Ground Nesting Bees

Ground nesting bee emerging from ground nest

Ground Nesting Bee Classification Class: Insecta Order: Hymenoptera Family: Apidae Genus: Halictidae, Ptilothrix, Colletes, Andrenidae, Megachilidae Species: There are 16 known species of Ptilothrix, over 500 known species of Colletes, more than 630 known species of Megachilidae, while the species and subspecies of Halictidae and Andrenidae both number in the thousands The ground nesting bee […]

Masked Bees

Masked bee (Hylaeus sp.) pollinating yellow flower

Masked Bee Classification Class: Insecta Order: Hymenoptera Family: Colletidae Genus: Hylaeus The masked bee is a common species found worldwide and plays an important role in many ecosystems. Masked bees are a genus of bees characterized by a yellow or white “mask” that consists of markings on their faces.[1]  Masked bees are part of the […]

Mexican Honey Wasps

Mexican honey wasp pollinating a flower

The Mexican honey wasp is not like the more common species of wasp which are naturally aggressive. However, it is also not exactly like the common European honey bee. This species belongs to both species, being both part honeybee and part wasp. The Mexican honey wasp is one of the only wasps that produces honey […]

Orange-Belted Bumblebees

Orange-belted bumblebee pollinating a pink and orange flower

Orange-Belted Bumblebee Classification Class: Insecta Order: Hymenoptera Family: Apidae Genus: Bombus Subgenera Pyrobombus Species: B. ternarius The orange-belted bumblebee is a tricolor bee that has black and yellow stripes on its abdomen as well as an orange band on its abdomen. Bombus ternarius is the scientific name of the orange-belted bumblebee, also known as the […]

Stingless Bees

Solid black stingless bee sitting on a branch

Stingless Bee Classification Class: Insecta Order: Hymenoptera Family: Apidae Tribe: Meliponini Genus: Melipona A stingless bee is a bee that appears very similar to a honeybee, but is incapable of stinging.  Approximately 550 species of stingless bees are found within several genera that are members of the Meliponini tribe. Stingless bees are also related to […]

Vulture Bees

Vultures bees harvesting sugars from rotted fruit in order to make honey

Vulture Bee Classification Class: Insecta Order: Hymenoptera Family: Apidae Genus: Trigona Species: Hypogea Vulture bees are stingless bees whose earliest recorded data dates only back to 1758. However, it was not until 1982 that their carnivorous diet of dead animal flesh was discovered by entomologist Davi Roubik.  This was quite the groundbreaking revelation as bees […]

Wallace’s Giant Bee

Wallace's giant bee on a rock face on the island cluster, North Moluccas

Wallace’s Giant Bee Classification Class: Insecta Order: Hymenoptera Family: Megachilidae Genus: Megachile (Callomegachile) Species: M. pluto Wallace’s giant bee is an Indonesian resin bee and the largest known living bee species. It has been thought twice that Wallace’s giant bees are extinct. It was not until 2019 that an expedition was undertaken on the islands […]

Wax Moths

Close up of a lesser wax moth on the ground

Wax Moth Classification Class: Insecta Order: Lepidoptera Family: Pyralidae Genus: Galleria or Achoria Species: Galleria mellonella and Achroia grisella The wax moth is a parasite of honey bees, laying eggs inside the cracks of their hives and eating the bees’ homes and food stores. A wax moth consumes the honeycomb of honey bee hives, including […]

Ashy Mining Bees

An ashy mining bee pollinating the hawthorn flower

Ashy Mining Bee Classification Class: Insecta Order: Hymenoptera Family: Andrenidae Genus: Andrena Species: Andrena cineraria Ashy mining bees are solitary digging bees, which means that they dig their own holes in the ground for nesting. Ashy mining bees are scientifically known as Andrena cineraria. Additionally, they are known as gray mining bees or Danubian miners. […]

Blue-Banded Bees

Close up side view of a blue banded bee resting on a stick

Blue-Banded Bee Classification Class: Insecta Order: Hymenoptera Family: Apidae Tribe: Anthophorini Genus: Amegilla Subgenera Notomegilla and Zonamegilla [1] Species: Fourteen species of blue banded bees are currently recognized: Notomegilla aeruginosa, N. chlorocyanea, Zonamegilla adelaidae, Z. asserta, Z. alpha, Z. thorogoodi, Z. cingulata, Z. indistincta, Z. murrayensis, Z. karlba, Z. paeninsulae, Z. pulchra, Z. walkeri, and […]