Images

A series of pictures of a male and female species that loves Bellflowers (Campanula). Meaning that the female of this species provisions its nest (note: males never help in all Hymenoptera) with the pollen of this plant.

A new species for Vermont, this invasive bee is a specialist on Campanula flowers, collected by Anna Beauchemin, Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200, link to a .pdf of our set up is located in our profile

A series of pictures of a male and female species that loves Bellflowers (Campanula). Meaning that the female of this species provisions its nest (note: males never help in all Hymenoptera) with the pollen of this plant.

Chelostoma rapunculi. Invader from Europe. Mostly occurring in the Canada/U.S. border and loves introduced bellworts. We have other pictures of this species, but here is an undercarriage view of the abdomen with all the male options in view. Those crazy insects have come up with a completely different mating system and creates lots of complexity in the males.

Chiasmognathus c.f. gussakovskii, Cross Mandibled Bee, specimen collected by Wojciech Pulawksi in TajikistanVery small bees have very small nest parasites.

Chiasmognathus c.f. gussakovskii, Cross Mandibled Bee, specimen collected by Wojciech Pulawksi in TajikistanVery small bees have very small nest parasites.

A lovely beetle (buprestid?) from Chile outside of Santiago. Part of Laurence Packers expedition in which I served as sidekick bee catcher.

Manuelia postica - One of the common Chilean species of bees, this one was collected somewhere in southern Chile while on expedition last fall with Laurence Packer. Photograph taken by Anders Croft.

A lovely dark Centris with blue highlights and a cape of white. Eyes like coals. What is it thinking? Collected with Laurence Packer while we toured southern Chile and Patagonia sleeping by the side of the road, in the woods or in pastures. Did anyone care. No. Chile is cool. Photo by Kelly Graninger.

Epiclopis gayi - a cleptoparasitic bee (a.k.a nest parasite or cuckoo bee) of almost certainly Centris bees. Perhaps even of the Centris bee that was posted just prior to this as this bee was also collected in southern Chile on the expedition with Laurence Packer. Photos by Kelly Graniger and Anders Croft.

A little Chilicola species found on the expedition to southern Chile with Laurence Packer. A wee stem nesting bee. Photograph by Anders Croft.

Chlorion aerarium, Maryland, Cumberland, July 2012

Chlorion aerarium, Cumberland, Maryland, July 2012

null

Chrysidid wasp, species unknown, Maryland 2012, the black wings with the infraction patterns against the span of metallic pits, has to be seen at large full screen to be appreciated, Anne Arundel County

A series of shots of Citrus Psyllid adults (including a recently emerged white adult) , and larvae of Diaphorina citri which is the transporting agent of citrus greening disease now devastating Florida's orange groves. Pictures taken at Level 3 level quarantine at USDA's Lab at Ft. Detrick, Maryland. Thanks to Tina Paul for fascilitating all of this.

Spring Beauties...taken by Helen Lowe Metzman...one of the most common and most productive of plants for spring bees. It even has its own species Andrena erigeniae that uses the pink pollen of this plant soley to feed its young.

Cleonus piger, the sluggish weevil, was discovered for the first time, infesting the roots of Pitcher's thistle, in 2013.It typically kills the plant and if it is an adult, the plant is killed before seeds can be produced.

Another tiny tiny leafhopper...this one from Brazil. From the bowels of the National Collection at the Smithsonian.

Interesting and very uncommon bee. Meet Coelioxys banksi. I have only seen a couple, both from NJ, I think. What bee is their host? There are specimens from the East Coast and from the West with a hiatus in the middle. Are they different species or are we simply lousy at finding them? What ever is going on , a pretty slick looking bee.

A lovely Coelioxys from Argentina...note the hair emerging from the eyeballs..one of the few groups of bee species to have this characteristic. (honey bees being the most famous hairy eyeball bees). A nest parasite of Megachile, this female is typical in shape of the abdomen, long and sharp designed to insert eggs into the walls of the other bee's nests.