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.
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Posted 10 March 2009
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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.
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Posted 12 December 2008
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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
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Posted 29 September 2008
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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.”
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Posted 15 September 2008
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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.
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Posted 09 August 2008
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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.
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Posted 03 August 2008
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