Sunday, July 10, 2011

Mystery Bees.......*Rant*

Anthidium manicatum which is one of 2 Anthidium species introduced to E. North America

Ok so a bunch of bees have been intriguing me for quite a bit and I want answers. With The Great Carpenter Bee Mystery pretty much solved (will get to that asap I have posts to fill in!!) a new mystery has presented itself.

Actually this has been "brewing" for sometime. I just today decided to analyze it through ranting on this blog of mine. I've been seeing quite alot of bees that I believe might be Mining, Plaster, or Adrenidae members, also Megachilidae too. But I have no way of ID'ing them unless I have a camera. They all look so similar.

Add the fact that they're fucking fast and there's "no hope" unless I get a camera and get pictures of the really friendly ones. I got a good look at 2 today. One was black and white and shaped like an Anthidium........but I don't think it was (unless colormorph?) due to the fact that they're only 2 Anthidium sp. in Eastern North America (ENA from now on). The second one I believe is either Anthidium manicatum or A. oblongata.

Observing this one was a dead giveaway. It was carrying a fuzzball. *^^* In other words females of A. manicatum (& presumably other Anthidium species too.....??) scrape off the fuzz off of fuzzy plants and line their nest with it. And there's PLENTY of fuzzy plants in the park by my house so they'll be in heaven.

This is the first time I've seen this one (again either A. manicatum or A. oblongata) all the others I have. I just don't know what kind they are. I know what families they might reside in but that's it........oooooh wait until I get a camera.

In other news.......I saw 2 Halysidota harrisii!!! *Jumping* First 2 of the season along with:

Cabbage Whites
A Comma (I think what else could it be?)
Harmonia axyridis
BEES (need I say more?)
American Bumble bees
Leafhopper nymph? (the brown ones with the white fuzzy things in the back)
2 Lopidea sp.
Spring Azure
3 Cicada Killers (must feature these ASAP)
3 Polistes sp.?? *This? Maybe.....
Moth Fly (Lobby)

My brains all fuzzy! >_< Apologies if I forgot any. ^^;; There were just so MANY of you today. ^_^ Must go now. REALLY pooped. -_-

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

cool post. I never thought of analysing a bee or fly. I do come across them as I design gardens for people.

Adrastia217 said...

cool! >^_^< never seen one of those bees before...it's interesting that they gather plant fuzz

Brittanie said...

Adrastia they call these "Wool Carter Bees" *^^* Need I say more? =)

Greenie said...

Thanks for the post. Let this Pest Control Seattle company come out and identify them free of charge.