the black and orange coloration of the adults, which are winged. According to BugGuide, they are: “Predatory on other insects, including caterpillars, beetle. Nymphs, and to some extent, adults, are gregarious, and may attack large prey in groups.” Your photo nicely illustrates this. Despite what your photo illustrates, the Florida Predatory Stink Bug is a beneficial insect because of the caterpillars and beetles it consumes. We are guessing Bees, since they can easily fly away, are not commonly eaten.
Update: From Eric Eaton
Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:12:31 -0700 (PDT)
The predatory stink bugs appear to be scavenging the remains of a dead carpenter bee (it is missing both hind legs, so who can say for certain…). Many hemipterans, even plant-feeders, will scavenge dead insects on occasion.
Eric
Andrena mining bee
Mon, Jun 8, 2009 at 10:41 PM
Hi bugman – long time reader, first time writer. I’ve recently become quite enamored with the (what I believe to be) andrena mining bees that live in my garden. I’ve accidently dug up their burrows a few times doing spring gardening, and I’m sad to say that not all of them survived. They were always very groggy, but some of them were able to dig back down into the loose dirt when they were disturbed. This year I’ve spotted at least two burrows and have put reminders around them so I know not to dig there. Anyway, I was digging around your site, and didn’t find any close-ups of these utterly charming bees, and thought I would send along a nice one that I shot last week. Bugguide advises that identification to species level is best left to professionals – I’m happy just calling them my cute mining bees.
Celeste R.
Portland, Oregon
Mining Bee
Hi Celeste,
Thank you for your very kind letter. We are happy that you have finally written after being a longtime fan. Because of the extreme furriness and because of an image posted to BugGuide, we are more inclined to think your bee is a Leaf Cutting Bee in the genus Megachile, possibly the subgenus Xanthosarus, and quite possibly Megachile perihirta which if found on the west coast. BugGuide has this to say about the family Megachilidae: “Most are leaf-cutters, nesting in ground, in cavities, wood. Tunnels are bored in wood or in the ground. Cell is provisioned with pollen (and nectar?), an egg laid, and cell is sealed over with circular pieces of leaves that fit tightly into cavity.” Eric Eaton has indicated that he has settled in and is ready to assist us again. We will contact him to see if our ID is correct.
Correction from Eric Eaton: Mining Bee
Daniel:
In this case the submitter is right. Remember that leafcutter bees collect pollen in a brush on the underside of the abdomen. This female bee, likely an Andrena species, clearly has pollen collected on her hind legs.
Eric
Sun, Jun 14, 2009 at 12:10 PM
Thanks Daniel – and Eric by way of Daniel. I’ve had Eric Eaton’s help a few times on IDs on BugGuide. Being from Portland originally, he has a lot of familiarity with my backyard bugs. It’s an honor and a privilege to have one of my letters on your site!
Cheers, Celeste
¶
Posted 14 June 2009
§
‡
°
Bumblebee-like Hovering
Tue, Apr 21, 2009 at 7:03 PM
This is mid-April in Concord, CA. These guys seem to stake out a territory. This one hovers near the potted Asparagus Fern and the geraniums. Another hovers around the white Lilac. They chase others of the same species and then come back to their hover spot. They are there all day, day after day. They are quite bumblebee like, in that they are black with yellow thorax and shiny black abdomen. They make a buzzing sound and they don’t seem at all aggressive or concerned about human presence. There are citrus trees in bloom on the property, though not sure these are active in those flowers.
ApU
Concord, CA 94520
Carpenter Bee
Dear ApU,
Your photo resembles a Carpenter Bee and the behavior you describe is similar to the behavior we have witnessed in male Valley Carpenter Bees staking out territory and hoping to attract mates, but male Valley Carpenter Bees are an overall lovely golden color. We consulted BugGuide, and we believe your specimens are a related species, Xylocopa tabaniformis.
Flying Burrowing Insect?
Wed, Mar 25, 2009 at 5:25 PM
Hi
Have recently found this insect making nests in the ground in our backyard. I have never seen this insect before and was wondering if you site could help me identify them. They look to be a cross between a small fly and a wasp but they are only about 5mm long. You can see in one of the photos the holes in the ground where they are burrowing. There are at least 10-15 different holes scattered around where they are coming in and out. They are not any trouble but just wondering what they might be so any help would be fantastic.
Regards Brett Holland
Perth, Western Australia
Homalictus Bee
Dear Brett,
We believe you have a colony of Homalictus Bees. According to the Which Native Bees Live in Your Area website: “Although very small (most less than 8 mm long), the glittering Homalictus bees come in a dazzling array of colours. ‘Golden blue’, ‘coppery red’ and ‘green tinged with purple, red or gold’ are just a few of the colours listed by scientists. Homalictus bees dig intricate branching nests in the ground. Many females may live together in each nest, taking turns to guard the narrow nest entrance. One nest was found to be occupied by over 160 females! ” and “With glints of aqua blue, golden green and orange, these Homalictus bees make a stunning sight! Just 5 mm long , these bees are tiny living gems.”
