Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

Registration is open for the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2023

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29


Previous events
TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps » Apoidea (clade Anthophila) - Bees » Cuckoo, Carpenter, Digger, Bumble, and Honey Bees (Apidae) » Cuckoo Bees (Nomadinae) » Nomad Bees (Nomadini) » Nomad Bees (Nomada)
Photo#269690
Bee - Nomada
Copyright © 2009 Phil Huntley-Franck

Bee - Nomada
Elkton, Douglas County, Oregon, USA
April 22, 2009
Size: approx 1/2 inch
Lots of these buzzing around the short grass, weeds and clover. They hardly ever stop. I suspect they're hunting for something, though I never see any fly off with a prize.

Help to ID would be greatly appreciated.
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by Phil Huntley-Franck on 26 April, 2009 - 11:25pm
Last updated 27 April, 2009 - 8:56pm

Cuckoo bee (Nomada sp.)
They were all looking for a suitable (e.g., not guarded for a while) nest of the host bee species. These hosts belong most often to genus Andrena, but virtually all earth nesting bees can be parasitized by at least one species of Nomaada.
… Richard Vernier, 27 April, 2009 - 6:34am login or register to post comments

 
virtually all earth nesting bees can be parasitized by at least
Not so.

Nomada are host specific and parasitize only some earth nesting bee genera, not virtually all or even most.
… John S. Ascher, 27 April, 2009 - 7:18pm login or register to post comments

 
Of course Nomada bees are quite host specific...
and I must apologize for my clumsy English.
But outside Apidae and Megachilidae families, many, if not most, earth nesting bee genera have to deal with at least one Nomada parasite, albeit rare.
That said, Andrena reminds by far the most heavily parasitized genus.
… Richard Vernier, 27 April, 2009 - 9:37pm login or register to post comments

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact