Favoritos de beesearcher

Keys to Andrena erythronii. Pictures show a distinct but weak pronotal angle, flat clypeus with median impunctate line, wide but slightly emarginate labral process, impunctate abdomen without strong fasciae, linear malar space. Foveae are ~2/3 space, propodeum is not rugose or striate as in Trach/Scrapt. Pale vestiture, nothing fuscous or black.

Keys discretely to O. cordata via Mitchell (1962), Discoverlife, and Sandhouse’s ancient (1934) key to subgenera and species. Aligns with all available descriptions. Diagnostic features pictured include coarse and often contiguous/confluent punctures of scutum, golden scopa, facial features (including mandible/flat clypeus rim), narrow but definite impunctate area along apical rims of terga, evenly pubescent terminal tergite with fine punctures and without an apical fasciae. Several individuals were visiting Penstemon digitalis. They either had deeply yellow, yellow-orange, or even rust-yellow scopa, further fitting with available descriptions.

I also found O. albiventris at this site; I show it side by side a cordata to demonstrate the differences in punctation and size; I also photographed it beside an O. pumila for additional size comparison. Osmia cordata clearly differs from the two, and its mandible (pictured) also clearly fits with the form drawn by Sandhouse (1934), separating it from O. sandhouseae. In the Discoverlife key, sorting by yellow scopa and flat clypeal margin was sufficient to get to cordata. T6 was not fasciate, ruling out conjuncta/subfasciata; the lack of a tuberculate space between antennae also disqualified conjuncta for this series.

I think a first record for TN. However, a certified record occurs just over the mountains in NC (bowl trap; GBIF), so this TN specimen still seems to fill into the range sensibly. Mitchell (1962) says Colorado to Ohio.

Counted about 60 nests at this aggregation - last year there were two other aggregations in the powerline ROW but those appear to be gone, maybe due to the pretty intensive work with heavy machinery done in the ROW by the power company last fall...? Sad to see, as the number of nests has been reduced by probably 60-75%. I'll try and check back in a few days in case there's just some late emergers but they seem to be at peak this time every year so I'm doubtful.

About half a dozen individuals seen on highbush blueberry in a kettle hole bog. The blueberry was very abundant here, in full bloom. These bees were the only visitors to gather pollen, and their sonication was audible!

Two years now I've noticed they travel further from their nests to reach this highbush blueberry in the parking lot when there's lowbush in the powerline ROW. Only one male was seen on the lowbush, but all females and some males were on the highbush.

1000++ nests over the entire base path on a town ballfield. Photo 2 shows the area around 1st base bag. Photo 3 is a closeup of a portion of this same area. Photo 4 is home plate.

Greater number of nests observed in the clay-colored substrate on the base paths compared with the grey substrate on home plate and the pitcher's mound.

A few individuals of Nomada lehighensis were observed parasitizing the nests. See observation https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/213534760

Photos show one individual. Photo 3 shows this individual digging a nest. Photo 4 shows a Nomad bee parasitzing a nest ~ 1 cm away. The observation for nomad bee is found here https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/213534760

These observations are from a large nesting aggregation; see https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/213534751

bidentate, spots all the way down tergites but much smaller than maculata

voucher specimens have 3-4 long tibial spines, not like maculata

potentially relevant Andrena in the area included heraclei, nasonii, cressonii - have picked up lepida-ish Nomada in the vicinity of Andrena rugosa nesting before. Suspect Trachandrena as host(s?).

A two-fer. This Observation is for Triepeolus.

Melissodes bimaculatus and Triepeolus lunatus roosting on Packera aurea in my front yard, July 2015.

T. lunatus is a cuckoo of M. bimaculatus, two-spotted long-horned bee.

Female visiting Cornus, species.

Seems to be close to A. integra, a Cornus specialist, but it isn't clear to me if that species is known from (or likely to occur in) Missouri. In any case, I don't know how to prove it one way or the other. I hope the photographs provide enough information for someone to make a determination.