Images

A nice fluffy male Centris attripes from Central Texas collected during a family reunion. Centris are large bumble bee sized bees and as you move into desert and tropical area in the Americas the number of bumble bees decline and the number of often oil using Centris species and the equally large Carpenter bees increase.

Just one of many kinds of bees for which we know little to nothing. Beautiful wings though! This specimen comes from Brazil and was found in Laurence Packer's lab Photography Information: 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.

Just one of many kinds of bees for which we know little to nothing. Beautiful wings though! This specimen comes from Brazil and was found in Laurence Packer's lab Photography Information: 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.

One of the Trichiotinus flower chafer beetles, collected on Vinton Furnace Experimental Station of the USFS, home to many uncommon native bees. Photographed by Brooke Alexander

Mystery Wasp....I think it is a Chalcid, but a couple of people have now suggested that is likely a Leucospis. This was from 2014 and was collected in Anne Arundel County and... I can't quite recall why we took this picture. Can someone id the wasp for us?Thanks Pilgrims. Picture taken by Wayne Boo.

Found by Brooke Alexander after it invaded our Lab in Beltsville, Maryland and photographed by Brooke Alexander

Chamaesyce maculata, Spotted Spurge, August 2012, Beltsville, Maryland

Chamaesyce maculata, Spotted Spurge, August 2012, Beltsville, Maryland

An invader of other bees nests, this is Coelioxys porterae, found, in this case from Acadia National Park in Maine. I can't recall which species of Megachile (leaf cutting bees) this species parasitizes us but there are plenty of options in the park. This is a male, and as with almost all males it has all kinds of pointy projections on its rear end.

An invader of other bees nests, this is Coelioxys porterae, found, in this case from Acadia National Park in Maine. I can't recall which species of Megachile (leaf cutting bees) this species parasitizes us but there are plenty of options in the park. This is a male, and as with almost all males it has all kinds of pointy projections on its rear end.

Coelioxys porterae, male, Maine, Acadia National Park

Another Coelioxys nest parasite bee from the Adirondack Mountains of New York. This one is a nest parasite of big Leaf Cutters like Megachile latimanus. Here are shots of a male and a female.

Another Coelioxys nest parasite bee from the Adirondack Mountains of New York. This one is a nest parasite of big Leaf Cutters like Megachile latimanus. Here are shots of a male and a female.

Another Coelioxys nest parasite bee from the Adirondack Mountains of New York. This one is a nest parasite of big Leaf Cutters like Megachile latimanus. Here are shots of a male and a female.

Another Coelioxys nest parasite bee from the Adirondack Mountains of New York. This one is a nest parasite of big Leaf Cutters like Megachile latimanus. Here are shots of a male and a female.

Another Coelioxys nest parasite bee from the Adirondack Mountains of New York. This one is a nest parasite of big Leaf Cutters like Megachile latimanus. Here are shots of a male and a female.

The most common of the Coelioxys nest parasites in the mid-atlantic region. This is C. sayi, in this case, a male and simply a mating machine, not involved in nest construction. Check out the multi-pointed rear end. I am unaware of what use this is, but most of the Coelioxys males have some variant of this unusual pattern. Photographed by Ashleigh Jaoobs.

The most common Coelioxys in the East. C. sayi is a nest parasite, slipping into the nests of leaf cutters like Megachile mendica and kin and dropping an egg into the wall of their nests. In the female, like this one, the edge of the clypeus is slightly indented (hard to see). Now you know.

The most common Coelioxys in the East. This is C. sayi. Now, C. sayi is a nest parasite (like all Coelioxys) and it likes to drop its eggs in the nest of what is usually the most common Leaf Cutter in the East Megachile mendica.

The most common Coelioxys in the East. C. sayi is a nest parasite, slipping into the nests of leaf cutters like Megachile mendica and kin and dropping an egg into the wall of their nests. In the female, like this one, the edge of the clypeus is slightly indented (hard to see). Now you know.

The most common Coelioxys in the East. C. sayi is a nest parasite, slipping into the nests of leaf cutters like Megachile mendica and kin and dropping an egg into the wall of their nests. In the female, like this one, the edge of the clypeus is slightly indented (hard to see). Now you know.