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The Wild Pest
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Bees

Pollinators, social architects, and one of the planet's most consequential lineages.

22 on file

On File
A buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) on a flower, fuzzy black-and-yellow striped body.
Beneficial
Six Legs76
Alias
Bombus terrestris

Buff-Tailed Bumblebee

Flies in cold honey bees can't. Vibrates flowers at 400 Hz to shake out pollen. Pollinates your tomatoes.

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On File
A western honey bee (Apis mellifera) collecting nectar from a yellow flower, pollen baskets visible.
Beneficial
Six Legs78
Alias
Apis mellifera

Western Honey Bee

Pollinates a third of your food. Dances in code. Vote on where to live by quorum.

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On File
An Asian honey bee (Apis cerana), fuzzy black-and-yellow striped body, smaller than Western honey bee.
Beneficial
Six Legs81
Alias
Apis cerana

Asian Honey Bee

The bee that cooks giant hornets alive. Tolerates varroa. Speaks waggle-dance with a Japanese accent.

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On File
An orchid bee (Euglossa dilemma), brilliant iridescent green metallic body collecting from a tropical flower.
Curious
Six Legs86
Alias
Euglossa dilemma

Orchid Bee

Male orchid bees curate custom perfumes over weeks. Used to attract mates. Only animal that does this.

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On File
Giant Asian honey bees (Apis dorsata) on a massive single-comb open-air hive suspended from a cliff overhang or tree branch, large golden-brown bees with darker abdominal bands clustered on the visible comb surface.
Outlaw
Six Legs92
Alias
Apis dorsata

Giant Asian Honey Bee

LARGEST HONEY BEE in the world. MASSIVE single-comb open hives. SHIMMERING WAVE DEFENSE.

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On File
A male California carpenter bee (Xylocopa californica), large bumblebee-sized solitary bee covered in bright golden-yellow hair with vibrant green-gold iridescent eyes, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs82
Alias
Xylocopa californica

California Carpenter Bee

Western NA carpenter bee. Females shiny black; MALES bright GOLDEN-YELLOW with green-gold eyes.

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On File
A male long-horned bee (Eucera longicornis), small bee with antennae longer than the body extending out from the head, six legs, side profile.
Beneficial
Six Legs80
Alias
Eucera longicornis

Long-Horned Bee

Solitary bee with ANTENNAE LONGER THAN HER OWN BODY. Major legume crop pollinator. Honey bee alternative.

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On File
A small carpenter bee (Ceratina dupla), tiny shiny dark-blue or dark-green metallic bee with reduced hairiness, six legs, side profile.
Beneficial
Six Legs78
Alias
Ceratina dupla

Small Carpenter Bee

TINY shiny METALLIC blue/green carpenter bee. Nests in HOLLOW STEMS. Provides maternal care to developing larvae.

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On File
An eastern carpenter bee (Xylocopa virginica), large bumblebee-sized solitary bee with shiny black hairless abdomen and fuzzy yellow thorax, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs80
Alias
Xylocopa virginica

Eastern Carpenter Bee

Bumblebee-sized solitary bee. Excavates nest tunnels in wooden buildings. Males hover-and-dive but cannot sting.

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On File
A yellow-faced bumblebee (Bombus vosnesenskii), fuzzy black-and-yellow bumblebee with bright yellow patch on the face between the eyes, yellow bands on thorax, six legs, side profile.
Beneficial
Six Legs80
Alias
Bombus vosnesenskii

Yellow-Faced Bumblebee

Most widespread western NA native bumblebee. Diagnostic BRIGHT YELLOW FACE PATCH. Pacific NW commercial pollinator.

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On File
An alfalfa leafcutter bee (Megachile rotundata), small stout dark bee with pollen-carrying scopa on the underside of the abdomen, six legs, side profile.
Beneficial
Six Legs84
Alias
Megachile rotundata

Alfalfa Leafcutter Bee

Second-most important managed pollinator on Earth. Essential for ALFALFA SEED PRODUCTION worldwide.

