Bees, Wasps, Sawflies and Ants (order Hymenoptera)
Taxonomic classification categories are valid according to
the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
Information about Hymenoptera species history is based on Grimaldi and Engel (2005).
I got some great expert help with bee and wasp identification from
John S. Ascher, who also reviewed the changes I made under his
direction to make sure they were right. Even then, there is some chance of
error, and I claim full responsibility for it.
The general consensus is that bees (unlike wasps) are a
monophyletic group, meaning that they and they alone come from a certain
common ancestor: bees are more closely related than the various wasps, and
are more closely related to some wasps than are other wasps. Most bee
species are solitary bees, i.e., females of those species are designed to
reproduce. The main behavioral distinction between these categories is that bees feed
on honey which they create from gathered flower nectar, while wasps are
predators, parasites or parasitoids (parasites that kill their host, usually
another much larger animal that they live inside as larvae).
Web-spinning and
Leaf-rolling Sawflies (family Pamphiliidae, superfamily Megalodontoidea, suborder Symphyta)
The Pamphiliidae family first appeared about 190 million years
ago, during the Jurassic Period, 40 million years before Pangaea, the original
continent, started to break up, according to Grimaldi
and Engel (2005).
Leaf-rolling Sawfly,
Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 6/7/06. According to
John S. Ascher, it is an Onycholyda
amplecta. Family ID and common name: thanks to
Eric Eaton. See
BugGuide page.
Leaf-rolling Sawfly (Onycholyda amplecta), Pettigrew State Park,
Washington County, NC, 4/28/09
Argid
Sawfly (Arge genus. quidia or scapularus species), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 5/21/09.
Genus ID and limitation of species ID possibilities thanks to
Dave Smith.
Not all sawflies are members of unusually ancient
families. The Cimbicidae first appeared about 60 million years ago.
Sawfly
(Abia genus), Sandy Creek Park, Durham, NC, 4/1/10. Not a bee, but an Abia!
Sawfly (Cimbex Americana), Indian Creek trail in Chatham County, NC,
on 5/3/05. Thanks to Prof. Norman F. Johnson for family ID.
Bees and Sphecid Wasps (superfamily Apoidea, suborder
Apocrita)
Many members of this group are tiny solitary bees much
smaller than honeybees. Solitary bees are those whose females
are all genetically capable of reproducing. They are frequently found together with
Large Bee Flies (Bombylius major), which parasitize their larvae. Social
bees, those that live in colonies that each rely on a single queen bee for
reproduction, include the Honeybees, Bumblebees, Stingless Bees (not pictured),
and some Sweat Bees (which have small colonies and minimal size differences
between queens and workers).
Bees may not be the most common pollinators, but they are
the most significant economically because they are the most efficient, in part
because of their special pollen-gathering hairs and "pollen baskets" which carry
large amounts of pollen.
Performing formal identifications of
solitary bees from photos is hard because they are so closely related, and
therefore such identifications depend heavily on very small details, such as
wing venation. In some cases one can distinguish the long-tongued bees (the Megachilidae and the familiar Apidae) from the short-tongued bees (the
Colletidae, Halictidae, Andrenidae, Strenotridae, and Melittidae) by the types
of flowers that they visit.
John S. Ascher, Ph.D. provided identifications and background
information for a large proportion of the bees and wasps pictured below, making
a major contribution to the quality of this website. If errors
remain, however, they may represent mistakes I have made in my interpretation of
the information he has offered.
Bee Phylogeny at Cornell University provides detailed
descriptions of recent bee phylogeny research using morphological, DNA, and
fossil data.
Sweat Bees (Halictidae family)
These are short-tongued bees, which these photos
illustrate: they prefer composite flowers and "flat" individual ones.
They are called "sweat bees" because of their reputation for landing on people
and drinking their sweat.
Some of these bees are social, living in small colonies,
i.e., with less than a dozen members. There is a lot of diversity in this
respect, so they are of special interest to evolutionary biologists.
