Images

An Uncommon (or is it?) Deerberry specialist. If you don't collect bees on Deerberry (Vaccinium staminium) you will never see this bee (Panurginus atramontensis). It only gathers pollen and probably almost all of its nectar from this plant.

An Uncommon (or is it?) Deerberry specialist. If you don't collect bees on Deerberry (Vaccinium staminium) you will never see this bee (Panurginus atramontensis). It only gathers pollen and probably almost all of its nectar from this plant.

Nomada fragariae - A rare cleptoparasite, almost certainly of Andrena...but which species. There are very few records of this species, and only in the last few years has the female been described. In most collections the Nomada sit at the end in a mosh pit waiting for someone to identify them...a tricky group.

Dominican Republic

Somerset county, Maryland

Here is a nest parasite. In this case the male.

The only bidentate Nomada I feel comfortablish identifying. All the rest blend together morphologically and maybe molecularly. This is one of the largest and most common of the bidentates and has a unique set of tibial spurs (which is not saying much) and some general coloration patterns that are helpful. Collected in Charles County, Maryland USA.

Intersex. Gynandromorph. Part Male: Park Female. Here is a lovely example. In this case the intersex section is restricted to the head. This is a Nomada of the pygmaea group. pygmaea group indicates that this is probably a group of species, but....I can't tell them apart. Long story.

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.

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.