Tuesday, November 27, 2012

What kind of bees are these? - photos by Cecilia Brainard



BEES? - In Zion National Park, Utah, we saw these pollinators. Are they bees?  they don't look like your regular honey or bumble bees; they're bigger than regular bees and their bodies are flat.  They were buzzing all over the place.

Here's a list of bees that I found in the internet; the ones in the pictures come from Utah.
Bees

  • Alkali Bee - Sweat Bee - - (Nomia melanderi) - black and yellow bee on Rocky Mtn. Bee Plant, Ant. Island
  • Bumble Bee "Mountain Bumble Bee" - (Bombus appositus) - in the hills above Strawberry Res., Wasatch Cnty. UT
  • Bumble Bee - (Bombus - species unknown) - at the Jordanelle Wetlands
  • Bumble Bee "Golden Northern Bumble Bee"  - (Bombus ~) - in Southern Utah, photographer Dori Williams
  • Bumble Bee - (Bombus huntii ) - yellow bumble bee with orange at the Jordanelle Wetlands
  • Bumble Bee - (Bombus centralis) - yellow, black and orange bee at the Jordanelle Wetlands
  • Bumble Bee - (Bombus morrisoni) - mostly yellow bumble bee with black markings
  • Bumble Bee "Sonoran Bumble Bee" - (Bombus sonorus) -  at Tonaquint Nature Park in St. George, UT
  • Cellophane Bee - (Colletes) - on Antelope Island
  • Cuckoo Bee - (Nomadinae) -  black and yellow wasp-like bee at Pineview Reservoir
  • Cuckoo Bee - (Epeolus) - gray and black striped bee on Antelope Island
  • Cuckoo Bee - (genus Nomada) - orange parasitic bee at the Jordanelle wetlands
  • Digger Bee with Oil Beetle larvae - at Strawberry Reservoir
  • Digger Bee   - (Diadasia enavata ) - gorgeous large brown bee at Promontory Point
  • Digger Bee - (Anthophora urbana ) - hairy little bee on Antelope Island
  • Honey Bee - (Apis mellifera) - golden honey bees in Utah
  • Leaf-cutting Bees
    • Leaf-cutting Bee - (Megachile parallela ) - small cute bee at Red Butte Gardens, SLC, UT
    • Leaf-cutting Bee - (Megachile inermis) - black and white bee with a big head in Wasatch County
  • Long-horned Bee - (Eucerini) - bee on Antelope Island, Davis County, UT
  • Mason Bee - genus Osmia - blue-black, stocky bee with a gold diamond on its forehead - Red Butte Gardens, SLC
  • Metallic Green Bee - (genus Agapostemon) - four photos at Taylorsville, Bear River and Antelope Island
  • Mining Bees
    • Mining Bee - (genus Andrena) - furry cool-weather pollinators on Antelope Island
    • Mining Bee - (Andrena prunorum) - hairy yellow and black bee on Antelope Island
    • Mining Bee - (Andrena pronorum) - small colorful bee with long slender wings on Ant. Island
    • Mining Bee - (Andrena transnigra) - attractive solitary bee sporting a boa in Brighton, Utah
  • Resin Bee - (Dianthidium) - 2 photos of resin bees and a pebble nest

  • Sweat Bees
    • Sweat Bee - Dieunomia nevadensis arizonensis - oranged and black bee on Antelope Island
    • Sweat Bee - (subgenus Halictus sensu lato) - small striped black bee at Red Butte Gardens
    • Sweat Bee - 3 photos - two of Halictus ligatus and one of Lasioglossum
    • Sweat Bee - possibly Lasioglossum zephyrum - tiny ant-like bee in Taylorsville, Utah
    • Sweat Bee - Alkali Bee - (Nomia melanderi) - black and yellow bee on Rocky Mtn. Bee Plant, Ant. Island

 - photos by Cecilia Brainard  

1 comment:

  1. The "bees" on those plant are actually large spiny tachnid flies that visit flowers for the pollen. Here's a link to a picture of one:
    http://amazingnature.us/insects/spiny_tachnid_fly.html#stf

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