Sweat Bee (Augochlorini
tribe),Eno River SP, Old Cole Mill
Road access, 5/29/05. This green bee is one of the most
obvious members of this family; however, most Halictidae are not green,
although they are less hairy than other bees.
Sweat bee (Augochlorini
tribe), Indian Creek Trail,
a Jordan Lake Game Land, Chatham County, NC, 7/7/06
Halictid bee (subgenus
Dialictus, Lasioglossum genus), Indian Creek Wildlife Observation Trail,
Chatham
County, NC, 4/5/06. This flower was about
⅓ inch across.
Female Halictid
bee (Lasioglossum genus), White Pines Nature Preserve, Chatham
County, NC, 4/16/06. This bee was about
¼ inch long. The tiny fly was barely
visible to me without the camera's magnifying lens.
Halictid bee (Lasioglossum
genus, Durham, 5/3/05.
Sweat bee,
Moses Cone Memorial Park,
Watauga County, NC, 8/8/06
Sweat bee, Moses Cone Memorial Park,
Watauga County, NC, 8/8/06
Sweat bee, Moses Cone Memorial Park,
Watauga County, NC, 8/8/06
Female Halictid Bees (Agapostemon virescens),
Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, NC, 7/31/06.
Mining Bees (Andrenidae family)
These are short-tongued bees solitary bees, although they
apparently build their nests in holes in the ground close to one another in the
early spring when pollen is first available. As is the case with all
flower-visiting bees, they have long hairs over many parts of their bodies.
Andrena genus, Penny's Bend, Durham County, NC, 3/16/06.
This was a member of a very fast-moving cluster of bees near the ground on a wooded
trail. This bee seemed ill or injured, otherwise this photo would
have been impossible to take! This bee was about
½ inch long.
Plasterer Bees (Colletidae family)
Plasterer Bee (Colletes
thoracicus), Durham, NC, 3/9/07.
This bee wandered onto the asphalt path, apparently unable to fly
because of what seemed to be clay on its thorax.
Two Plasterer Bees (Colletes
thoracicus), Durham, NC, 3/18/09
These are long-tongued bees, able to visit longer, skinnier
flowers. Only members of the Megachile genus actually do leaf-cutting, as
shown in the first two photos. There was a large group of such bees in the
location I found those two, mostly hidden under a clump of wild grape vines,
buzzing very loudly. Note the yellow pollen pocket on the abdomen
underside, a unique Megachilid characteristic.
Leafcutter bee (Megachile genus), apparently in the process of
leaf-cutting at the Eno River State Park, Durham County, NC, 8/17/08 in a power line cut.
Same Megachile genus leafcutter bee, further along in the process
Female Megachilid bee (Coelioxys
modesta), NC Botanical Garden, 7/2/05.
Thanks to Eric Eaton for ID.
Megachilid bee (Megachile genus), Penny's Bend Nature
Preserve, Durham County, NC, 6/30/06
Female Megachilid bee (Megachile genus), Carolina Beach State Park, New Hanover
County, NC, 10/13/06
Megachilidbee (Megachile xylocopoides, family Megachilidae), Carolina Beach State Park, New Hanover County, NC, 10/19/05.
Unlike the other bees on this page, this one was large, perhaps an inch
long. Thanks to Eric Eaton for ID info.
Apidae family
These female Nomada genus bees are long-tongued bees. According to
Dr. Ascher, most Nomada species are cleptoparasites of genus Andrena, laying
their eggs in Andrena nests, while other Nomada species are cleptoparasites of
Agapostemon.
Original genus ID thanks to Eric R. Eaton.
Nomada genus solitary bee, Lake Crabtree
County Park, 3/18/06. Note the right wing.
Nomada genus bee hovering, Penny's Bend Nature
Preserve, Durham County, NC, 4/5/06.
Solitary bee (probably Nomada genus), Penny's Bend Nature Preserve,
Durham County, NC, 4/20/07. This bee was in frantic motion.
