Images

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

Darn it. As I was loading this picture I realized that we already had a picture of this very same uncommon specimen...That said, I like this shot better, additionally Wayne Boo, the photographer in this case did not cut the edge of the wing off as in the other one.

Guantánamo Bay Cuba is not widely known for its bee fauna. But it should be. Sean Brady and I collected there for a number of years and we were able to obtain over one third of all the known bees from Cuba, including several new species. The species here, Megachile lanata, is not a new species and in fact is found throughout the world as a tramp.

Megachile lanata, female, GTMO, Cuba, A species originally from Africa, but now present in many of the tropical parts of the world

From Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore along the Upper Peninsula of Michigan comes one our largest Megachilids. 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

One of the largest leaf cutting bees, this one was captured in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan, photograph by Colby Francoeur.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

A common and large northern leafcutting bee. Nice orange scopal (pollen carrying ) hairs on the undercarriage and some interesting teeth patterns on the mandible, make this a relatively recognizable bee. This bad girl is from Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan. Photographed by Colby Francouer ..shopped by Elizabeth Garcia.

A common and large leafcutting bee from Maine, collected by Brianne Du Clos. This is a male and note the large expanded tarsal segments on the front legs. These are used to hide the females eyes during mating. Dejen Mengis is the photographer.

A common and large leafcutting bee from Maine, collected by Brianne Du Clos. This is a male and note the large expanded tarsal segments on the front legs. These are used to hide the females eyes during mating. Dejen Mengis is the photographer.

A common and large leafcutting bee from Maine, collected by Brianne Du Clos. This is a male and note the large expanded tarsal segments on the front legs. These are used to hide the females eyes during mating. Dejen Mengis is the photographer and Elizabeth Garcia did the shopping.

Male Tools. Check out the bright white expanded tarsal segments on this very large leaf cutting bee. These mods are used to cover the female's eyes during mating. Collected during a gathering of bee heads as part of the Adirondack Mountains ATBI BioBlitz this past week.

A northern leaf-utter. Note all the lovely cutting edges on the mandibles. Found at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Found at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Picture taken by Colby Francoeur.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

A sharp looking Megachile from Yosemite National Park. Megachile melanophaea is a bee that runs all across the arctic, the northern parts of the East and down the mountains in the West. Unlike many northern species is does not seem to be interested in the Appalachians.

A sharp looking Megachile from Yosemite National Park. Megachile melanophaea is a bee that runs all across the arctic, the northern parts of the East and down the mountains in the West. Unlike many northern species is does not seem to be interested in the Appalachians.

A sharp looking Megachile from Yosemite National Park. Megachile melanophaea is a bee that runs all across the arctic, the northern parts of the East and down the mountains in the West. Unlike many northern species is does not seem to be interested in the Appalachians.

More leafcutters from Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. In this one the big mandibled Megachile melanophaea. If it is like its kin, it likes thins in the pea family, but as usual, the basics of how it exists on the planet are only sketchily known. Why don't you do something about that viewer? Photography by Colby Francouer, shopping by Elizabeth Garcia.

Here is a bee from Acadia National Park in Hancock County Maine. The park is one of the few places that has information about its historic bee populations., Resulting in one of the very very few instances of a historic record of any kind of bee populations in North America. An Illustration of How Poorly Known the bee fauna of the continent is currently.

Megachile melanopyga: This species has two generations in a year, with the 2nd generation being very abundant on autumn asters. Collected by the fabulous Jelle Devalez on the mysterious Lesvos Island in Greece. Photo taken by Sara Guerrieri.

Megachile melanopyga: This species has two generations in a year, with the 2nd generation being very abundant on autumn asters. Collected by the fabulous Jelle Devalez on the mysterious Lesvos Island in Greece. Photo taken by Sara Guerrieri.