Strange Bee Behavior - Anthidium manicatum

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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps » Apoidea (clade Anthophila) - Bees » Leafcutter, Mason, and Resin Bees, and allies (Megachilidae) » Leafcutter, Resin, Mortar, Sharptail, Mason, and Woolcarder bees and relatives (Megachilinae) » Wool-carder, Resin, Pebble, and Allied Bees (Anthidiini) » Woolcarder Bees (Anthidium) » Subgenus Anthidium (Anthidium Subgenus Anthidium) » European Wool-carder Bee (Anthidium manicatum)

Photo#452105

Copyright © 2010 Anne Burton

Strange Bee Behavior - Anthidium manicatum -

Portland, Cumberland County, Maine, USA
September 6, 2010
Size: 3/8"

This bee parked himself inside a Mandevilla flower in the morning, and hasn't moved since. I don't expect anyone can identify it from these limited views, but am curious about the behavior. He was very sluggish, occasionally waving the legs around inside the blossom, and occasionally grasping flower parts. Can anyone hazard a guess as to what he was doing?

Update: This morning I removed the bee from the flower, and placed him in a nearby flowerpot. Still very sluggish. Couple of hours later, I expected to find him expired in the flowerpot....but he was up inside a Mandevilla flower, again. Perhaps it is the Land of the Lotos Eaters inside there.

Images of this individual: tag all

Strange Bee Behavior - Anthidium manicatum - male

Strange Bee Behavior - Anthidium manicatum

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Contributed by Anne Burton on 6 September, 2010 - 7:02pm
Last updated 14 February, 2014 - 11:06am

Napping male

The males of many species of bees spend a lot of time napping inside flower blossoms, while the females are busy building nests and feeding babies. Remember that those boys have only one thing to do in life: mate.
Some spend a lot of time in wilting squash blossoms. And many like the company of others while sleeping, like these roosting bees and wasps.

… Beatriz Moisset, 13 September, 2010 - 3:16pm

Thanks for the link!

Great stuff!

… Anne Burton, 14 September, 2010 - 8:23pm

Moved

Moved from ID Request.

… John S. Ascher, 6 September, 2010 - 8:30pm

Anthidium manicatum

male

… John S. Ascher, 6 September, 2010 - 8:29pm

Thanks

for the ID, John!

… Anne Burton, 6 September, 2010 - 8:37pm

Probably...

a small crab spider hiding in there and the fly has been bitten.

… Scott Justis, 6 September, 2010 - 7:12pm

Golly!

I always thought of crab spiders as harmless little things. Maybe not.

… Anne Burton, 6 September, 2010 - 8:45pm

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