Nomada species bee, Penny's Bend Nature
Preserve, 5/7/07.
Carpenter Bee, Museum of Life and Science grounds, Durham, NC, 4/23/09
Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa virginica, Xylocopinae
subfamily), Eno River SP, Orange County, NC,
4/2/06. Valid taxa according the the ITIS. This large
bee is well-known to all, and dreaded by owners of wooden houses.
Thanks to Eric Eaton for ID.
Small Carpenter Bee
(Ceratina genus, Zadontomerus subgenus, Xylocopinae subfamily)
on a Smooth Coneflower, Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC,
6/30/06.
Apinae subfamily
We depend on honeybees for pollination of most fruit,
vegetable and nut crops. Because honeybees are dying in significant
numbers, beekeepers predict disaster for humans, according to
http://www.allheadlinenews.com, article by Ihuoma Ezeh.
European Honeybee (Apis mellifera, subfamily Apinae, family Apidae), Raulston Arboretum, Raleigh, Wake
County, NC, 3/17/06.
European Honeybee. Durham, NC, 10/21/09
European Honeybee, Duke Gardens, Durham, NC, 7/21/07.
The pollen of this moss rose was enough to cover several bees.
Eremnophila aureonotata, mating pair, Durham, 7/28/03.
These are Sphecidae according to the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Thanks to Josh Rose
for genus and species ID.
Eremnophila aureonotata, NC Botanical
Garden, Orange County, NC, 8/28/06
Grass-carrying Wasp
(Isodontia genus),
Durham, NC, 7/7/08, trying to access nectar of Trumpet Vine (Campsis
radicans) flower buds.
Thread-waisted wasp (Prionyx
genus, Prionchini tribe, Sphecinae subfamily), Greenville, Pitt County, NC, 9/20/08
We don't usually think of wasps as being especially
beautiful, but this family has more than its share of bright colors and striking
patterns. What these parasitoids do to their prey is not, however:
Charles Darwin cited them in particular in his remarks to botanist Asa Gray
about how his faith in God's goodness was tested by the torment these animals inflicted
on one another.
IDs of family of wasps in first row thanks to Prof. Norman F.
Johnson.
Ichneumonid wasp, Durham, 10/28/05
Ichneumonid Wasp, Ft. Fisher
Recreational Area, New Hanover County, NC, 12/3/07
Ichneumonid wasp, Falls Lake State Park, Wake County,
NC, 1/6/07
Ichneumonid Wasp (Cratichneumon
variegatus),
Durham, NC 9/16/06. Taken at night. ID thanks to
Bob Carlson.
Ichneumonid wasp (Arotes
genus, Acaenitinae subfamily), Durham, 9/12/05
Ichneumonid Wasp,
Durham, 10/29/05
Ichneumonid Wasp (Labena grallator,
Labenini tribe), Eno River State Park, 11/7/05.
The Pompilidae evolved about 105 million years ago.
Spider Wasp (Arachnospila
genus), Johnston's Mill, Orange County, NC, 2/3/06
Spider Wasp in action, Eno River SP, Old
Cole Mill Road access, Orange County, NC, 4/28/06. This wasp
dragged this spider at least five feet while I watched.
Spider wasp
attempting to drag a spider across pavement, Durham, NC, 5/13/08
The Vespidae family evolved about 140 million years ago.
Possibly a European Hornet (Vespa crabro), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC,
6/10/06
Paper wasp (Polistes genus) on Pinkweed. Durham, NC, 9/5/09.
Yellow Jackets
(Vespula vulgaris?) mating
Male Yellow Jacket. Note how the male's abdominal markings differ from those of the female:
the male is mostly yellow, while the female is mostly black.
Mason Wasp
(Euodynerus schwarzi), Flat River Impoundment, Durham, NC, 8/15/10
Most of
these are parasitoids, i.e., they lay their eggs within prey animals.