Homalictus Bee
Metallic Green Fly
Sat, Mar 7, 2009 at 2:34 PM
As shown in the picture, it has a blue-green metallic color to it. It looked like a fly and it was flying to different flowers. I located this bug in Southern Florida. There’s not much else I can think of.
Jenna Marie
Coconut Creek, Florida
Green Orchid Bee
Dear Jenna Marie,
This is a Green Orchid Bee, Euglossa viridissima, a tropical species that has become well established in Florida in recent years, perhaps due to global warming. In a general sense, species range expansion and species range declines are both evidence of climate changes. While range expansion might be considered a benefit in some cases, it also becomes harmful to the environment by crowding out of established species that are native to the area.
¶
Posted 10 March 2009
§
‡
°
what kind of bug is this!!!
Wed, Mar 4, 2009 at 4:19 PM
i found this bug sitting on the walkway to my house. it’s march 4, 2009. i already have a scorpion infestation. i don’t want to look forward to something else. please help me identify what kind of bug this is. and also, if you have any tips of getting rid of scorpions, do tell!!!
lacey micallef
chandler, arizona
Valley Carpenter Bee
Hi Lacey,
This is a harmless male Valley Carpenter Bee, Xylocopa varipuncta. The female is larger and black. If Valley Carpenter Bees become extremely plentiful in an area, the females may cause damage to wood if large numbers of them carve brood burrows in structures. Telephone poles are quite attractive as nesting sites. We don’t offer extermination advice.
Green Lynx with Bee
Wed, Feb 25, 2009 at 10:42 AM
I found this photo from last August on my camera. Taken near Charlotte, NC.
This is a Green Lynx eating what I think is a Carpenter Bee.
It must be their favorite catch as there already is a picture of this on your site.
Great site,
Bob
Cornelius , NC, USA
Green Lynx eats Carpenter Bee
Hi Bob,
Maybe you never had a chance to print your photo of a healthy female Green Lynx Spider feeding on a Carpenter Bee, but at least it is now online for the world to view. Green Lynx spiders often wait for prey by perching on blossoms, so they eat many pollinating insects.
Bumble Bee – Australia
Sat, Dec 20, 2008 at 11:38 PM
I took this picture on the 21/12/2008 in my garden. Is this a Bumble Bee or a Carpenter Bee? What would be the common name and scientific ID? The bee was moving from flower to flower on a Purple Duranta. It had a loud slow wing beat so that when I took photo’s in flight I could actually get a still picture of the wing.
Nat
Mid North Coast New South Wales Australia
Carpenter Bee
Hi Nat,
This is a Carpenter Bee, Xylocopa aruana, which we identified on the Insects and Spiders of Brisbane website, which indicates: “Body length 25mm They are very large and hairy bees, with black abdomen and yellow thorax. Theirs wings are dark brown in colour. They are solitary, i.e., living on its own, not like the Honey Bees that living in group. In late spring, we found it resting on a footpath, could not fly nor walk, seemed having some problems. We took it home, for the next day it seemed become normal. We let it go. It flied away and disappeared within seconds. They feed on pollen. Females make tunnel and lay eggs in decaying wood, including dry flower sticks of grass-trees Xanthorrhoea .”
Is this a bee or a beatle?
Thu, Dec 11, 2008 at 4:37 PM
This was on our back deck here in the Seattle area. I thought it was dead because it didn’t move for almost two days. We put it in a jar for my step-son to take to his science teacher to find out, but the bug was lost.
Kamala Plaisted
Bellevue, Washington
Yellow Faced Bumble Bee
Hi Kamala,
We believe this is a Yellow Faced Bumble Bee, Bombus vosnesenskii. According to BugGuide, it is found in Washington State as well as the rest of the west coast states.
¶
Posted 12 December 2008
§
‡
°
Turquoise Bug That Looks Like a Bee
Wed, Nov 19, 2008 at 5:54 PM
I was taking pictures of bumblebees in my yard and saw this beautiful blue bug that hovered by the same yellow flowers. Do you know what it is? It looks like a mutant bumblebee in shape! The color is amazing. Thank you in advance for any information you can provide me. Hopefully it is not a pest that I have to worry about in the garden.
Sandi
Boca Raton, FL
Green Orchid Bee
Hi Sandi,
When we first posted a photo of a Green Orchid Bee, Euglossa viridissima, a few years ago, it created quite a stir. Now according to BugGuide, this tropical species is well established in Florida.
