Summary ²

Sphecodes is a genus of bees from the family Halictidae, the majority of which are black and red in colour and are colloquially known as "blood bees". Sphecodes bees are cleptoparasitic on other bees, especially bees in the genera Lasioglossum, Halictus and Andrena. The adults consume nectar and are polylectic but because they use other bees to bring up their offspring they do not collect pollen.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Jürgen Mangelsdorf, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/22084572@N07/8905038669/
2. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphecodes

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• BugGuide
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)

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