Tiphiid wasps (Myzinum
genus), Carolina Beach State
Park, New Hanover County, NC, 6/23/07,
struggling to get into one little hole in the sand.
Scoliid Wasps
(genus Scolia, family Scoliidae, superfamily Scolioidea, suborder Apocrita)
Wasp (Scolia
nobilitata). NOTE: The ITIS does not list the species nobilitata.
Wasp
(Scolia dubia), Greenville, Pitt
County, NC, 9/20/08
Wasp (Campsomeris plumipes), Fayetteville, NC, 7/16/08. This was a big
wasp, about an inch long.
Photo by Kathryn Cox.
Velvet Ants (family Mutillidae,
superfamily Scolioidea, suborder Apocrita)
These are parasitoids, i.e., females parasitize bee larvae by laying eggs on them.
They are generally considered to be wasps because of their behavior but their
superfamily name implies that
they aren't very distant relatives of ants! The Cowkiller is named for its
nasty sting, one informally hypothesized to be bad enough to kill a cow.
The Mutillidae family evolved relatively recently, about
45-70 million years ago.
Female Velvet Ant (Dasymutilla alesia), White
Pines Nature Preserve, Chatham County, NC, 4/16/06. ID thanks to
Kevin Williams, a velvet ant specialist. It is remarkably
similar to the Dasymutilla vesta shown on Marshall (2006), p. 579.
Perhaps a Cowkiller,
a velvet ant which is normally red and black. It was
hunched over, trying to hide. NOTE: the two small white spots which
appear to be on this insect's back are actually on the ground: it has a
typically skinny wasp waist.
Velvet ant (Timulla floridensis?).
This velvet ant was much smaller than the others pictured, about the
size of a carpenter ant. The Timulla floridensis species is
mainly found in Florida: we welcome your input on this ID.
Ants (family Formicidae, superfamily
Scolioidea, suborder Apocrita)
Ants communicate with one another
using pheromones, organic compounds which range from simple hydrocarbons called
unbranched
alkanes to somewhat more
complex
alkenes, each containing an oxygen atom.
The Formicidae family evolved about 140 million years ago.
Small ants (Nylanderia Faisonensis,subfamily
Formicinae)
Leaving a rather flat
watering can on its side and turning it over every few days can produce
surprising revelations of what normally goes on underground.
Ant larvae are unusual in that their limbs and wings are still developing (and
somewhat visible), and the pupa stage in this species seems to be a
brown-colored later part of the larva stage. These ants quickly returned
underground afterwards.
You can see
some brown pupae; the one on the right has adult features showing
through. However, you can see developing legs on the white larvae.
Winged ants,
also walking on larvae.
Yellow Ants (Acanthomyops
interjectus, tribe Lasiini, subfamily
Formicinae)
Winged Yellow Ants, Durham, 5/31/06. The queens are brown, while the
workers are yellow.
These winged
Yellow Antscame up out of the ground, crawled up
plants in this meadow and flew into the air. Southern Village, Orange
County, NC, 11/13/07
Yellow Ant,
with a red parasite egg on its right hind leg
Winged ant being
attacked by a tiny wasp? Carolina Beach State Park, New Hanover
County, NC, 3/9/10
Carpenter Ants
(Camponotus genus, Camponotini tribe, Formicinae subfamily)
Black Carpenter Ant (Camponotus pennsylvanicus) tending aphids,
Durham, NC, 4/25/08. This ant was actually horizontal in the
photo: rotation in the thumbnail is due to a glitch in the software.
Unknown Ants
Johnston's Mill, Orange County, NC, 2/3/06. This
ant was wandering around rocks in New Hope Creek.
Worker ant subduing a winged termite, Occoneechee Mountain
Natural Area, Orange County, NC, 4/9/06
Worker ant carrying a larva.
Mystery Bee and Wasps
Mystery wasp, Durham, 6/28/06.
Maybe a braconid wasp.
