Images

Bombus fraternus - Here is one of the very uncommon bumblebees that are of great concern these days, due to introduced parasites that have caused this species and its sister taxa to crash. Fortunately, they are still around, at least in small numbers.

Ceratina guarnacciana, female, Dominican Republic

Ah, a mysterious Ceratina introduced into the Hawaiian island chain. This species is found throughout the islands now, but no one is quite sure what the species is. It is near the species C. dentipes but may or may not be it. So many mysteries in the world and too many introduced species. Photography by Sierra Williams and Photoshopping by Elizabeth Garcia.

Tiny Ceratina from Panama...in the first picture in this series you will see a rod going into its body to hold it in position for photographing in our mini bee studio. Actually this is not a rod but the very tip of the finest acupuncture pin. Yep, that is a small bee.

GIANT Ceratina from Puntarenas, Costa Rica, biggest I have ever seen. Collected by Valerie Peters. Check out the flange on the lower cheek of the side shot. 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.

A male Ceratina species from Bee Gardens in San Francisco that are surveyed for bees by Jaime Palawek. This crisp litte bee is less than the size of a grain of rice (white, long grain) and glitters with smooth metallic blueish green colors. Glinty enough to be problematic when photographing.

GIANT Ceratina from Puntarenas, Costa Rica, biggest I have ever seen. Collected by Valerie Peters. Check out the flange on the lower cheek of the side shot. 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.

Yet more Ceratina pictures, diversity demands it. This series is from specimens collected in Panama by Sandra Rehan (UNH) as part of her mission to know everything there is to know about Ceratinas.

Ceratina near dentipes, female, Hawaii, Oahu, March 2012

Ceratina smaragdula, male, Hawaii, Oahu, March 2012

One of two shots of yet another slime mold group found by Susan Hopkins during the ATBI Adirondack bioblitz this past week. One can see where they get the common name of coral slime molds.

This lovely purple blue Chrysidid wasp was found be Gene Scarpulla on the dredge spoil augmented Hart-Miller Island in the Chesapeake Bay. It is interesting to ponder whey these nest parasites are inevitably a bright metallic color and not something seemingly more cryptic (cryptic to an insect and cryptic to a mammal are likely two different things).

Cuba, GTMO, Guantanamo Bay

Cerceris hatuey, female, Cuba

Cerceris triangulata, Female, GTMO, Cuba

Just one of many kinds of bees for which we know little to nothing. Beautiful wings though! This specimen comes from Brazil and was found in Laurence Packer's lab 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.

One of the Trichiotinus flower chafer beetles, collected on Vinton Furnace Experimental Station of the USFS, home to many uncommon native bees. Photographed by Brooke Alexander

Mystery Wasp....I think it is a Chalcid, but a couple of people have now suggested that is likely a Leucospis. This was from 2014 and was collected in Anne Arundel County and... I can't quite recall why we took this picture. Can someone id the wasp for us?Thanks Pilgrims. Picture taken by Wayne Boo.

Chamaesyce maculata, Spotted Spurge, August 2012, Beltsville, Maryland

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The very small and skinny, beetle hole nesting, Chelostoma philadelphi. A specialist on Philadelphus (mock orange). This species is most commonly seen on the non native European Mock Orange that was widely planted in the olden days.