Date Added
April 30, 2024
01:57 AM UTC
Date Added
April 24, 2024
09:02 PM PDT
Date Added
April 10, 2024
07:53 PM PDT
Date Added
April 10, 2024
06:12 PM PDT
Date Added
April 6, 2024
05:18 PM CDT
Description
One video shows the mating behavior of many males around a female that emerged recently, and the other videos show some of the male activity over the nesting area as they search for emerging females. It's hard to capture how many bees were active and how impressive of their activity is in both sight and sound, but these videos give a limited sense of it, although you'll have to imagine the immersive buzz the bees made all around me unless/until I can extract audio to upload as a sound file. (By the way, the slight motion of the background relative to the foreground in the videos is an artifact of processing used stabilize the hand-held video so it doesn't jump around.)
The still photos show new nests (indicated by the fresh sand piles) being dug by females that have already emerged and mated. Over the past few days, the number of new nests went from a few to dozens in several nesting areas I've observed throughout this area; nearly all of the nests in the last two photos were new since I searched that sand ridge a few days ago.
Here's an approximate timeline of activity for these bees based on my observations:
Around March 15, the first males became active. They were common and active around the flowering manzanitas and huckleberries; it looked like they were patrolling for females as well as occasionally feeding at the flowers (e.g., this observation).
About 10 days later, around March 26, males were actively patrolling nesting sites in the sand, although no new nest burrows were present yet. The first females became active and the first mating took place (e.g., this observation).
About a week later, around April 3, males became abundant and highly active around nesting areas, while some males still patrolled flowering plants (in this area still mainly manzanita and huckbleberry plants), and additional females became active along with more mating. The first large mating aggregations became obvious. New nest burrows were still rare (e.g., this observation and this observation).
Within days (by April 5), females that had mated were digging many new nest burrows (e.g., this observation and today's observation above).
For now, activity continues whenever rain stops, clouds thin, and temperatures reach the high 40s to mid 50s F.
Date Added
March 6, 2024
12:12 AM PST
Description
Mating or else she kicked him off?
Date Added
March 31, 2024
04:44 PM PDT
Date Added
March 26, 2024
07:45 PM PDT
Date Added
October 30, 2023
09:12 AM MDT
Description
Splitting out photos of a second specimen.
Date Added
August 8, 2023
06:55 PM UTC
Date Added
July 19, 2023
12:22 PM UTC
Date Added
July 14, 2023
05:15 PM PDT
Date Added
July 9, 2023
11:40 PM UTC
Date Added
July 8, 2023
10:00 PM UTC
Date Added
July 8, 2023
09:31 AM PDT
Date Added
July 3, 2023
10:14 PM PDT
Date Added
June 28, 2023
07:02 AM UTC
Date Added
May 16, 2023
03:20 AM UTC
Date Added
May 12, 2023
09:00 AM PDT
Date Added
May 7, 2023
07:20 PM PDT
Date Added
May 3, 2023
01:18 AM PDT
Date Added
May 1, 2023
07:17 AM UTC
Description
Not at all positive on this ID, but this was the only option it gave me.
Date Added
September 7, 2022
04:45 PM UTC
Date Added
September 7, 2022
05:08 PM UTC
Date Added
September 1, 2022
08:54 PM UTC
Date Added
August 31, 2022
06:43 PM UTC
Date Added
August 24, 2022
09:12 PM UTC
Date Added
August 24, 2022
10:37 PM UTC
Date Added
August 24, 2022
03:43 PM CDT
Date Added
August 24, 2022
02:05 AM UTC
Date Added
August 23, 2022
10:28 PM UTC
Date Added
August 19, 2022
06:00 AM PDT
Date Added
August 17, 2022
07:17 PM UTC
Date Added
August 13, 2022
06:24 PM EDT
Date Added
August 13, 2022
02:17 AM UTC
Date Added
August 12, 2022
10:16 AM PDT
Date Added
August 8, 2022
10:00 PM EDT
Description
with Eristaline drone fly prey
Date Added
August 8, 2022
08:56 PM UTC
Date Added
August 6, 2022
06:00 AM UTC
Date Added
August 4, 2022
10:32 PM UTC
Date Added
August 4, 2022
09:09 PM PDT
Description
Found dead on porch after week of high heat (108F. Maybe higher).
Date Added
August 4, 2022
01:46 PM UTC
Date Added
August 4, 2022
02:04 PM UTC
Date Added
August 2, 2022
08:47 PM PDT
Date Added
August 2, 2022
12:58 PM PDT
Description
Pair, mating. Additional photo courtesy of @nmdg.
