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Sawfly Larva and Bee

What am I seeing?
Location: Cornville, AZ
May 14, 2012
Hi Daniel -
Another pic attached for you, strange one.
What am I seeing here?
We have 10 Italian Cypress appx. 25 ft. tall here that we found the
Sawfly Larva on.  Did not want to take a chance on losing them so I
sprayed them all with Spinosad to kill the larva very early this morning.
Went back a few hours later to see if any of the larva were dead, collected
a few twigs in a plastic pail.  Some larva were dead, some still alive.  Shot
some pics and ran across the attached image.
Is this a newly hatched Sawfly of some other type of insect?
Thanks -
Lou Nigro

sawfly chalcid lou 300x279 Sawfly Larva and Bee

Sawfly Larva and what might be a Chalcid Wasp

Hi Lou,
We are creating a brand new posting for this image and linking to your original submission.  The other insect looks like a parasitic Hymenopteran, possibly a Chalcid Wasp.  There are some similar looking Chalcids, but they have larger hind legs.  Perhaps it is just the camera angle.  The Chalcid is a Parasitic Hymenoptera.  The female lays eggs within a host, usually the larva of a moth, fly or beetle.  It stands to reason that they might also parasitize Sawfly Larvae.  Most parasitic Hymenopterans are host specific.  It is possible that this Sawfly that is underrepresented on the world wide web has a species specific parasite that preys upon it.  We are going to tag this posting as Food Chain even though much of our response is speculation. 

Eric Eaton identifies the Mining Bee
The “wasp” is a bee in the genus Perdita.  How it got there I have no idea.
Eric

Hi Daniel -
Looks like you are right on, took a few more shots from different angles.
Could be a species specific one as the coloring is a bit different.
Depth of field this close is limited, wish the pic was sharper, will shoot a
few more later.
See attached -
Canon 7D, Tamron 180mm Macro Lens, ISO 100, 1/250 sec, f18 using a Canon flash on
ETTL, manual exposure, handheld.
I’m glad to see that there are wasps in the area, even though I killed some of them,
that are helping me out.  Further spraying will be kept to a minimum.
Wasp measured appx. 2mm in length.
Thanks -
Lou

Hi again Lou,
Since we were wrong about the Wasp and it actually being a Bee, we suspect it was collateral damage from your insecticide.  We are not sure why it was found on the Sawfly.

Posted 14 May 2012 § Horntails, Wood Wasps and Sawflies § Solitary Bees ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Hunt’s Bumble Bee

Tricolored Bumble Bee
Location: Mancos, CO (Southwestern Colorado)
May 4, 2012 4:11 pm
Bugman,
I have the great fortune of having an apple tree in full bloom here at my home. There are many species of bees buzzing about, but this one especially caught my eye. I thought that I would submit my picture of what I think is a tricolored bumble bee to you.
Signature: Jessica of Mancos, CO

bumblebee jessica 300x207 Hunts Bumble Bee

Bumble Bee

Hi Jessica,
Thanks for sending us your beautiful photograph.  While the coloration on this Bumble Bee resembles that of the TriColored Bumble Bee, Bombus ternarius, we have our doubts that the identification is correct.  You are not in the range that is documented on BugGuide, and BugGuide also states that the range is:  “Yukon to Nova Scotia, south to Georgia; widespread in the United States but rarely observed south of Pennsylvania.”  There are other similarly colored Bumble Bees, including Hunt’s Bumble Bee, Bombus huntii, which is documented from Colorado.  According to BugGuide, it has:  “Yellow hairs on face.”  Sadly, your photograph does not show the face.  Bombus sylvicola is also documented in Colorado according to BugGuide.  We also could not rule out the Red-Belted Bumble Bee, Bombus rufocinctus, which is also pictured on BugGuide.

After further investigation, it seems that my initial identification was incorrect.  It is indeed a Hunt’s Bumble Bee – I went back through the photos I had taken of (him? her?) and found a picture that shows a fuzzy ridge of yellow hairs on the crown of its head.  Thank you for your response, and please see the photo attached showing the facial hairs.

hunts bumblebee jessica 300x206 Hunts Bumble Bee

Hunt's Bumble Bee

Hi Jessica,
Thank you for the follow-up and additional photo.

Posted 05 May 2012 § Bumble Bees ‡ Comments (0) °

Fuzzy Footed Bee from Oregon

some sort of bee
Location: Johnson Prairie, Southern Oregon
April 20, 2012 11:18 am
This came inside the camper and I got it out once and then it came back again, so I took its picture. Only saw one and cannot find an ID on it.
Thank you for this great website!
Signature: Leslie

fuzzy footed bee oregon leslie 300x229 Fuzzy Footed Bee from Oregon

What's That Bee?: Anthophora species

Dear Leslie,
We are having difficulty identifying your bee which we suspect is a Bumble Bee.  The long hairs on the legs are an interesting feature that we have not been able to match with a photo on BugGuide.  We suspect this might not be a Bumble Bee after all.  We are seeking assistance from Eric Eaton, but perhaps one of our readers will be able to provide a comment as to this Bee’s identity.

Eric Eaton Responds and narrows down the possibilities
Daniel:
It is going to be something related to Anthophora or Habropoda (genera), but I never saw anything like this when I lived in Oregon myself.  You might try John Ascher via Bugguide.net.  I’m betting this is a male specimen, too.
Eric

Thanks Eric,
We will continue to research this critter.

