Images

A lovely slightly florescent orange bumble bee from Taiwan. So many combinations of color and form in each genus of bee! 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.

From the U.S. National Arboretum comes the now relatively uncommon Bombus fervidus. A species in delcine, but still present and how nice to have this one present right in Washington D.C. Pictures by Ashleigh Jacobs.

From the U.S. National Arboretum comes the now relatively uncommon Bombus fervidus. A species in delcine, but still present and how nice to have this one present right in Washington D.C. Pictures by Ashleigh Jacobs.

From the U.S. National Arboretum comes the now relatively uncommon Bombus fervidus. A species in delcine, but still present and how nice to have this one present right in Washington D.C. Pictures by Ashleigh Jacobs.

Bombus fraternus. The Southern Plains Bumble Bee. This crisp, handsome and short-faced bee suffers from lack of an adequate publicist. Thought, several other Bumble Bees in its clan, to be in decline from introduced pathogens. It gets little mention in the bee press.

Check the eyes out on this male Bumble Bee. We already put up a spread of female B. fraternus, but the male has some pretty unique features for bumble bees. For one, the eyes are HUGE, they nearly meet at the top of the head. Only a few other bumbles do that...and the face is extremely short, with the mandibles almost joined to the bottom of the eyes.

Cuba, Guantanamo Bay

Centris fasciata, female, GTMO, Cuba, June 2011

Centris fasciata, female, GTMO, Cuba, June 2011

Ceratina cockerelli, female

Bombus ashtoni! This is news. This species of bumble bee is nest parasite. They take over the nests of other bumble bees and use the host's workers to produce their progeny. This one is special because its known hosts are B. affinis (the endangered Rusty-patched Bumble Bee) and B.

A common Western bumblebee. This one comes via Glacier National Park as part of a survey of vulnerable areas in National Parks.

A common spring bumble bee, Bombus bimaculatus, one of the species of bumble bees that have not seemed to have declined since the introduction of Nosema bombi a parasite from Europe. This one was collected by Laura Russo near State College Pennsyvania.

Bombus bimaculatus, female, Queen Anne's County, Maryland

As the name implies this species from East of the Andes superficially resembles the parasitic bee genus Nomada. However for whatever reason they have chosen from the wardrobe of bee colors the same cloths they act quite differently. Of note is that both the males and females of this species gather oil in addition to the usual pollen and nectar.

One of the most common bees in Eastern North America, particularly in urban and disturbed environments. They are attracted to piles of dirt or open scraped soils and appear to be a huge fan of clovers, plants that also favor lawns and open disturbed sites.

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.

Wayyyyyy up in the Andes spitting distance from Argentina, this wee Callonychium chilense was collected on an expedition with Laurence Packer to southern Chile. One of those one way dirt roads that hugs the mountains and gives one opportunity to fall into the valley in a truly spectacular way. Memorable.

Chilimalopsis parvula - according to Laurence Packer (world's expert on the bees of Chile) this is a range extension of this species, mapped specimens seem to indicate that it mostly have been captured well to the north of Santiago and we spent all our time to the South on the expedition. Anders Croft took the pictures.

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.

Pseudagapostemon citricornis - More Chilean bees from Laurence Packer's expedition to southern Chile. Photographs by Kelly Graninger.