Images

One of the western Nomada bee species, that just barely makes into the East. Unusual in how white some of the markings are on the abdomen. This nest parasite was collected by Elaine Evans in North Dakota.

A nest parasite of a bee. This species lays its eggs in the nests of Agapostemon bees, where it kills the host larva and then eats the stores placed there by the host female. We all know people like this. Bee was collected in New York City as part of a survey of bees of Gateway National Recreation Area. Photograph by Brooke Alexander.

A nest parasite of bees in the genus Agapostemon...perhaps this one targets Agapostemon splendens...which as the name implies is particularly splendidly arrayed in metallic blues and greens. This bee was captured as part of a survey of bees in Gateway National Recreation Area...which includes much of the harbor area of New York City.

The genus Nomada includes many species with murky taxonomies. The group of species with an extra tooth off the tip (we call them the bidentate group) are particularly tricky with molecular working showing it to be a swarm of many "species". So it goes in insect land.

The genus Nomada includes many species with murky taxonomies. The group of species with an extra tooth off the tip (we call them the bidentate group) are particularly tricky with molecular working showing it to be a swarm of many "species". So it goes in insect land.

Nomada fragariae - A rare cleptoparasite, almost certainly of Andrena...but which species. There are very few records of this species, and only in the last few years has the female been described. In most collections the Nomada sit at the end in a mosh pit waiting for someone to identify them...a tricky group.

Nomada texana, male, face

Yet more uncommon Nomada from Southern Minnesota. This one, Nomada tiftonensis, is small, out in the summer and mostly passed over as a wasp, I suspect by most collectors of bees. This specimen was collected by Scott Leddy in his study of Prairie remnants in Southern Minnesota. Photography by Ashleigh Jacobs.

Yet more uncommon Nomada from Southern Minnesota. This one, Nomada tiftonensis, is small, out in the summer and mostly passed over as a wasp, I suspect by most collectors of bees. This specimen was collected by Scott Leddy in his study of Prairie remnants in Southern Minnesota. Photography by Ashleigh Jacobs.

Yet more uncommon Nomada from Southern Minnesota. This one, Nomada tiftonensis, is small, out in the summer and mostly passed over as a wasp, I suspect by most collectors of bees. This specimen was collected by Scott Leddy in his study of Prairie remnants in Southern Minnesota. Photography by Ashleigh Jacobs.

Nomada vegana. A rare nest parasite. Comes out in mid-summer, its not clear to me which bees it targets. Most Andrena are done by then, Agapostemon are possibilities. Occurs in the East and out to Utah in the West, but not all the way to the West Coast. Caught by Miriam Jenkins during her studies of Watermelons on the outer Coastal Plain of South Carolina.

Another cool Nomada from Southern Minnesota. This one, Nomada vincta, is regular, but the color variant here is a bit different from specimens further to the West. This specimen was collected by Scott Leddy in his study of Prairie remnants in Southern Minnesota. Another new state record. Photography by Amanda Robinson.

Nomada

A good Nomia pictures always makes them look like space aliens and they might as well be given how far far far different insects are from our particularly model of living on this earth. This space alien is from the deserts of Oman where there are most new species to find, deserts being high on the list of locations with high bee diversity.

A male Nomia from Thailand, note the corkscrewed antennae and the greatly expanded leg segments (presumably useful in mating at nest aggregations).

South Dakota, Badlands National Park

South Dakota, Badlands National Park

South Dakota, Badlands National Park

A small thin bee from Israel. This species is one of but 2 species in this rare genus. The other species occurs all the way down in Namibia. Another specimen from the Packer Lab.

Bones and eggs don't photograph well with our standard photography set up. The light is too uniform and omnidirectional. Specimens simply wash out and the lovely shapes are difficult to see or, at least, appreciated. Enter the snott. A snoot is just a cone set over a flash that makes the light uniderectionalish.

Ophiogomphus susbehcha, cast skin, collected by Richard Orr along the Potomac River