Images

Megachile brevis, Female, Maryland, Kent County

Megachile brevis, female, Kent County, Maryland, June 2012

White boots on this, our darkest Eastern Melissodes. The most common species, found in gardens as well as parklands. Uses quite a range of plants compared to the more composite oriented other species. Photography by Kelly Graninger.

Melissodes communis from Biscayne National Park at the tip of Florida. Perhaps the most common species of Melissodes in the deep south. Big and hits the yellow composites like most of the Melissodes. Fast flier. The group is known as summer long-horned bees. Picture by Brooke Alexander, shopping by Elizabeth Garcia.

Melissodes communis, Biscayne National Park, Florida

On the big side of long-horns is Melissodes comptoides...as you move south and to the prairies...you get tricked up with M. communis and all its color variations. Fortunately, there are ways to tell them apart. Often common and found in many open habitats...particularly if you plant some composites for them...which of course ... you are. Photo by Brooke Goggins.

Many Melissodes...and there are many look just about the same making them yet another difficult group to differentiate. Here is a common eastern one...a species that makes its way to the north of its near look alike. Picture taken by Ashleigh Jacobs, photshopping by Elizabeth Garcia.

Bryce Canyon Utah...not only has awesome geological formations, but also has awesome bees such as Melissodes conrfusa...in fact the dry west has many more species inhabiting it than the moist and lush landscapes of eastern North America. Picture by Sue Boo. Melissodes confusa captured as part of a large National Park service project.

Melissodes dentiventris, male, an uncommon denizen of dry sandy areas, specializing on pollination of composites...particularly maryland goldenaster. Collected in Anne Arundel County Maryland

Melissodes dentiventris, male, an uncommon denizen of dry sandy areas, specializing on pollination of composites...particularly maryland goldenaster. Collected in Anne Arundel County Maryland

Melissodes dentiventris, male, an uncommon denizen of dry sandy areas, specializing on pollination of composites...particularly maryland goldenaster. Collected in Anne Arundel County Maryland

There are many species of Melissodes and as you can see from this male, they aren't called Long-horn Bees for nothing. All or almost all of these species are summer to fall bees and most are fond to very fond of flowers in the Asteraceae family ... the fall composites by other names.

A sand loving, ground nesting Megachile from Gateway National Recreation Area on Sandy Hook in New Jersey. Photograph by Brooke Alexander.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, link to a .pdf of our set up is located in our profile

Megachile apicalis - Invasive species: Specialist on knapweeds: Not common unless you haunt industrial and other wastelands where it can be common. Always carry a net in these areas so that you clearly as seen as a harmless nature nut. Collected in Cumberland, Maryland. Picture by Heagan Ahmed and photoshopped by Elizabeth Garcia.

From Alleghany County in western Maryland in the town of Cumberland down along the Railroad tracks, which is a go to collecting spot for me, since there are almost always tall weeds with bees on them. One wishes that other people did the same things with native meadow plants along roads and yards instead of just mowing them to pieces all the time.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee - A leaf cutting bee, common throughout much of North America

A pair of head shots...including the rarely seen underside of a bee head. The species: Megachile campanulae. From: Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Status common and regular if you swing a net in the summer. Megachile always have lovely omatidia (those lovely hex things on the compound eyes).

Megachile integra is one of a small clade of Megachile and Trachusa that need small viney things in the pea family (fuzzy beans and milk peas) to feed their babies.

Megachile integra is one of a small clade of Megachile and Trachusa that need small viney things in the pea family (fuzzy beans and milk peas) to feed their babies.

Collected by Heather Campbell, from the Sandhills of North Carolina. Photograph by Wayne Boo.Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200, link to a .pdf of our set up is located in our profile

Megachile lanata, GTMO Cuba, Female