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December 9, 2010
Bees in Art has a new homepage: please take a look: www.beesinart.com
Kind regards,
Andrew & Debbie
Dear Andrew & Debbie,
We checked our archive and the link you provided us then is still working properly. Thanks for informing our readership that you have redesigned the website.
Unknown Group of Bees
Location: Portland Oregon
December 5, 2010 12:08 pm
Hi,
I took this photo about 4 years ago. I found this group of smallish bees on a dandelion. I have no idea what they were doing or why they were there. I found it very curious.
I know we have quite a variety of bees here. I also know they are not honeybees (I’m a beekeeper).
Anyway, they were quite beautiful and if you could help solve the mystery that would be fantastic.
Signature: Damian Magista
Longhorned Bees: Bachelor Party
Hi Damian,
We believe these are Longhorned Bees in the family Eucerini. BugGuide has a similar image posted that is identified as Melissodes communis. This communal roosting behavior is not uncommon in the family, and the members of the aggregation are males, hence they are called Bachelor Parties.
Bachelor Party of Longhorned Bees
Honeybee Swarm Capture
Location: Portland Oregon
December 5, 2010 12:49 pm
Hi,
We keep bees in Portland Oregon and capture swarms during ”swarm season” which is usually late March through June.
I thought you might enjoy a shot of a nice swarm we captured. In this shot we have cut it out of a tree. The swarm was about 20 ft up. We are getting ready to put it in a Langstroth style hive body and take them to their new home.
I want people to know that when honeybees swarm they are only looking for a new home and are very mellow. I have personally stood in the middle of swarms when they are flying and it is an amazing experience. There is nothing like 20,000 honeybees flying all around you. It’s wonderful.
A swarm looks intimidating but they are not interested in you at all. So if you see one please just leave them alone and call a local beekeeper. Don’t spray them with chemicals or otherwise harass them. Treat them with respect and care because without them we will starve.
I love your site and thank you for the great work you are doing.
Signature: Taborhood Honey
Honey Bee Swarm Capture
Dear Folks at Taborhood Honey,
Thank you for sending these exciting photographs and such good advice. Every couple of years, we are lucky enough to see a swarm emerge from Elyria Canyon near our Mt Washington offices, and two and a half years ago, the swarm remained in the front yard for a few hours. We agree it was quite exciting.
Honey Bee swarm transfered to Langstroth style hive
Halictide in Mostly Blue?
Location: Paulding County Georgia
November 18, 2010 2:56 pm
This is a most enchantingly beautiful insect, I noticed you only have photos of green sweat bees, thought you would like one in blue. Took this photo yesterday. Found it on some pepper plants that I brought into the house a few weeks ago.
Signature: Tweakie Molinari
Sweat Bee
Hi Tweakie,
Thanks so much for your wonderful image of a Sweat Bee.
Dear Mr. Marlos:
You are most welcome! It had a little stinger which is not visible on the photo. Love your website thank you so much for all your work.
Tweakie
bug nest?
Location: Ft. Lauderdale, FL
November 12, 2010 8:45 pm
I haven’t seen the bug yet, but something completely covered the hole in a decorative birdhouse on my porch with a thick, shiny, sticky substance that looks like it has dried bits of stuff embedded in it. It’s been closed over for about a week and today I noticed the hole was open and I saw a glimpse of an insect head, but it ducked back into the birdhouse. What in the world can this be?
Signature: Linda G
Bird House Mystery: Dripping Honey Perhaps???
Dear Linda,
Bumble Bees frequently nest in empty bird houses and Bumble Bees provision the nest with honey. We have an awesome image in our archives of a Red Tailed Bumble Bee nest in a birdhouse and another image from earlier this year of a Bumble Bee nest in a bird house in Oklahoma. According to the Bee Man Exterminators website (which does not condone the removal or extermination of Bumble Bee nests): “They often nest in bird houses using the old bird nest from a past year to nest in.“ Our best guess is that this might somehow be related to a nest of Bumble Bees and the oozing may be honey. We would be thrilled to post any additional images of the insect should you be able to secure any, and we would love to be able to assist in clearing up this mystery.
What's That in the Bird House???
Dan,
Thanks for the reply. I had put the whole birdhouse in a big plastic bin on Friday evening and during the day on Saturday the “bee” came out….not very lively, but crawling around on the bottom of the bin. Earlier today I put in some wildflower weeds from my yard for him and he went right to them and started crawling around from flower to flower. When I checked again at dinner, he was latched onto a flower and not moving at all, so I went for the camera. I picked the whole stem out and took a couple of pictures thinking he was dead since he hadn’t moved at all and poof!…off he flew! I’m attaching the 3 pictures I did get. When I googled iridescent green bee, I checked out a couple sites….could he be a “sweat bee”? And why would there only be 1? In 2 days, there was nothing else coming out of the birdhouse. And the stuff gooking down from the hole is black, almost like tar! So WEIRD! But I guess a lot is weird in the bug world. If you can give me any other info, I’d love it!