Male Carpenter Bee
Hey guys, thanks again for the website. I concur with everyone who says they love it. Here are some pics of a Male Carpenter Bee, as you can see the white patch on his face. These were taken back in April of ‘06. I was able to get SUPER close to him. The reason for this is that he wouldn’t move; it’s like he was hibernating. Would you know what reasons there might be for him not moving? Asleep? It was also early in the morning(7:30) and was pretty cold. He was not far from his nest as my apartment has wooden stairs and the bee’s nest was in those stairs. Thanks for any help you can give.
Adam S.
Olathe, KS 38°52′51″N, 94°48′11″W
Male Eastern Carpenter Bee
Hi Adam,
We had been meaning to respond and post your letter sooner, but the duties of posting got away from us this past weekend. Your photo of a male Eastern Carpenter Bee, Xylocopa virginica, is a welcome addition to our archives. According to BugGuide: “Large, black hairless abdomen, yellow pile on thorax. Males have yellow/white face. Common in eastern North America, and the only member of its genus in much of range.” The sluggish behavior you describe is probably a result of the cool morning since bees need warmth to become active. Also, it he was newly metamorphosed, he might have never attempted flight. Warmth is a consideration either way.
Bug Love Frenzy! And a Little Hitchhiker!
I just went out again to check on the bumblebees and a number of others have joined in the fun!
Can you let me know what the little hitchhiker is on the highest bumblebee?
Thanks,
Roberta
Andover, MA
Bumble Bee mating frenzy
Bumblebee Love
I thought you would enjoy this picture of the “bumblebee love gathering” in my garden. I always thought bees mated in the air so I was very surprised to see this in my garden today 
Roberta
Andover, MA
Bumble Bees Mating
Hi Roberta,
After sifting through all the Bumble Bees in the genus Bombus posted on BugGuide, and all the identification drawings on the Bumblebees of North America website, we don’t feel confident enough to give you an exact species identification. Perhaps one of our readers can assist in this matter. We are curious about this group mating behavior. The detail on your photo is not sufficient for us to identify the small fly hitch-hiking on the top Bee.
Daniel:
The bumble bee mating behavior is typical of many ground-nesting bees. Virgin queens are a hot commodity, so males flock to them and compete for an opportunity to mate.
I can’t make out what the fly is, either, but it might be a “no-see-um,” family Ceratopogonidae, most species of which do not feed on people, but suck the blood of other insects.
Eric Eaton
¶
Posted 29 September 2008
§
‡
°
Tagged: bug love
a bee that is not a part of your online collection
A friend of mine recently sent me a picture of a bee that wasn’t familiar with. Her name is Olive and she lives on the island of Kauai. After looking at your site, I found no matches. But I think I’ve discovered that it’s a Sonoran carpenter bee ( Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae: Xylocopa sonoria )
I’ve been a fan of “What’s that Bug” for years and hope I finally have the honor of adding a new critter to your site.
Keep up the excellent work!
Bob W.
Stewartstown, PA
Sonoran Carpenter Bee
Hi Bob
Thanks for forwarding Olive’s image and also for providing us with a link to the Sonoran Carpenter Bee, a non-native species that has become established on the Hawaiian Islands. We located another site with information that the Sonoran Carpenter Bee is found on or in “Hawaiian Islands, Midway, Marianas Islands, China, Japan, Java, New Guinea, Philippines.”
¶
Posted 15 September 2008
§
‡
°
Michigan Northen Golden Bumblebee?
Hello, Bugman:
Large, fuzzy and almost solid yellow bumblebees have been buzzing around our S. E. Michigan gardens for a few weeks now. I’ve never seen one so big and solid yellow before; about 1" long, possibly a queen? They are attracted to the zinnias in our planter box. After looking online to identify it, I believe it may be a Northern Golden Bumblebee. I looked through your on-site bee photos and don’t remember seeing one like this in your galleries. Could you confirm if this is indeed a Golden?
We believe that your identification of a Northern Golden Bumblebee, Bombus fervidus, is correct based on images posted to BugGuide. For more information on this species, visit Discover Life.
¶
Posted 09 August 2008
§
‡
°
Bush Bees – Colorado
I live in the Denver, CO area and I have a bush in my front yard that has hundreds of bees hovering around it constantly. Is this because the bush and it’s small flowers are particularly appealing to bees ? Or … is there possibly a ground hive of some sort underneath the bush ? I have looked inside the bush and there is no above ground hive that I can see. I have 2 small children which play in the yard frequently. While I know bees aren’t aggressive there’s a good chance they’ll get stung accidentally because of the sheer quantity. How can I locate the burrow (if there is one) and how would I get them to leave without carnage ? Granite over the burrow as with a previous post? Thank you for your help
These are Honey Bees, most likely domestic bees from a nearby apiarist’s hives. Honey Bees will travel great distances to a likely food source, and that is probably the case here. Honey Bees do not nest underground, and wild hives are generally found in hollow trees and in little used areas of buildings, like crawl spaces. While we understand your fear of your young children being stung, you would be far better served to properly educate them that the Honey Bees are not aggressive, and they will not sting unless provoked. Here at What’s That Bug? we do not really feel qualified to give parenting advice, but we believe if you teach your children not to touch the Honey Bees or bother them, it will better protect your children in the future and they can avoid being stung when not under your immediate watchful eye.
