The Jha Lab has been studying native pollinators since 2012. Researchers have identified hundreds out of the ~800 bee species and 6 families found in Texas. About 20,000 native bee species have been described around the world!
Carpenter bees (Apidae) Bumble bees (Apidae) Plasterer bees Lasioglossum Scott Famous Mason bees are solitary but can live with are ground-nesters; they (Colletidae) chew (Megachilidae) are sisters or daughters. Females can forage > 1 km away. leaves into spit balls to solitary and docile; bore holes in wood & partition plaster their nests in Bombus nesting in cavities, nests with wood chips. pithy stems. stems or snail shells! Territorial males may fly Colletes Females make mud at you but can’t sting. walls between brood Steve Nanz Xylocopa cells and mud packs Sweat bees to seal their nest. (Halictidae) are Gardeners/farmers use common. Most are © Chris Worden ground-nesters like mason bees like Osmia to Charles Schurch Lewallen Agapostemon & pollinate crops. Some Wikipedia rear them commercially. Mining Bees Lasioglossum. Females can make Sean McCann (Andrenidae) are Ceratina solitary bees. Most individual cells in Megachile build underground Female parasitic communally nests. Leafcutter bees nests: a small bees invade nests Others are cavity (Megachilidae) entrance leads to of other bees to nesters. They’re pollinate well; Steve Nanz a branched tunnel lay eggs on the called sweat bees one bee can food stored by the because they lick salt Long-horned bees containing an egg. pollinate as much host. These from sweat. (Apidae) are solitary alfalfa as 20 kleptoparasite but may nest in honey bees. They larvae consume all large groups in the line cavity nests the food (pollen). ground. Guess why with pieces of leaves or petals. Melissodes is called Coelioxys T'ai Roulston
a long-horned bee! ©standingoutinmyfield © Bruce Lund 2012 Agapostemon Some (Melittidae) bees like Hesperapis, collect plant oils in dry climates.
Discoverlife.org Lynette Schimming Sean McCann Dennis Briggs Egg on pollen ball Laurel Treviño, Sarah Cusser Winkler S. Jha Lab – Integrative Biology Family http://w3.biosci.utexas.edu/jha Foundation