need an ID
Sat, 08/01/2009 - 02:58 — joanrowe
Pretty much all of the bees coming to my sunflowers are these, and I'm not sure what they are. Can anyone help?
Joan
Well, it didn't upload, so here's a link http://www.imageviper.com/dip/141890/P1020170ed.JPG
Help with Bee ID
The Bee's that are around now are round, black and loud and seem very angry if I even get close enough for a pic- one flew at my head until I moved away and it went back to doing its thing- i have only seen them in pairs and they stay awhile leave and then 30 seconds later are back - this goes on for an hour maybe longer butI wasn't willing to watch anymore Any ideas?
They're halictids
Those bees that look like small honeybees but carry pollen all down their hind limbs are a variety of halictid. (Instead of pollen sacks on their tibiae, they have comb-like hairs on both their femora and tibiae to collect pollen.) They're commonly called "sweat bees." And they're pretty good pollinators, good bees to have around.
need same ID
The majority of the bees coming to my sunflowers look just like the pic in "need an ID" - help??