Family: Megachile
Native Range:
Size:
Active:
Color and Appearance:
Family: Megachile
Native Range:
Size:
Active:
Color and Appearance:
Scientific Name: Agapostemon sp.
Family: Halictidae
Native Range:
Size: Small – Medium, 7 – 15 mm (0.3 – 0.6 in)*
Nest: Ground, Loamy soil*
Active: Late spring – fall*
Color and Appearance: Bright green head and thorax, some species with green abdomen, other species with black and white (females), or black and yellow (males) striped abdomen*
Pollen Collection: Scopae hind legs*
Flight Distance: Unknown
*From Heather Holm, Pollinators of Native Plants: Attract, Observe and Identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants. Minetonka: Pollination Press, LLC, 2014., p. 260.
Scientific Name: Melissodes sp.
Family: Apidae
Native Range:
Size: Small – Medium, 7 – 18 mm (0.3 – 0.7 in)*
Nest: Ground
Nest Lining: Wax-like substance
Active: Mid-summer – fall*
Color and Appearance: Robust and hairy, often with pail bands on abdomen in the middle of the abdominal segments. Males: Long antennae*
Pollen Collection: Long scopae on hind legs*
Flight Distance: ~ 2 miles, 3.2 km*
*From Heather Holm, Pollinators of Native Plants: Attract, Observe and Identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants. Minetonka: Pollination Press, LLC, 2014., p. 266.
Scientific Name: Ceratina sp.
Family: Apidae
Native Range:
Size: Small – Medium, 3 – 15 mm (0.1 – 0.6 in)*
Nest: Pithy stems, wood; Vertical or angled nest orientation*
Nest Materials: Pith and saliva*
Active: Early spring – summer*
Color and Appearance: Blue, black, green, metallic; Cylindrical abdomen, sparsely haired, shiny, often white (or yellow) patch on face*
Pollen Collection: Scopae on hind legs*
Flight Distance: ~ 200 yds, 180m*
*From Heather Holm, Pollinators of Native Plants: Attract, Observe and Identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants. Minetonka: Pollination Press, LLC, 2014., p. 267.
Scientific Name: Bombus sp.
Family: Apidae
Native Range:
Size: Medium – large, 10 – 23 mm (0.4 – 0.9 in)*
Nest: Colony (eusocial)*
Nesting Location: Rodent holes, leaf piles, ground*
Nest Materials: Was (nectar pots), leaves (insulation)*
Active: Spring – late fall*
Color and Appearance: Black, yellow, white or orange hair, black body; stout, furry, robust, completely hairy*
Pollen Collection: Pollen baskets on hind legs (coriculae)*
Flight Distance: ~ 1 mile, 1.6 km*
*From Heather Holm, Pollinators of Native Plants: Attract, Observe and Identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants. Minetonka: Pollination Press, LLC, 2014., p. 264.
Scientific Name: Xylocopa sp.
Family: Apidae
Native Range:
Size: Large, 13 -30mm, (0.5 – 1.25 in)*
Nest: Excavated with mandibles in wood, plant stems*
Nest Lining: Sawdust (plant stems)*
Active: Mid-summer -fall*
Color and Appearance: Black with yellow hairs, bumble bee-like, robust, hairy thorax, shiny black abdomen*
Pollen Collection: Scopae hind legs*
Flight Distance: ~ 1 mile, 1.6 km*
*From Heather Holm, Pollinators of Native Plants: Attract, Observe and Identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants. Minetonka: Pollination Press, LLC, 2014., p. 267.
Scientific Name: Apis mellifer
Family: Apidae
Native Range: Europe, naturalized throughout North America, Pennsylvania
Size: Medium, 10 – 15 mm (0.4 – 0.6 in)*
Nest: Social, colony*
Nesting Location: Human-made hives, tree cavities, tree limbs or branches*
Nest Materials: Hexagonal cells of wax*
Active: Early spring – late fall*
Color and Appearance: Black with golden hairs*
Pollen Collection: Pollen baskets on hind legs (coriculae)*
Flight Distance: ~ 2 miles, 3.2 km*
*From Heather Holm, Pollinators of Native Plants: Attract, Observe and Identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants. Minetonka: Pollination Press, LLC, 2014., p. 267.