rss 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
Hi Megan,
This sure appears to be an Eastern Carpenter Bee, Xylocopa virginica. You can view higher resolution images on BugGuide for comparison.
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 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.
One for your collection
Location: Queensland. Australia
January 21, 2012 12:33 am
Hi guys,
Seems you don’t have this guy in the database, or at least the search engine didn’t bring it up for me. These guys, the Blue-banded Bee – Amegilla cingulata, are becoming a very important pollinators for commercial crops as the Small Hive Beetle infests many European Honey Bee nests in Queensland and wipes them out.
Signature: Aussietrev
Blue Banded Bee
Dear Trevor,
Thanks so much for providing us with another wonderful and underrepresented species from Australia. We are able to link to the Brisbane Insect website which has some nice images of the Blue Banded Bee. As you indicate, with modern threats to domestic Honey Bee populations, Solitary native bees are becoming increasingly important as pollinators.
Found in Pomona, CA
Location: Pomona, CA
November 10, 2011 2:21 pm
IDK if its a Bee or Beetle? or anything else
Signature: Southern CA Resident
Valley Carpenter Bee
Dear Southern CA Resident,
This is a male Valley Carpenter Bee. Females of the species are black and larger.
What type of bee is this
Location: Melbourne, Florida
October 9, 2011 3:26 pm
I found some bees making a hive in an old flower pot. I’d like to identify them in order to deal with them properly.
Signature: Jeff Cyr
Honey Bee Hive in Flower Pot
Hi Jeff,
These look like common Honey Bees, Apis mellifera, the domestic bees that are kept by bee keepers across the world. See BugGuideas well as numerous other education websites for more information. You can probably contact a local bee keeper and have the entire flower pot removed. With Colony Collapse Disorder sweeping the nation, bee keepers are always in need of new hives.
Honey Bee Hive in Flower Pot
Sonoran Bumble?
Location: Hawthorne, CA
October 1, 2011 2:02 pm
Hi,
We have a lot of bumble bees in the yard this time of year. This particular bee looks like a Sonoran, but it’s stripes aren’t as yellow as others. Is it a Sonoran or some other type of bumble bee. Is it maybe a female Sonoran?
Signature: Thanks, Anna Carreon
Sonoran Bumble Bee
Hi Anna,
Though the photo you sent us in July shows the distinguishing thin black band across the thorax more distinctly than these current photos, we agree that this is a Sonoran Bumble Bee, Bombus sonorus. The pale coloration might be an individual variation, or this might be an older and more faded bee.
Bumblebee found on Autumn Joy
Location: Decatur, GA
September 19, 2011 9:49 pm
Hi, I found this bumble bee on an Autumn Joy in front of my house yesterday. What interested me about it was its beautiful eyes. What species of bee is this?
Also, many bees on the flowers are very slow moving. Why is that?
Signature: Adrya Stembridge
Bumble Bee
Dear Adrya,
There are so many Bumble Bees in the genus Bombus, which is further classified into numerous subgenera, that we are often confused when it comes to species identifications. Typically, the markings on the abdomen are used in identification, and your photo does not clearly show the abdominal markings. You can try browsing the numerous species on BugGuide and you will see how difficult it can be to correctly identify a Bumble Bee. As the weather begins to cool, the metabolism of insects slows down, and the approach of winter might be the reason your bees are moving slower than usual.
Green Bee or Wasp
Location: Northeast Florida
September 11, 2011 11:42 am
I saw this bee (or wasp) on our Mexican Petunias today in northeast FL. It has a bright green head and thorax, and a black and yellow striped abdomen. I looked for information here and on BugGuide and found the Metallic Green Bee (Agapostemon splendens) which looks like my bee. However the size is listed as approximately 10-11mm. The Mexican Petunia flower is 2” wide, about 50mm, and this bee looks larger than 10-11 mm on the flower, doesn’t it? Can you help?
Signature: Karen
Metallic Sweat Bee
Dear Karen,
We agree that this appears to be a Metallic Sweat Bee in the genus Agapostemon, but we cannot identify the species for certain. BugGuide does not list a size range on the genus page. Your individual looks very much like this photo from BugGuide and it is listed as being between 1 and 2 centimeters.
Thank you for your help! The photo you referred me to does look like the bee I saw, and the size range of up to 2 cm seems more in line with the actual size of my bee. I enjoy your website very much–I’ve learned a lot since I found it, and I appreciate all you do. I’m a special education teacher and I’m hoping to use What’s That Bug with my students later on this school year–I think they’ll be fascinated.
Karen
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