April 25 2025.SPECIAL BEE PHOTO COMMENTARY

 

SPECIAL BEE/FLY EDITION

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

April 25, 2025

 

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https://webcams.moncton.ca:8001/peregrine/peregrine-live.htm?fbclid=IwY2xjawJdGIFleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHk6PWHAVzYNOM_AvcwlRDWSUBFmlUxhKEbV3voUgipPkoHcTlnpv4U7f7LQa_aem_9v2jVeF5eb4aJ2FD5V1XLg

This is a special commentary on bee/fly photos that were posted on Nature News on April 17, 2025. The commentary is by Jada Ripley and Emily Austen after Emily's presentation on April 15 that got many of us out looking at bees/flies on flowers the next day which happened to be a warm one with bees/flies out on their missions. Emily describes her student, Jada Ripley, as a 'bee whiz'!

1. Pussy willow (male) with sweat bees (suspected). April 15 2025 Yves Poussart.

I think these are flies.  See for comparison image 9 (Flies & bees)

2. Mining bee. April 16, 2025. Nelson Poirier

Agree. Looks like a male (long antennae, long abdomen, no obvious scopa).  Possible Andrena dunningi.  But there are other genera (in other families) that can be confused with Andrena, so not 100%

3. Mining bee. April 16 2025. Nelson Poirier

4. Mining bee. April 16 2025. Brian Stone

Agree. Andrena sp. Male

5. Mining bee. April 16 2025.  Brian Stone.

More difficult to tell.  I think this could possibly be a male Colletes (cellophane bee), but can’t rule out Andrena from this angle

10. Mining bee. April 16 2025. Brian Stone

This might be Colletes?  Same note as image 5, difficult to say with certainty.

6. Mining bee. April 16 2025. Brian Stone

Agree. Andrena sp. (probably subgenus Melandrena)

7. Fly. April 16 2025. Brian Stone

Agree

8. Coltsfoot with honey bee. April 16 2025 .Nelson Poirier

Agree

9. Bees and flies. April 16 2025. Brian Stone

Agree. 

Insect at top right (reddish brown, with yellow markings on abdomen) looks like it could be a Nomada (one of the cleptoparasites we talked about—a cleptoparasite on Andrena nests)

Insect closer to the bottom centre-right with long shiny abdomen could be a bee.  Possible Andrena male, but hard to say from this angle.