The Pertinax Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax) is a common and widespread insect in the Syrphidae family of hoverflies. It is the mostly widely distributed syrphid species in the world.
It is a bee mimic – because it looks like a bee.
The Pertinax Dronefly is bee-like with yellow and orange or reddish markings. It has six legs, a pair of wings, and large brown eyes. The lower part of its legs (tarsi) are yellow.
Continue reading “Pertinax Dronefly”
The Brown-Banded Carder Bee (Bombus humilis) is an insect in the Apidae family of bumblebees.
The Brown-Banded Carder Bee has a yellow-orange fuzzy thorax. It has a broad dark-brown band on its abdomen. Its body has fluffy hairs. It has a rounded head with short antennae. Its rear legs are bare and shiny.
Continue reading “Brown-Banded Carder Bee”
The Red-Tailed Black Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) is an insect in the Apidae family of bees.
The Red-Tailed Black Bumblebee has a black body with orange at the end of its abdomen. The male has a yellow ruff around its neckline and often yellow markings on its face. Its body has fluffy hairs. It has a rounded head with short antennae.
Continue reading “Red-Tailed Black Bumblebee”
The European Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa iris) is an insect in the Apidae family of carpenter bees.
The European Carpenter Bee is all black with a shiny abdomen. It is not a Bumblebee, because a Bumblebee has a hairy body. It has short mouthparts.Its wings are translucent. The male does not have a stinger. The female has a stinger, but she is not aggressive.
Continue reading “European Carpenter Bee”
The Shrill Carder Bee (Bombus sylvarum) is an insect in the Apidae family of bumblebees. It is also known as the Knapweed Carder Bee.
The Shrill Carder Bee is mostly pale-yellow-grey with a black band on it thorax and two black bands on its abdomen. It has an orange tip to its abdomen. Its body has fluffy hairs. It has a rounded head with short antennae.
Continue reading “Shrill Carder Bee”
The Dark-Edged Bee Fly (Bombylius major) is an insect in the Bombyliidae family of flies. It is also known as the Large Bee Fly or the Large Humblefly.
The Dark-Edged Bee Fly is the similar size and shape of a Bumblebee (Bombus sp.), but its body is more triangular. It is dark-coloured with a brown hairy thorax and abdomen. It has translucent wings with a dark-brown edge. When it rests, its wings are spread out. Bumblebees have two pairs of wings, but the Dark-Edged Bee Fly has only one pair of wngs.
Its long, grey proboscis (nose) looks like a stinger or sword on the top of its head. Its proboscis is always straight (like a unicorn horn) because it cannot curl or retract it. Butterflies, for example, can roll up their proboscis. The Dark-Edged Bee Fly has long legs. It has short antennae. Unlike a bee, it does not have a stinger.
Continue reading “Dark-Edged Bee Fly”
The European Drone Fly (Eristalis arbustorum) is a common and widespread insect in the Syrphidae family of hoverflies. It is a syrphid. It is also known as the Hoverfly.
It is a bee mimic, because it looks like a bee, such as a Honey Bee.
The European Drone Fly is bee-like with yellow and orange or reddish markings. It has a distinctive marking on its thorax. It has six legs, a pair of wings, and large brown-haired eyes.
Continue reading “European Drone Fly”
The Similis Drone Fly (Eristalis similis) is a common and widespread insect in the Syrphidae family of hoverflies. It is a syrphid. It is also known as the Hoverfly. Similis is Latin for similar, because it is a bee mimic – it looks like a Honey Bee.
The Similis Drone Fly is bee-like with yellow and orange or reddish markings. It has a distinctive marking on its thorax. It has six legs, a pair of wings, and large brown eyes.
Continue reading “Similis Drone Fly”
The Gwynne’s Mining Bee (Andrena bicolor) is an insect in the Andrenidae family of mining bees.
The Gwynne’s Mining Bee has a dark head, reddish-brown hairs on its thorax, and indistinct bands of yellowish hairs on its abdomen. It has translucent wings. It has small black antennae and six black legs.
Continue reading “Gwynne’s Mining Bee”
The Kenyan Stingless Honey Bee (Meliponula ferruginea) is an insect in the Apidae family of honey bees.
The Kenyan Stingless Honey Bee is small. It has a brown head, thorax (chest), and abdomen. It has six legs. It does have a stinger on its tail, but it is so small that it is not noticeable, and it does not sting in defence. Its wings are transparent. It has large eyes.
Continue reading “Kenyan Stingless Honey Bee”
The Pauxillum Sweat Bee (Lasioglossum pauxillum) is a common, small insect in the Halictidae family of sweat bees. It is called a sweat bee because it is attracted to the sweat of animals and humans.