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On File
A female Andrena vaga mining bee, small dark bee with black abdomen and dense gray-white fur on the thorax, six legs, side profile.
Beneficial
Six Legs74
Alias
Andrena vaga

Mining Bee

Solitary mining bee. Obligate WILLOW pollen specialist. Forms massive 50,000-burrow nesting aggregations.

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On File
A squash bee (Peponapis pruinosa), fuzzy brown-gray bee with pale-banded abdomen and modified hind-leg pollen scopa, six legs, side profile.
Beneficial
Six Legs82
Alias
Peponapis pruinosa

Squash Bee

OBLIGATE squash specialist. Co-evolved with Cucurbita. Allowed pre-Columbian squash agriculture to spread north.

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On File
A common eastern bumblebee (Bombus impatiens), fuzzy black-and-yellow bumblebee with a single yellow band at the front of the abdomen, six legs, side profile.
Beneficial
Six Legs82
Alias
Bombus impatiens

Common Eastern Bumblebee

Most widespread NA native bumblebee. Foundation of NA commercial bumblebee pollination. BUZZ pollinator.

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On File
A cuckoo bumblebee queen (Bombus vestalis), large bumblebee with dark sclerotized body, golden-yellow thorax, and reduced hair compared to true bumblebees, six legs.
Curious
Six Legs79
Alias
Bombus vestalis

Cuckoo Bumblebee

Bumblebee that abandoned workers. Invades host bumblebee nests, kills the queen, takes over the colony.

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On File
A cuckoo bee (Nomada panzeri), small slender wasp-like bee with reddish-orange abdomen and yellow markings, six legs, side profile.
Curious
Six Legs81
Alias
Nomada panzeri

Cuckoo Bee

Lays eggs in other bees' nests. Larvae kill the host larva and eat her food. 15% of all bee species do this.

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On File
An Africanized honey bee (Apis mellifera hybrid), small fuzzy black-and-amber-banded body slightly smaller than European honey bee, transparent wings, six legs.
Apex Outlaw
Six Legs82
Alias
Apis mellifera scutellata × Apis mellifera

Africanized Honey Bee (Killer Bee)

The 'killer bee.' Hybrid escaped Brazil in 1957. 1,000+ human deaths. Pursues victims hundreds of meters.

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On File
An eastern carpenter bee (Xylocopa virginica), large robust bee with glossy black hairless abdomen and golden-fuzzy thorax.
Outlaw
Six Legs78
Alias
Xylocopa virginica

Eastern Carpenter Bee

Drills perfect 1.6 cm holes in your deck. Buzz-pollinates tomatoes. The big black bumblebee that isn't.

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On File
An alfalfa leafcutter bee (Megachile rotundata), small fuzzy gray-and-tan bee with a cut leaf disc held under her abdomen.
Beneficial
Six Legs81
Alias
Megachile rotundata

Alfalfa Leafcutter Bee

Cuts perfectly round leaf discs and rolls them into cigar-cells. Backbone of US alfalfa seed industry.

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On File
A blue orchard mason bee (Osmia lignaria), small dark metallic blue body covered in pale hairs, six legs, side profile.
Beneficial
Six Legs75
Alias
Osmia lignaria

Blue Orchard Mason Bee

One female pollinates as many fruit blossoms in a day as 100 honey bees. Solitary. Gentle. Builds with mud.

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On File
A stingless bee (Melipona beecheii), small dark brown bee with smooth body and short tongue, on the rim of a small log hive entrance.
Beneficial
Six Legs82
Alias
Melipona beecheii

Stingless Bee

Has no sting. Maya kept her in hollow logs for 1,000 years. Honey is medicine in three civilizations.

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On File
A metallic green sweat bee (Agapostemon virescens), brilliant iridescent metallic green head and thorax with yellow-and-black banded abdomen.
Beneficial
Six Legs74
Alias
Agapostemon virescens

Metallic Green Sweat Bee

Iridescent metallic green. Drinks human sweat for the salt. Key model for evolution of insect society.

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