Bees Flashcards
What are the 7 families of bees found across the globe?
.Colletidae, Andrenidae, Halictidae, Megachilidae, Apidae (common in NA)
Melittidae (uncommon in NA)
Stenotritidae (only Australia)
How many species of bees are there in the world?
20,000+
How many species of bees live in North America?
4,000
Family: Colletidae
Common Name:
Common Features:
Social Behavior:
Common Name: Polyester Bees
Common Features:Tongues have a two-lobed tip which they use to spread a cellophane-like substance with which they line their brood cells. It’s waterproof and allows ground-nesting colletids to nest in areas that flood.
Social Behavior:
of Species in NA:
Family: Andrenidae
Common Name:
Common Features:
Social Behavior:
of Species in NA: 1,400 +
Common Name: Mining Bees
Common Features: All excavate nests in the ground, in flat or gently sloped sites and may form aggregations with tens of thousands of bees nesting in a small area. Often carry pollen high on the rear legs and the rear of the thorax. Abundant in Spring.
Social Behavior: Majority solitary
Family: Halictidae
Common Name:
Common Features:
Social Behavior:
Common Name: Sweat Bees
Common Features: Includes most of the brightly colored metallic bees, but most are drab and small.
Social Behavior: whole gamut from solitary to communal, some cleptoparasites
Family: Melittidae
Common Name:
Common Features:
Social Behavior:
Common Name: Oil-Collecting Bees
Common Features: Small, rare family. Few commonalities. Pollen brush (scopa) extends farther down the leg than in other bees.
Social Behavior: all solitary, nest in the ground
Unlined cells except Macropis, which collects oil from Lysimachia with which it lines the cells. (not in US)
Family: Megachilidae
Common Name:
Common Features:
Social Behavior:
Common Name: Leafcutter and Mason Bees
Common Features: Members do not carry pollen on their legs. They have rows of stiff hairs on the underside of their abdomens where they pack dry pollen for transporting. Many have wide head for gathering nesting materials.
Social Behavior: Majority nest in cavities above ground (beetle tunnels, crevices) and collect materials (leaves, petals, soil) to divide the nesting tunnel into brood cells.
Family: Apidae
Common Name:
Common Features:
Social Behavior:
Common Names: Bumble, Carpenter, Honey, other)
Hugely diverse family with all nesting and social behaviors (includes digger, squash, long-horned, and sunflower bees)
Family: Colletidae
Colletes (koe-LEE-teez)
Polyester Bees
Family: Colletidae
Hylaeus (hi-LEE-us)
Yellow-faced Bees
Family: Andrenidae
Andrena (an-DREE-nuh)
Mining Bees
Family: Andrenidae
Perdita (per-DIH-tuh)
Miner Bees
Family: Andrenidae
Protoxaea (pro-tox-EE-uh)
Miner Bees
Family: Halictidae
Nomia (NO-mee-uh)
Alkali Bees
Family: Halictidae
Dieunomia (die-u-NOH-mee-uh)
Large Sweat Bees