Date Added
August 2, 2022
01:10 PM PDT
Description
Definite preference for thistle?
What
Bees
(Epifamily Anthophila)
Date Added
August 2, 2022
01:27 AM PDT
Description
Associated observation in larger patch of same asters across the road. Fireweed photo crop looks like same bee, growing at same area.
Date Added
August 1, 2022
12:34 PM PDT
Date Added
August 1, 2022
08:24 AM UTC
Description
This observation is for the spider
Date Added
July 31, 2022
07:12 AM PDT
Description
On creeping Canada thistle
Date Added
July 30, 2022
08:48 PM PDT
Description
I spooked this spider when I moved a hose. The wasp swooped in to attack, then waited for the spider to become paralyzed, then dragged it up our waterfall feature about 50' over boulders and through plants. The dirt and rock at the end was where she finally stopped.
The photos ended up scrambled. First the pouncing and stinging of the spider. Then she flew off, and returned to look for the spider in the leaves. When it was paralyzed she started to drag it up the hill. First over some short thyme and then rocks and kinnikinnick. Up over some big boulders, through the taller pink thyme and across a group of smaller stones, then into the agastache--not sure how she got through that big plant. At the end slipping on dirt that fell as she climbed, then under an overhang on the last big boulder--like a cave to her.
Date Added
July 30, 2022
10:13 AM UTC
Date Added
July 30, 2022
10:20 AM UTC
Date Added
July 30, 2022
01:24 AM UTC
Description
Sadly this is the only photo I managed before it flew off. It was huge for a fly.
Date Added
July 29, 2022
08:42 PM EDT
Date Added
July 29, 2022
07:33 PM UTC
Date Added
July 29, 2022
07:48 PM UTC
Date Added
July 27, 2022
06:15 PM UTC
Date Added
July 27, 2022
03:41 AM PDT
Date Added
July 23, 2022
08:36 PM UTC
Date Added
July 23, 2022
12:00 AM UTC
Date Added
July 15, 2022
07:38 AM PDT
Date Added
July 11, 2022
12:18 PM PDT
Date Added
July 11, 2022
02:44 PM PDT
Date Added
July 5, 2022
12:35 AM UTC
Date Added
July 2, 2022
09:37 AM UTC
Date Added
July 1, 2022
10:06 AM UTC
Date Added
June 29, 2022
06:07 AM PDT
Date Added
June 27, 2022
12:31 AM UTC
Date Added
June 26, 2022
10:23 PM PDT
Date Added
June 25, 2022
09:23 PM UTC
Date Added
June 25, 2022
09:04 AM UTC
Date Added
June 25, 2022
10:03 AM UTC
Date Added
June 25, 2022
02:29 PM UTC
Date Added
June 24, 2022
07:02 AM UTC
Date Added
June 23, 2022
11:06 AM PDT
Date Added
June 18, 2022
10:41 PM PDT
Date Added
June 18, 2022
11:07 PM PDT
Date Added
June 16, 2022
10:37 PM PDT
Date Added
June 17, 2022
07:31 AM PDT
Date Added
June 12, 2022
06:38 AM UTC
Date Added
June 12, 2022
09:02 PM PDT
Description
Wing pattern consistent with
Initially thought it was a digger bee until I was able to see it closer in the image
Mites
Date Added
June 12, 2022
09:01 PM PDT
Date Added
June 12, 2022
09:01 PM PDT
Date Added
May 17, 2022
05:30 PM CDT
Date Added
June 10, 2022
11:48 PM EDT
Date Added
June 11, 2022
02:59 AM UTC
Date Added
June 9, 2022
01:14 AM PDT
Date Added
June 9, 2022
10:43 AM PDT
Date Added
June 7, 2022
09:24 PM PDT
Date Added
June 7, 2022
06:04 AM UTC
Date Added
June 7, 2022
05:17 PM PDT
Date Added
June 6, 2022
11:23 AM PDT
Date Added
June 5, 2022
12:56 AM UTC
Date Added
June 4, 2022
02:02 AM UTC
Date Added
May 31, 2022
10:18 PM UTC
Date Added
June 2, 2022
09:30 PM UTC
Date Added
January 25, 2022
01:20 PM PST
Date Added
July 16, 2021
08:51 AM PDT
Date Added
August 2, 2021
10:01 AM PDT