Images

Megachile furgalis, female, Western Maryland, July 2012

Megachile lanata, male, Hawaii, Oahu, represents a new species for the islands in the Pacific, originally from Africa, now widespread in the Caribbean, March 2012

Megachile rotundata, male, Maryland 2012

What an interesting species. Instead of flying during the day, this species flies just before dawn and just after dusk, times where we have difficulty seeing. This species, however, forages on crepuscular and night fowering flowers, more often associated with bats and moths. Note the large eyes and ocelli.

Meganomia binghami, Bingham 's Giant, collected in South Africa by Bryan DanforthMales of many species of bee have various modifications that are not found in the females and are presumably sexually selected "“ they arose because the females preferred males with, rather than those without, these strange features.

Melanempis scoliiformis, Bottle Green Madagascan Cuckoo, specimen collected in MadagascarAlmost all of the bees native to the large and geographically isolated island of Madagascar are endemic (as are most of the flora and the rest of the fauna for that matter), occurring only on that Island and not on the mainland of Africa.

Melanempis scoliiformis, Bottle Green Madagascan Cuckoo, specimen collected in MadagascarAlmost all of the bees native to the large and geographically isolated island of Madagascar are endemic (as are most of the flora and the rest of the fauna for that matter), occurring only on that Island and not on the mainland of Africa.

Melecta pacifica. A new state record for Maryland...captured right outside my Laboratory's front lawn! A few days ago I was watching and collecting bees out of a lovely clay filled bare patch of soil that refuses to grow any grass and is thus a lovely colony of all sorts of interesting nesting bees, wasps, and ants.

Melecta pacifica. A new state record for Maryland...captured right outside my Laboratory's front lawn! A few days ago I was watching and collecting bees out of a lovely clay filled bare patch of soil that refuses to grow any grass and is thus a lovely colony of all sorts of interesting nesting bees, wasps, and ants.

If all the Pickerelweed in the world would disappear...this species would too. This is Melissodes apicata; a male, as you can see form its longgggg antennae and its young can only be fed pickerelweed pollen.

The male of the Melissodes most likely to be encountered in a garden in the Mid-Atlantic...Melissodes bimaculata. Most Melissodes are hairier and have lighter hairs than this bad boy. The white hairs on the legs really stand out and, even by eye, this species is identifiable when it visits your flowers. Photography by the fab Amanda Robinson.

The male of the Melissodes most likely to be encountered in a garden in the Mid-Atlantic...Melissodes bimaculata. Most Melissodes are hairier and have lighter hairs than this bad boy. The white hairs on the legs really stand out and, even by eye, this species is identifiable when it visits your flowers. Photography by the fab Amanda Robinson.

Megachile relativa, a relativa (get it?) common species in northern parts of North America. The orangish pollen carrying hairs under the abdomen are uncommon and therefore useful when sussing out this species.

A purposefully introduced bee, used, at times, in the pollination of alfalfa and other crops, but now widely naturalized and can be found throughout North America, particularly in urban or disturbed areas. Collected by Tim McMahon in Cecil County Maryland and photographed by Brooke Alexander

A purposefully introduced bee, used, at times, in the pollination of alfalfa and other crops, but now widely naturalized and can be found throughout North America, particularly in urban or disturbed areas. Collected by Tim McMahon in Cecil County Maryland and photographed by Brooke Alexander

A purposefully introduced bee, used, at times, in the pollination of alfalfa and other crops, but now widely naturalized and can be found throughout North America, particularly in urban or disturbed areas. Collected by Tim McMahon in Cecil County Maryland and photographed by Brooke Alexander

A interesting leaf-cutting bee, largely restricted to the heavy sand regions of the coastal plains of the Carolinas down to Florida, quite a number of other species have simliar distributions with deep sand being a linking factor. Collected by Heather Campbell and photographed by Colby Francoeur

Magnificent, though invasive. This bee originates in the South China, Korea, Japan part of the world, where it happily feeds its babies pollen from leguminous plants, particularly woody ones, including Kudzu vine. It has been introduced into North America now and spread as far as Colorado, likely will go all the way to the West Coast.

Megachile sculpturalis, female, Maryland

From Kenya comes one of the many flavors of Megachile...or leaf cutting bees, though this species likely does not cut leaves as you can see from the lack of cutting edges on its mandibles, more likely its paddle like mandibles are made for moving mud around.

An interesting bee from Florida. Collected by Anthony Abbate. Not much is know about this species, it shows up in collections not very commonly and has western counterparts which may, or may not, be the same species. So much to do!