Urban-pollinator
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Hylaeus modestus
modest masked bee, yellow-faced bee
A small, nearly hairless solitary bee in the family Colletidae, native to North America. Females transport pollen and nectar internally in a crop, then regurgitate it into brood cells lined with a secreted polymer. The species has been observed visiting annual flowers in garden settings and is a generalist forager. A gynandromorph specimen with bilaterally asymmetric male and female characteristics was documented from Ontario, Canada.
Hylaeus modestus modestus
modest masked bee, yellow-faced bee
Hylaeus modestus modestus is a subspecies of the modest masked bee, a small, nearly hairless solitary bee in the family Colletidae. Like other Hylaeus species, it lacks scopal hairs for pollen transport and instead carries nectar and pollen internally in a crop, regurgitating food stores at the nest. The subspecies has been recorded in Canada and the United States, including a notable gynandromorph specimen from Ontario. It is one of approximately 50 Hylaeus species in North America and belongs to the subgenus Prosopis.