Images

Jasper County, South Carolina, right across from Savannah Georgia sits Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. A refuge of dikes around huge old rice fields that now grow ducks and other marshlings. A few bees occur here, but diversity is pretty low as this is not so much a natural, but a managed habitat.

Jasper County, South Carolina, right across from Savannah Georgia sits Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. A refuge of dikes around huge old rice fields that now grow ducks and other marshlings. A few bees occur here, but diversity is pretty low as this is not so much a natural, but a managed habitat.

A bit of a mysterious species. Almost all of the records are ancient with almost no recent records. Here is a recent one though. This is from a study of Florida coastal dune bee communites by Anthony Abbate...who should be getting his Master's degree out of this any day. This one found in Broward County.

A bit of a mysterious species. Almost all of the records are ancient with almost no recent records. Here is a recent one though. This is from a study of Florida coastal dune bee communites by Anthony Abbate...who should be getting his Master's degree out of this any day. This one found in Broward County.

A bit of a mysterious species. Almost all of the records are ancient with almost no recent records. Here is a recent one though. This is from a study of Florida coastal dune bee communites by Anthony Abbate...who should be getting his Master's degree out of this any day. This one found in Broward County.

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Long Horn. The males of all the genera within the Eucerini clan (at least all the ones I can think of) have very long antennae. These are fast flying lovers of perennials. This particular one (Melissodes trinodis) favors things in the sunflower arena, big, open, tall flowers.

Long Horn. The males of all the genera within the Eucerini clan (at least all the ones I can think of) have very long antennae. These are fast flying lovers of perennials. This particular one (Melissodes trinodis) favors things in the sunflower arena, big, open, tall flowers.

One of the most common long-horned bees in the Mid-Atlantic. Often confused with M. agilis and it is not at all clear how to tell the males apart. Oh, this is Melissodes trinodis. A lover of composites. Photo by Erick Hernandez.

A hind foot of a Melissodes trinodis, but....what is on the end of that foot? I will tell you, Pilgrim, those are pollinia from Common Milkweed. Here are 3 paired sets, having glued themselves to the bee when it accidentally stuck its foot in one the 5-compartmented florets that comprise a milkweed flower.

Cranberry lover from Georgia. This is a classic example of a bee whose range is restricted by the pollen it needs to feed its young.

Melitta haemorrhoidalis, Red-butted Campanula Lover, specimen collected by R.C.L. Perkins in Wotton-under-Edge, EnglandMelitta is the Greek word for bee, and the name of the favorite activity indulged in by the authors "“ melittology "“ is based upon this. Melitta bees are specialists.

There are 6 families of bees in North America. The bee here Melitta melittoides is member of Melittidae. Melittidae has only 2 genera of bees in the East. Most of them are highly specialized. Our friend here is a Lyonia (maleberry) specialist. In the face shot of the female...check out the size of those mandibles.

A trinomial: Megachile brevis onobrychidis. Thus it is a declaired subspecies of M. brevis of which there have been several and at least one has turned into a species. Since the distribution of M.

I like looking at this shot, the symmetry, this alien being, this unknowable insect, there is something alive, even relatable here. This one is worth looking at full-screen. What if, indeed, this Megachile brevis, was as large as a puppy dog, would we treat it the same as we do now?

From the Adirondacks of New York comes Megachile centuncularis. Sadly, it is an invasive species that can be quite common in northern cities across the U.S. as well as throughout the northern part of the globe. Maybe that is why it is so successful, it likes our holes.

Not originating from here. This is Megachile centuncularis, from studies by MaLisa Spring in Cleveland. Cleveland and other large cities house more than their share of non-native species largely or likely because of the presence of so many non-native weeds and garden introductions.

Not originating from here. This is Megachile centuncularis, from studies by MaLisa Spring in Cleveland. Cleveland and other large cities house more than their share of non-native species largely or likely because of the presence of so many non-native weeds and garden introductions.

A Megachile from Morocco that is in the Chalicodoma subgenus, group, or sometimes full blown genus depending upon your taxonomic proclivities. Characteristically the females do not cut leaves to line the nests but use resin or mud and thus do not have the scissors-like cutting edges on their mandibles. This nicely arrayed species is from Iran.

Megachile concinna, Female, mandibles, Dominican Republic, 2012 March