John Ascher Responds
Hi Daniel,
Thanks for sending this query. The bee is a male Anthophora but I’m not certain of the species. Note that Michael Orr of the USDA Bee Lab in Utah is working on this group.
Making IDs for Hymenoptera on What’s That Bug? has been on my to do list for a while, but it’s hard for me to find a free moment (next week I leave for Singapore…).
Best regards,
John

Posted 21 April 2012 § ‡ Comments (2) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Green Orchid Bee

Identification Request: Green hovering bug
Location: Ft Lauderdale, Florida
April 11, 2012 10:09 pm
I see these bugs on rare occassions. They will hover in one spot in mid air. If you disturb them, they fly away and then they will return to the exact same spot. They move very quickly.
These photos were taken in South Florida in June.
Signature: Danman

orchid bee danman Green Orchid Bee

Green Orchid Bee

Dear Danman,
When we first posted an image of a Green Orchid Bee in the genus Euglossa, in 2004, it was something of a sensation because it was a more tropical species that was not reported from Florida.  It has since become quite well established.  Its presence could be due to global warming or other man made causes like accidental introduction or cultivation of its food source in gardens.

Daniel,
I first saw these in Hollywood, Florida in 1987. That is 18 years previous to your 2004 post. They would find a spot in mid air for no apparent reason and they would hover without any deviation. If you waved your hand, they would fly away in an arc, and the they would return to that same spot in mid air. They are raelly odd insects.
Danman

Wow, that is fascinating.  We wonder how they avoided detection for so long.  See this:  Establishment of the neotropical Orchid Bee Euglossa viridissima (Hymenoptera:  Apidae) in Florida which states  “During the summer of 2003, however, several male Euglossa viridissima Friese 1899 were trapped around Fort Lauderdale (26°08’N, 80°08’W), Florida, by USDA employees in the fruit fly monitoring program and sent to the Florida State Collection of Arthropods for identification (Wiley 2004).”  To the best of our knowledge, that represents the first official Florida sighting.

Posted 12 April 2012 § Orchid Bees ‡ Comments (0) °

Male Valley Carpenter Bee

A Queen Bee of some kind?
Location: Phoenix, AZ
April 10, 2012 8:01 pm
Found this flying around me in Phoenix AZ on 04/10/12. Can you tell me what it is?
Signature: bdbengtsson

valley carpenter bee male arizona 300x218 Male Valley Carpenter Bee

Male Valley Carpenter Bee

Dear bdbengtsson,
Your “queen bee” is actually a male Valley Carpenter Bee.  This is a sexually dimorphic species and the female is a deep black color. 

Posted 11 April 2012 § Carpenter Bee ‡ Comments (0) °

Solitary Bees

dogwood flower infestation
This message may not have been sent by: cev136@gmail.com  Learn more  Report phishing
Subject: dogwood flower infestation
Location: Atlanta, Ga
March 27, 2012 9:49 pm
These wasp-looking creatures are in about 1/4 of the flowers on my dogwood this year. The tree seems very healthy otherwise.
Signature: CV

solitary bees dogwood cv 279x300 Solitary Bees

Solitary Bees on Dogwood

Dear CV,
These are some species of Solitary Bee and they are beneficial.  As such, this should not be referred to as an infestation.  We believe your bees are in the family Megachilidae that includes Mason Bees and Leafcutter Bees and you can see many examples of these bees on BugGuide.  Though the detail in your photo is limited and we cannot make out the exact identity of your species, the individual that is facing the camera appears to have a light face.  That doesn’t seem to match the appearance of the Blue Orchard Mason Bee that is pictured on a dogwood blossom on this informative posting on the Pencil and Leaf website.

Correction courtesy of John Ascher
April 22, 2012
probably Andrena males, not Megachilidae.

Posted 28 March 2012 § Solitary Bees ‡ Comments (0) °

Eastern Carpenter Bee

Stumped by a backyard find!
Location: Wake Forest, NC
February 3, 2012 5:34 pm
My dog found this insect in our backyard yesterday 2/2/12. I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m hoping you can help tell me what it is!
Thank you!
Signature: Megan

eastern carpenter bee megan 300x239 Eastern Carpenter Bee

Eastern Carpenter Bee

Hi Megan,
This sure appears to be an Eastern Carpenter Bee, Xylocopa virginica.  You can view higher resolution images on BugGuide for comparison.

Posted 04 February 2012 § Carpenter Bee ‡ Comments (0) °

Blue Banded Bees from Australia

Further to the Blue Banded Bee
Location: Queensland
February 1, 2012 6:52 pm
Hi guys,
As pointed out in the link you provided on my previous picture, the males of this species cluster together and hang by their jaws (?)at night from a grass stem or leaf. Here is a shot taken late afternoon on a very overcast day of a pair settling in for the night.
Signature: aussietrev

blue banded bees males australia trevor 231x300 Blue Banded Bees from Australia

Blue Banbed Bees

Hi Trevor,
Thanks for sending this further documentation to augment your original submission of a Blue Banded Bee.  Aggregations of male Solitary Bees bedding down together for the night, a phenomenon known as a bachelor party, is not an unknown occurrence on our website.

Posted 01 February 2012 § Solitary Bees ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

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