Ground-nesting-bee-associate
Guides
Chrysanthrax arenosus
Chrysanthrax arenosus is a bee fly in the family Bombyliidae, known from Mexico and New Mexico. Like other bee flies, it is a pollinator as an adult and a parasitoid as a larva. The genus Chrysanthrax includes species that can be identified by distinctive wing patterns. Adults frequent flowering areas where they feed on nectar.
Coelioxys modestus
Modest Sharptail
Coelioxys modestus is a species of solitary bee in the family Megachilidae, commonly known as the Modest Sharptail. It is a cleptoparasitic bee that targets other Megachilidae, particularly leafcutter bees (Megachile). The species occurs in North America, with records from the northeastern United States including Vermont. Like other Coelioxys, females possess a distinctive pointed abdomen adapted for inserting eggs into host nests.
Nomada imbricata
Imbricate Cuckoo Nomad Bee
Nomada imbricata is a species of cuckoo bee in the family Apidae, first described by Smith in 1854. Like all Nomada species, it is a kleptoparasite that lays its eggs in the nests of host bee species, primarily members of the genus Andrena. The species exhibits the characteristic reduced hairiness of cuckoo bees, having lost the branched body hairs used by pollen-collecting bees. Its common name "Imbricate" refers to the overlapping scale-like pattern of its integument.