Bee-block-inhabitant
Guides
Dianthidium
Pebble bees, resin bees
Dianthidium is a genus of solitary bees in the family Megachilidae, commonly known as pebble bees or resin bees. The genus comprises at least 20 described species in North America. These bees are distinguished by their use of plant resins in nest construction, gathering resins from various plant sources to build and seal their nest cells. They are cavity-nesting bees that utilize pre-existing hollows such as beetle borings in dead wood or hollow twigs. Dianthidium species are important pollinators and serve as hosts for parasitic wasps in the family Leucospidae.
Stenodynerus blandus
Stenodynerus blandus is a species of mason wasp in the family Vespidae, subfamily Eumeninae. It is a small, solitary, cavity-nesting wasp that provisionally places paralyzed caterpillars in pre-existing cavities for its larval offspring. The species is difficult to distinguish from the closely related genus Parancistrocerus based on external morphology alone, often requiring microscopic examination for definitive identification. It has been documented utilizing artificial nesting structures such as bee blocks.
Stenodynerus fundatiformis gonosceles
Stenodynerus fundatiformis gonosceles is a subspecies of mason wasp in the subfamily Eumeninae. The genus Stenodynerus contains solitary, cavity-nesting wasps provisioned with paralyzed caterpillars. This subspecies is poorly documented in available sources, with only one observation recorded on iNaturalist. Males of the genus have a distinctive antennal modification: the last antennal segment is folded like a finger against the adjacent segment.
Symmorphus albomarginatus
White-bordered Potter Wasp
A small, slender mason wasp in the subfamily Eumeninae. Females construct multi-celled nests in pre-existing wood cavities, provisioning cells with paralyzed leaf beetle larvae (Chrysomelidae), weevil larvae (Curculionidae), or leaf-mining moth caterpillars. Two subspecies recognized: nominate S. a. albomarginatus and S. a. midas from southern Texas. The species ranges across much of North America from Alaska to California and eastward.