A Pictorial Guide to Bees
of the
Humboldt Bay Dunes
by Susan E. Nyoka
Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge
RELEASE 1.0 - July 2004
of the
Humboldt Bay Dunes
by Susan E. Nyoka
Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge
RELEASE 1.0 - July 2004
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A Pictorial Guide to Bees
of the Humboldt Bay Dunes by Susan E. Nyoka Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge RELEASE 1.0 - July 2004 |
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Home How to Recognize a Bee
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Common Name: wool-carder bee Scientific Name: Anthidium palliventre Flight season: May-August Recognition characters: Mid-sized (10-15 mm), robust, with gray or rust pile on the thorax. The abdomen is hairless, with distinctive cream-colored markings. Females carry pollen in scopae (brushes of specialized hair) located on the underside of their abdomen; males sport a tawny "beard". Males exhibit a distinctive darting flight pattern, with sudden stops to hover over flower patches and visually search for females. When a female is spotted, the male quickly dives and attempts to mate with her, often knocking the female bee to the ground in the process.
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Nest sites: Nests can be found in biotic soil crusts, (dense mats of moss and lichen coalesced over sand), or small patches of open sand consolidated by plant roots.
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Nest materials: Females can be observed gathering plant hairs ("wool") from beach buckwheat (Eriogonum latifolium), the material used to form their nest cells.
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Preferred flowers:  beach knotweed (Polygonum paronychia)  European sea rocket (Cakile maritima) |
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