Images

Andrena wilkella, male, Washington County, Maryland

Andrena, which seem more prone to such things, perhaps because they are just a touch more delicate. So, it is nice to see a beautiful specimen like this Andrena wilmattae from Badlands National Park. A lovely presentation and our photographer, Anders Croft did a lovely job laying this specimen out. A joint venture I would say.

Andrena, which seem more prone to such things, perhaps because they are just a touch more delicate. So, it is nice to see a beautiful specimen like this Andrena wilmattae from Badlands National Park. A lovely presentation and our photographer, Anders Croft did a lovely job laying this specimen out. A joint venture I would say.

Andrena wilmattae. Photo by Erick Hernandez.

A small spring Andrena, the female uses pollen from Zizia plants to provision her nest. This specimen was captured by Nancy Adamson in the mountains of West Virginia.

Andrena banksi, male

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This tiny bee is a specialist on Willow Pollen, and was captured early this spring, unfortunately it is also completely coated in pollen and lint from the collecting process and did not go through our usual wash and blow dry procedure...thus the bad hair, but on the other hand it shows the characteristic light green tinge to the integument and generally captures the

The abdomen of a female Andrena nivalis. In that abdomen is a female stylopid which looks a bit like an odd head sticking out from underneath a tergite...she has been living in said A. nivalis for a long time...feeding on its innards...and, the stylopid has just given birth, (likely killing her in the process) to all her little babies. Nature: So cruel.

Andrena species, Black-tipped Andrena, specimen collected by Jason Gibbs in OmanEvolution has blessed the genus Andrena with over 1500 different species, making it the second richest of all bee genera (Hairy-tongue Bees, Lasioglossum, are first).

Andrena pallidiscopa, female, Badlands National Park, SD

A little male mining bee about the size of a grain of rice. Andrena personata is something I associate with sparse fields, not so much lawns. My guess that the usual lawn weeds don't have the right mix of patriotically native flower species it is looking for. Kind of pixie like, is what I want to say.

Andrena fragilis, June 2012, Cecil County, Maryland

Maryland

Andrena nigrihirta, female, Isle Royale National Park, Michigan

Andrena nuda, Somerset County, Maryland, April 2012, female

Andrena spiraeana, female, detail of the tergites

Andrena virginiana, male, Maryland, Garrett County, July 2012

Andrena virginiana, female, Maryland Garrett County, July 2012

Ah, if angels were bees this would be one. However, if you were a Colletes bee you would not think so since the Angel Bee would invade your home, lay an egg, leave and later the Angel Bee baby would kill your baby and eat all your food. So life goes.

An ant, which species of ant, I don't know, it was collected a few days ago in Pomonkey Maryland at a Naval radar installation where we are helping survey their bees.