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Photo#275496
Bumblebee (?) taking lessons from a crawfish?  - Anthophora abrupta

Bumblebee (?) taking lessons from a crawfish? - Anthophora abrupta
Baton Rouge - BREC Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, USA
May 14, 2009
Appear to be small bumblebees making homes in a large root ball upended in August of 2008 by Hurricane Gustav.
Small relative to most bumblebees we see in the meadow, but larger than a honey bee.

As they make tunnels, a hollow cylinder forms at the mouth.
Somewhat like a crawfish home.
Some of the cylinders are 2 inches long.

The bees are going in and out of the tunnels.
They seldom stay longer than 10 to 15 seconds.
They go in headfirst and back out.

There is quite a colony.
I will attach another picture to give a perspective of that.
Usually only 4 to 6 bees are visible at any one time.

I will try for better pictures tomorrow, but I was hoping someone might know even from these pictures because of the unique tunnels.

John

Images of this individual: tag all
Bumblebee (?) taking lessons from a crawfish?  - Anthophora abrupta Bumblebee (?) taking lessons from a crawfish?  - Anthophora abrupta Bumblebee (?) taking lessons from a crawfish?  - Anthophora abrupta

root ball
Hi Mr. Hartgerink,

I work at the Univ. of Florida on native bees and I have some questions regarding the pictures you took of the A. abrupta nest. Can you send me an email at joshuacampbell@ufl.edu Thanks!

Josh

Nice!
Anthophora abrupta makes burrows like this, and this bee looks like a plausible match with the images in the guide. I hope you can get some clearer images of the bees so Dr. Ascher can confirm. I'm not sure how many other species might make similar structures. Great find!

 
these are indeed Anthophora abrupta
the turrets at the nest entrance are characteristic of subgenus Melea

 
Why turrets?
Any idea why they would build turrets/chimneys?

Thanks for the ID.
They are fun to watch.
They are fun to learn about.

John

 
Enough Detail to Confirm ID?
I have posted a few more pictures of individuals from this colony of insects.
Had some cool weather and some stopped to groom in the sun.
I got some shots with more detail.
If there are other views that are needed to confirm ID, let me know and I will try some more.
See:




 
A few more pictures
I have posted a few more pictures of individuals from this colony of insects.
Not as good quality as I had hoped, but maybe good enough to help confirm the ID.
I will keep trying to improve the detail.
See:




John

 
Thanks!
I'll be back tomorrow with a flash and tripod and several lenses.
I might be able to "stop" one of the critters.

By-the-way:
I saw in your Bio that you have a new book coming out.
Sounds interesting.
I'll be watching for it.

John

 
Awesome find!
Keep an eye out for any female velvet ants (Mutillidae). Some velvet ant species parasitize ground nesting bees, and there will likely be a couple.

 
Thanks, I'll watch for them.
We do get Velvet Ants.
The pictures I have are from July and August, but maybe they come out earlier and I have not seen them.

John

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