¶
Posted 03 August 2008
§
‡
°
I’m Baffled
Hi I love this site for all my buggy needs I found today in my garden under the soil these tightly wrapped leafs with a yellow stuff inside. When I squished one it was really sick. There were several of them in a location. Any Idea as to what it is? I never took and pictures but I did find one on the web that someone took but they never knew what it was too Please help me identify this
Barb
Hi Barb,
We are guessing that because you sent us this photo, you consider posting to our site as an authorized use. We have cropped out the copyright plantfreak78, 2008 and unauthorized use prohibited information as well as the mention of Dave’s Garden website that we occasionally cite on our site because of size constraints. You have uncovered the nest of a native Leafcutter Bee. They cut leaves and roll them and fill them with pollen before laying eggs. Leafcutter Bees are important native pollinators, but their solitary behavior does not make them candidates for exploitation like the domestic Honey Bee.
¶
Posted 12 July 2008
§
‡
°
sleeping bees, second attempt
Hi – We love your site, and have gotten lots of good information and identifications from it before. Thank you so much. I’m sending this again, because my embedded photo didn’t show up in my email for some reason. Thanks! Here’s the current question – we live in east of the San Francisco Bay area of California (but not as far east as the Central Valley). At a wildflower garden that I maintain at a school site, we’ve noticed bees congregating on the poppy seed heads about sundown. By dusk, there are several bees per stem, all faced head-down. They are non-aggressive – just seem to jockey for position. I think they are some sort of mason bee, but this behavior has me puzzled….any ideas? Can you confirm the identification in these pictures? thanks so much – keep up the good work!!
gardenchien"….
I’ll try to embed the photo, and a link to try to make sure it all goes through….
Hi gardenchien,
Your original letter was on the back burner from yesterday while we attempted to locate an image of an amazing fly we wanted to post from the day before. These are male Long-Horned Bees in the tribe Eucerini. We have posted several images in the past of this group roosting behavior known as Bachelor Parties. According to a posting on BugGuide, Doug Yanega indicates that the parties may contain multiple species. At any rate, exact species identification is way beyond our means.
¶
Posted 09 July 2008
§
‡
°
Green Headed Bee or Wasp?
I have been watching these insects make a nest that looks like a miniature volcano. I thought they were wasps but after reading that digging wasps are solitary and that wasp young are carnivorous, I have come to think this is a bee. I have searched many sites and can find nothing that resembles this. These bees? go to nearby flowers, drink nectar and collect pollen on there legs. One can see the pollen balls on the one returning to the nest There is a parade of these going and coming all day long. I would like to know what these are and what their life cycle is. I have been watching bugs most of my 72 years and have never seen anything like this. Thanks for any info you can provide.
Dan Hollands
Webster NY
Hi Dan,
These are Green Metallic Bees in the genus Agapostemon, probably Agapostemon virescens. Green Metallic Bees are Sweat Bees in the family Halictidae. According to BugGuide, they are primitively Eusocial, meaning that they nest socially, but the structure is not as complex as the social structure of a honey bee hive.
¶
Posted 05 July 2008
§
‡
°
Ferocious bee
Hi Bugman!
Today I was examining my squashes when I saw this strange-looking bee. It has long antennae like a long horned bee, but its body doesn’t really look like one. It was traveling from squash flower to squash flower, but instead of drinking the nectar, it looked like it just wanted to sit in them. The bee itself looks oddly moody and temperamental, and it definitely acted aggressive whenever I tried to take a close-up shot of it. After taking the pictures I sent you, I tried to stick my camera into the flower to get a really nice shot, and I know that any insect would have been a bit annoyed, but this one, when I wasn’t even very close, launched itself out of the flower and body slammed my lens! I was pretty shaken after that, and I haven’t been able to find the bee since. But I would really appreciate finding out what type of bee it is, since I’ve never seen one before (I live in the San Francisco Bay area). Thanks,
Brandon
Hi Brandon,
We believe this bee is in the genus Peponapis, known as Squash Bees. Squash Bees are Long Horned Bees in the tribe Eucerini, hence the resemblance.
Update: 906/29/2008)
Daniel:
Your identification of the squash bee is correct, and it is a male bee. Peponapis pruinosa is the likely species.
Eric Eaton
¶
Posted 28 June 2008
§
‡
°
rss
