Buzzy Bee Garden Behaviors

http://nature.berkeley.edu/urbanbeegardens/general_beehaviors.html

Nectar Robbing. Have you ever seen holes in the base of your flowers, especially the long tubular ones? They are the result of what is called “nectar robbing”, which is done by many different pollinators like bees, birds, ants, and moths in various parts of the world. In the case of bees, they go straight to the nectar reward, bypassing the sexually reproductive parts, and cut holes in the base of the corolla to suck out deliciously sweet nectar. In California, we often see bees with short tongues, like carpenter bees and bumble bees, doing the initial nectar robbing. Bees that make the first hole are called primary nectar robbers. There are also secondary robbers, like honey bees, other bumble bees, and moths, which visit the flowers and use the pre-made holes to secure the nectar (reward).

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One plant in particular that is regularly robbed in California is bog sage (Salvia uliginosa). Carpenter bees make their holes in the base of the flowers, which are then used commonly by bumble bees and honey bees. None of these bees actually pollinates the flowers; instead, they are pollinated by much smaller sweat bees (Halictus spp.). These tiny bees gather pollen from the end of the flower’s reproductive parts and make their way from flower to flower. It’s interesting to see this interaction take place because one tends to focus initially on the larger bee, but with closer observation it becomes clear that the large bees are robbing and the tiny bees are actually pollinating the flowers.

Bee Sleepover. Have you ever wondered where bees go to sleep at night? If you take a look in your garden early in the morning you will see some species sleeping right on the flowers! Male bees don’t have a nest to go home to, so some find a cozy flower to rest on. In our California garden we commonly see aggregations of long-horned bees (Melissodes spp.) having a sleepover in the flowers. In the case of Cosmos bipinnatus and sneezeweed (Helenium puberulum), we see up to 15 of them sleeping on one flower head! We have also seen the lone bumble bee latched onto flowers like bog sage (Salvia uliginosa) and sea daisy (Erigeron glaucus).

http://www.siung.net/bird/tmp2/2011/insect/P1160412.JPG

8/13 (Sat)  6:15-11:15am
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge (JBWR)

it (a bee?) stung my head   - is SWEAT BEE?

SWEAT BEES (Halictidae, Halictinae, Halictini)

Augochlora pura, Agapostemon splendens, A. sericeus, A. virescens, Lasioglossum vierecki, L. bruneri, L. versatum

An abundant group of bees around farms, sweat bees tend to be small and bright
metallic green/blue (Augochlora pura) or a dull metallic brown on head/thorax with
bands of hair on the abdomen (Lasioglossum vierecki). All carry pollen on special long
hairs on their hind legs and nest in both cavities and in the ground. Some sweat bees
are solitary, and often quite small in size. There is usually only a single generation per
year. A few species are social and have one to a few queens, supported by a number of
female workers and produce multiple generations per year. Halictid bees are common
and are good pollinators of crops and wildflowers.

Note: The common name 'sweat bee' derives from some species having an affinity for
the salt in human sweat.