The Pauxillum Sweat Bee is metallic black. It has thin, whitish abdominal bands. It has six legs, two pairs of wings, and three body parts: (1) head, (2) thorax, and (3) abdomen. Its wings are translucent (see-through). It has enlarged compound eyes.
Continue reading “Pauxillum Sweat Bee”
The Tumulous Sweat Bee (Halictus tumulorum) is a common, small insect in the Halictidae family of ground-nesting sweat bees. It is called a sweat bee because it is attracted to the sweat of animals and humans.
The Tumulous Sweat Bee is black or dark-brown. Sometimes, it has a green metallic colour. It has thin, whitish abdominal bands. It has six legs, two pairs of wings, and three body parts: (1) head, (2) thorax, and (3) abdomen. Its wings are translucent (see-through). It has enlarged compound eyes.
Continue reading “Tumulous Sweat Bee”
The Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee (Megachile rotundata) is a small insect in the Megachilinae sub-family of solitary, leafcutter bees.
The Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee has a slightly flattened, elongated, shiny, dark-grey to blackish body. The female has white hairs all over her body. The male has white and yellow spots on its abdomen. It has six legs, two pairs of wings, and three body parts: (1) head, (2) thorax, and (3) abdomen. Its wings are translucent (see-through). It has a stinger, but it is generally harmless to humans.
Continue reading “Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee”
The Davies Plasterer Bee (Colletes daviesanus) is an insect in the Colletidae family of solitary, ground-nesting bees. It is also called the Davies Polyester Bee.
The Davies Plasterer Bee has a slightly flattened, elongated body. It is black with pale-yellow bands, ending with a black tail segment. It has six legs, two pairs of wings, and three body parts: (1) head, (2) thorax, and (3) abdomen. Its wings are translucent (see-through). Its body has bristly hairs on its sides.
Continue reading “Davies Plasterer Bee”
The European Dark Bee (Apis mellifera mellifera) is an insect and a sub-species of the Western Honeybee, also called the European Honeybee (Apis mellifera). It is also known as the German Black Bee or the German Dark Bee.
The European Dark Bee has a head, thorax (chest), and abdomen (stomach) with a stinger. It has a brown-black abdomen with a few lighter spots on its abdomen. Its wings are transparent. It has six legs, and large eyes.
Continue reading “European Dark Bee”
The Mediterranean Wood-Boring Bee (Lithurgus chrysurus) is an insect in the Megachilidae family of wood-boring bees.
The Mediterranean Wood-Boring Bee has a slightly flattened, elongated body. It is black with pale-yellow or white bands. It has six legs, two pairs of wings, and three body parts: (1) head, (2) thorax, and (3) abdomen. Its wings are translucent (see-through). Its body has bristly hairs on its sides.
Continue reading “Mediterranean Wood-Boring Bee”
The Violet Valga Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa valga) is an insect in the bee family. It is not a Bumblebee, because a Bumblebee has a hairy body. Xylocopa violaceaand Xylocopa valgaare two species of the Violet Carpenter Bee.
The Violet Valga Carpenter Bee is glossy black all over with sparse black hairs. The opaque wings are dark brown with a blue-coloured sheen. It has six legs, two pairs of wings, and three body parts: (1) head, (2) thorax, and (3) abdomen. Its wings are dark (not translucent like other bees). Its antennae are medium-sized, and the male has slightly bent antennae. The male has a yellow patch on the top of its thorax, whereas the female does not (she has a black thorax). The male does not have a stinger. The female has a stinger on her abdomen, but she is not aggressive.
Continue reading “Violet Valga Carpenter Bee”
The Black Mud Bee (Megachile parietina) is an insect in the mason bee family. It is a pollinator.
The Black Mud Bee is small, black, and shiny. It has a narrow, cylindrical body with a large head. It has black legs and black antennae.
Continue reading “Black Mud Bee”
The Violet Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa violacea) is an insect in the bee family. It is not a Bumblebee, because a Bumblebee has a hairy body.
The Violet Carpenter Bee has six legs, two pairs of wings, and three body parts: (1) head, (2) thorax, and (3) abdomen. It has a shiny black body with short dark-grey hairs, called bristles. Its wings are dark (not translucent like other bees) with a violet-blue sheen. Its antennae are medium-sized, and the male has slightly bent antennae.
The male has a yellow patch on the top of its thorax, whereas the female does not (she has a black thorax). The male does not have a stinger. The female has a stinger on her abdomen, but she is not aggressive.
Continue reading “Violet Carpenter Bee”
The Small Scissor Bee (Chelostoma campanularum) is an insect in the mason bee family. It is also known as the Hare-Bell Carpenter Bee. It is a pollinator.
The Small Scissor Bee is small, black, and shiny. It has a narrow, cylindrical body with a large head. It has black legs and black antennae.
Continue reading “Small Scissor Bee”