Bees


Bees belong to the Order Hymenoptera, which also includes Sawflies, Wasps (including tiny parasitic ones), and Ants. In recent classifications within Hymenoptera, Bees are placed in the Superfamily Apoidea, which also includes the families of Sphecoid Wasps (including Sphecidae). Most of the 39 species listed here for NATL are from a 2010 journal article by H. Glenn Hall and John S. Ascher (see link below).




SCIENTIFIC NAME COMMON NAME NOTES*

Family Andrenidae

Andrenid Bees
 
     Andrena (Larandrena) miserabilis        S-1
     Andrena (Melandrena) barbara        S-1

Family Apidae

Honey Bees, Bumble Bees, Digger Bees, Carpenter Bees, etc.
 
     Apis mellifera       Honey Bee  S-2
     Bombus (Pyrobombus) bimaculatus       Twospotted Bumble Bee  S-2
     Bombus (Pyrobombus) impatiens       Eastern Bumble Bee  S-2
     Bombus (Thoracobombus) pensylvanicus       American Bumble Bee  S-2
     Ceratina (Zadontomerus) dupla        S-1
     Florilegus (Florilegus) condignus        S-1
     Habropoda laboriosa      Southeastern Blueberry Bee  S-1; P-2
     Melissodes (Eumelissodes) boltoniae        S-1,2; P-1
     Melissodes (Melissodes) bimaculata        S-1
     Melissodes (Melissodes) communis        S-1,2
     Melissodes (Melissodes) tepaneca        S-1
     Xenoglossa (Eoxenoglossa) kansensis        S-1
     Xylocopa (Schonnherria) micans       Southern Carpenter Bee  S-1,2; P-1
     Xylocopa (Xylocopoides) virginica       Easterm Carpenter Bee  S-1; P-1

Family Colletidae

Plasterer Bees
 
     Colletes simulans        S-1,2, P-3
     Colletes thysanellae        S-1,2; P-3,4

Family Halictidae

Sweat Bees
 
     Augochlorella aurata      Tiny Green Gold Sweat Bee  S-1
     Augochloropsis (Paraugochloropsis)
      metallica
       S-1
     Agapostemon (Agapostemon) splendens      Metallic Green Bee  S-1,2; P-2
     Dieunomia (Dieunomia) heteropoda        S-1,2; P-1
     Halictus (Odontalictus) poeyi        S-1,2; P-1,5
     Lasioglossum (Dialictus) apopkense        S-1
     Lasioglossum (Dialictus) creberrimum        S-1
     Lasioglossum (Dialictus) pectorale        S-1
     Lasioglossum (Dialictus) puteulanum        S-1
     Lasioglossum (Dialictus) reticulatum        S-1
     Lasioglossum (Dialictus) tarponense        S-1
     Lasioglossum (Evylaeus) nelumbonis        S-1

Family Megachilidae

Leaf-cutting Bees, Mason Bees
 
     Coelioxys (Boreocoelioxys) sayi        S-1
     Megachile (Acentron) albitarsis        S-1,2
     Megachile (Eutricharaea) concinna        S-1
     Megachile (Litomegachile) brevis        S-1
     Megachile (Litomegachile) mendica        S-1,2; P-1
     Megachile (Litomegachile) texana        S-2
     Megachile (Melanosarus) xylocopoides      Carpenter-mimic Leaf Cutter  S-2
     Megachile (Sayapis) policaris        S-2
     Osmia (Melanosmia) sandhouseae        S-1


*Sources
S-1=These species are listed for NATL by H. Glenn Hall and John S. Ascher in their 2010 journal article, "Surveys of bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila) in natural areas of Alachua County in north-central Florida." [Florida Entomologist 93(4): 609-629.] (Glenn Hall also provided nomenclatural and other help in the drafting of this list.)
S-2=These species were listed for NATL by Jason Graham in an email of 1 Nov 2010. His knowledge comes primarily from studies of nesting bees in NATL using the methods described in his PowerPoint Native Bee Nesting Habitat. Some species on his list were collected by Akers Pence and Katie Buckley as part of Operation Pollinator. Katie Buckley verified identifications and recorded the origins of the specimens. (Jason Graham also provided most of the links that go to online information about each species on the final list.)

*Plant associations
Hall and Ascher's 2010 manuscript listed the following plants from which certain of NATL's bees were collected:
P-1=Bidens alba
P-2=Raphanus raphanistrum
P-3=Solidago sp. [canadensis]
P-4=Eupatorium mikanioides
P-5= Symphyotrichum dumosum