Andrena alleghaniensis? - Andrena alleghaniensis

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… John S. Ascher, 17 May, 2016 - 9:31am

Alleghany Mining Bee?

That is really cool, because rhubarb is supposed to be wind-pollinated. I never see anything land on ours. Not even a fly.

I could be wrong about this, but I think that members of the Andrena subgenus Trachandrena can have short thorax hairs (like Andrena rugosa). But I think you are right that this is an Alleghany Mining Bee. They have those orange hairs on either side of the front of the thorax.

That is a beautiful bee.

… Jatai, 17 May, 2016 - 2:55am

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Very windy that day, maybe it's just clinging on for dear life. I did observe it walking around the flowers but couldn't tell if it was actually feeding. Our rhubarb gets a lot of carpet beetles.

I'm wondering if short scalelike flattened thoracic hairs+NJ=this species. Or if there are other characteristics that should be considered to completely rule out all other options. Trachandrena has some short haired bees but I haven't seen any with flattened hairs like this. Andrena flaminea in Scrapteropsis has these hairs but they don't occur nearby.

btw what flash ru using, you seem to get good results. im looking to buy one because my on-camera flash takes forever to recharge between shots plus I can't shoot faster than 1/200 with it up. Most of my photos are blurry :(

… hg, 17 May, 2016 - 7:43am

Alleghany Mining Bee

I use different flashes for different circumstances. Email us through our website, and I promise I'll answer you in more detail!

… Jatai, 18 May, 2016 - 5:43pm

as usual your ID is correct

This hair pattern is distinctive, especially among eastern species. No western species exactly matches either.

More often found in Nee York or New England than in NJ so a good find.

A. rugosa would have obvious scutal punctures and much longer apical areas of the terga.

… John S. Ascher, 17 May, 2016 - 9:30am