Thank you so much for the interest and the reply!
Linda G
Orchid Bee
Hi Linda,
Your bee is an Orchid Bee Euglossa viridissima, a recent immigrant to Florida first reported to What’s That Bug in 2003 or 2005, or somewhere in between.
Orchid Bee
Dan,
Thank You, Thank You!!!!! After I googled Orchid Bee and checked out several sites with pictures, I’m sure that’s what he (she) was! I’m glad it wasn’t something nasty like the African Killer bees! I’ll be on the lookout for more hanging around my porterweed…it really was very pretty!
I love watching butterflies, caterpillars and such and try to make my yard welcoming to all sorts of wildlife…it was very exciting to see something so unusual and thanks to you it’s been identified!
Thanks again!
Linda G
UPDATE: November 17, 2010
Just a quick follow-up on my orchid bee that you identified….I hung my birdhouse back up on my porch without cleaning off the black resin goop and when I came home last evening, it was closed up again! Totally! After being completely open since last Friday. And just a little while ago, I went out for mail and there is a hole about the size of a tack, so I’m guessing the bee came back, more were inside and just never appeared over the weekend when it was inside the big bin, or another 1 or more have taken over the nest!? Whatever, it sure is fascinating! Funny I’ve never see any activity in over a month of watching the resin get bigger, close over completely and then the holes during the day. Should I report my orchid bee to anyone? If so, who or where should I look to find it….guess I can google it like I did to find you!
Thanks again,
Linda G
Thanks for the update Linda. We don’t think you need to report your Green Orchid Bee as it is already known they are well established in Florida.
Large, colorful bee-like bug; what is it?
Location: Silver Lake, Los Angeles, CA
November 8, 2010 2:03 pm
Hi! A friend found this bug in his yard, and brought it over for me to look at. It looks like something that hitched a ride from another continent. I’ve also posted the photos on our bee blog:
http://beehuman.blogspot.com/2010/11/what-hell-kind-of-bug-is-this.html
Signature: Backwards Beekeepers
Male Valley Carpenter Bee
Dear Backwards Beekeepers,
After firing back a quick response that this is a male Valley Carpenter Bee, we checked out your website and we are very intrigued. First, a bit more about your bee. Valley Carpenter Bees exhibit pronounced sexual dimorphism. The females are large black bees with black wings that live rather long. The short lived males are a pretty golden yellow color with green eyes. They are more active and have a shorter season. The male in your photo does not look normal. Perhaps he has neared the end of his life. Since we are neighbors, we may try to attend your next meeting: When: Sunday, November 21st at 11am. Where: Under Spring outdoor space at Farmlab in downtown L.A.
Bee? Fly? Moth? I don’t know….
Location: Huntington Beach, CA
November 5, 2010 8:46 am
Good Morning, A friend of mine posted a picture of a bug, that’s been sluggishly hanging around her patio for 3 days. I have been going to numerous websites, to no avail. I even tried to contact The Ohio State Entemology department, who blew me off. Here’s the info. Any consideration is appreciated.
Signature: Brian VanTilburg
Male Valley Carpenter Bee
Hi Brian,
We fired off a quick response to you before heading to work because we did not want you to accuse WTB? of also blowing you off, though in defense of the Ohio State Entomology Department, they may not have much experience with the Valley Carpenter Bees that are so common in Southern California. This is a male Valley Carpenter Bee. The species exhibits somewhat extreme sexual dimorphism. The female Valley Carpenter Bee is a glossy black insect with dark wings while the male is a lovely golden color with green eyes. It is our observation that the males are also more nervous in their flight patterns, generally avoiding contact with people, while females relentlessly gather honey and pollen to feed the brood without seeming to notice human observers.
Yes, “blew me off” may have been a rash & a bit of a rude comment. I’m sure they are busy at the university. Again, thank you for your speedy response. I’ve located the VCB on your site & I must say that brilliant blue bee from Malaysia was incredible! Thanks for all you do!
Odd Wasp
Location: Maine USA
September 5, 2010 2:06 pm
Caught a picture of this odd looking wasp in the spring. I’ve been unable to identify it so I thought I would send it your way.
Signature: D Ramsey Ballard III
Metallic Green Bee
Dear D Ramsey Ballard III,
The reason you have been experiencing difficulty in identifying your insect is that it is a bee, not a wasp, more specifically a Metallic Sweat Bee in the family Halictidae (see BugGuide). It appears to be a Metallic Green Bee in the genus Agapostemon which has numerous members that look very similar and which is found “coast to coast throughout United States and southern Canada also occurs in Central and South America” according to BugGuide. We believe it may be Agapostemon virescens based on the striping pattern of the abdomen, the range of the species, and an image posted to BugGuide.
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