Images

Philadelphia Bee Survey, 2012, Pennsylvania, Stephanie Wilson Collector, Morris Arboretum

More bumble bees...! But this one is from New Zealand. Do bumble bees belong in New Zealand? No. They were introduced. This one is Bombus hortorum, Widespread in Europe and Asia...and now widespread in New Zealand this species was purposefully introduced to help with clover related pollination.

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

A lovely queen Bombus impatiens from Richmond City, Virginia. Photograph taken by Steve Roble. Photography Information: Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200.

People think that identifying Bumble Bees are easy. They are big, there are "guides" that show the color patterns...so what could go wrong....well....things like this specimen of Bombus impatiens. It should have NO red / brown on it, but this specimens has 2 whole tergites that are reddish brown.

A hulking bumble bee nest parasite. Bombus insularis is another example of alternative bumble bee lifestyles. Usurping nests of other bumbles to raise their young. This one is found throughout the northern parts of North America and down the western mountains, but not the Appalachians.

From Yellowstone National Park comes the powerful Bombus insularis, and this parasite of other bumblebees is one bad ass bee. collected as part of a high elevation study of the Alpine areas throughout the United States, with the idea that climate change first reaches the tops of things and the bottom of things (oceans that is).

Another male Yosemite Bumble Bee. B. melanopygus is similar to B. bifarius illustrated in the last set of picture, but a bit more higher elevation and bit more arctic in its distributions. There is a softness to the face here that I find most appealing. Collected by Claire Kremen's group in the National Park. Photo by Anders Croft.

Here is a little worker bumble bee of the west coast variety: Bombus melanopygus. Found in one of the San Francisco gardens that Jaime Pawalek does her bee research in. Long hair that is difficult to primp properly once it has gotten wet. So it goes.

Tightly wrapped in fur-like orange hair, this lovely western bumblebee (Bombus morrisoni) was captured at the far edge of its range in Badlands National Park in South Dakota. Near the Black Hills, an island of Rocky Mountain type habitat in a sea of prairie, the Badlands are receivers perhaps of bees that otherwise would not inhabit prairie habitats.

And now we present a mystery. Here is a bumble bee collected in northern Virginia in a blue vane trap as part of T'ai Roulston's research group looking at bee populations in restored fields. The question at hand is what species is it? Its a clean, unworn bee, appears to be the size of large worker or perhaps a small queen and it fits some characteristics of B.

And now we present a mystery. Here is a bumble bee collected in northern Virginia in a blue vane trap as part of T'ai Roulston's research group looking at bee populations in restored fields. The question at hand is what species is it? Its a clean, unworn bee, appears to be the size of large worker or perhaps a small queen and it fits some characteristics of B.

If you were in the Badlands of South Dakota in the Summer, and were paying attention to your bumblebees, you would see this one. Bombus nevadensis. It is big and the queens are extra beefy. This is one of the dark bumbles. More black on the sides of the body and tinted wings.

A relatively common bee of Southern Chile. Seen regularly on Laurence Packer's expedition there in 2017. A lovely male. Photograph by Erick Hernandez.

Another Chrysidid wasp (cuckoo wasp) from the Hart-Miller Dredge Spoil site in Baltimore Harbor, collected by Eugene Scarpulla, photographed by Brooke Alexander Identification by Lynn KimseyCanon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200, link to a .pdf of o

A lovely Leaf Beetle, an eater of Dogwood leaves. Found in the Adirondack Mountains as part of the ATBI / BioBlitz. Photo stack by Dejen Mengis.

A little, somewhat flattened bee, from the mountains of Yosemite National Park. Members of this group are often very discriminating in their tastes for pollen. Feeding their young pollen often from a single genus of plants. Picky eaters I suppose. Part of a study by Claire Kremen in the high conifer regions of the Park. Photo by Anders Croft.

Calliopsis. Another of the many kinds of small bees that run the world. This is one was collected in Arizona by Tim McMahon or Don Harvey in fabulous Cochise County.

Callistethus marginatus - A scarab beetle in the Shining Leaf Chafer subfamily of the Scarab Beetles. This one from Somerset County on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The photograph is taken by Betsy Bangert and Mike Burchett.

A tiny Australian. One associated with the many members of plants in the myrtle family on that continent.

Fiery Searcher. Calosoma scrutator hunts caterpillars, is big, fast, and spectacular. Just exactly why it is spectacular is clear, when attached it exudes odor heavy on the bad smells and who would want to eat that. So, if you like to dress up in iridescence of any kinds, then just be sure to bring along some repellent to keep the predators at bay.