Images

Dominican Republic, thanks to Julio Genaro for the identification

Nomada rubicunda. This species is a nest parasite of bees in the genus Agapostemon....most Nomada are nest parasites of Andrena. This species is probably focused on Agapostemon splendens. Photographed by Joseph Malone and Amanda Robinson. One of only two records for Maryland, collected on fossil dunes by Jen Frye.

Second in a Series - Wasp or Bee?

Like islands in general, there are not many species of bees in New Zealand. John Ascher's species of the world lists only 49 and a BIG chunk of them are not native to the islands. This one is native. This is Nesocolletes fulvescens, one of 7 species in Nesocolletes all of whom are found only in New Zealand. Photo by Sydney Price.

Like islands in general, there are not many species of bees in New Zealand. John Ascher's species of the world lists only 49 and a BIG chunk of them are not native to the islands. This one is native. This is Nesocolletes fulvescens, one of 7 species in Nesocolletes all of whom are found only in New Zealand. Photo by Sydney Price.

Nomada affabilis...a very large Nomada. I think this species is almost certainly a nest parasite of bees in the genus Eucera...which is quite a different path from most of the other Nomada which are primarily, though not exclusively, nest parasites of Andrena.

A nest parasite of bees in the genus Agapostemon...perhaps this one targets Agapostemon splendens...which as the name implies is particularly splendidly arrayed in metallic blues and greens. This bee was captured as part of a survey of bees in Gateway National Recreation Area...which includes much of the harbor area of New York City.

A moderate sized Nomada, a bee that lays its eggs in the nests of bees in the genus Andrena. This species, at least in the male, has a distinctive antennae. You can see it in at least the picture taken of the bee's side that the underside of the antenna is partially eroded away leaving a hollow on each segment.

Rare Bee Alert. Here is Nomada erigeronis. Handful of records...more Midwest...but here is one from the East. New Jersey, in fact. Relatively big. Similar species nest parasitize Agapostemon, but what's up here. Seems to be active in the May-July area.

Rare Bee Alert. Here is Nomada erigeronis. Handful of records...more Midwest...but here is one from the East. New Jersey, in fact. Relatively big. Similar species nest parasitize Agapostemon, but what's up here. Seems to be active in the May-July area.

Mimi Jenkins collected this lovely nest parasite in the sandy watermelon fields outside of Charleston, South Carolina. This bee presumably is adding its egg to the nest of Agapostemon splendens a denizen of sandy areas around the eastern part of the continent. It is a male as you can tell from the amount of yellow on the face and the 13 antennal segments.

Eggs, Harlequin bug, Murgantia histrionica, a common pest of brassicas, these were raised by the Weber USDA lab at Beltsville, Maryland

Unknown species of what is presumably a Mutillid Velvet Ant. Because it has wings it is therefore a male. Collected at the NPS Fort Matanzas National Monument.

Mutillid Wasp, Male Velvet Ant, Prince George's County, Maryland

Ah, here is a good story, this is a shot of a female Nomada found at the museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard. I have visited their museum many times, but only this last time did I find a synoptic collection of bees from New England that was separate from the rest of their large, lovely, and old collection of bees.

Tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny. You can tell this from the size of the pin. What is size anyway. Clearly this is larger than a virus, let's say, but smaller than an elephant or bread box. But in the perspective of bees, this is really really small...because it is a nest parasite of Perdita which are the smallest of all the bees in North America.

St. Francis's Satyr (Neonympha mitchelli francisci). Only found in North Carolina and only found on Ft. Bragg. Feeds on grasses and sedges in wetlands along streams, most of those wetlands created by beaver and periodic fires from Base activities. These specimens came from captive reared populations that USFWS and others are attempting to slowly create.

St. Francis's Satyr (Neonympha mitchelli francisci). Only found in North Carolina and only found on Ft. Bragg. Feeds on grasses and sedges in wetlands along streams, most of those wetlands created by beaver and periodic fires from Base activities. These specimens came from captive reared populations that USFWS and others are attempting to slowly create.

Nomada texana, male, North Carolina, USFS Experiment Station

Nomia foxii. Check out the pearlescent bands on the abdomen. If you see something like that in North America it is going to be a bee in the genus Nomia. This is a western species. Captured in Hidalgo County, in NM by either Don Harvey or Tim McMahon our records are incomplete to the collector. Picture by Sydney Price.

From Kenya comes yet another Nomia with modifications to the basic bee format. You can see that like other Nomia this male has expanded leg segments, but the fabulous thing here are the dangling modified heart-shaped last segment of the antenna. Male bee antennae are modified quite frequently in the bee world, but this is one of the more extravagant.