The Urban Pantheist

Black and yellow are the universal warning colors among animals able to see them. It looks like someone forgot the black on this bumblebee. This turns out to be one of the varied colorations of Bombus perplexus*, the "perplexing bumblebee." It's one of the least perplexing, since all-yellow bumblebees are not the norm. A bugguide contributor pointed out that it's also a male--unable to sting--and not anything to warn anyone about anyway.

* "Perplexing buzzer"

This little miner bee, Andrena sp.*, was sunning herself on a leaf along the path. Miner bees are solitary (non-social, non-colonial) creatures that dig tunnels in places where plant life is least dense; pathways, playing fields, and other human-created habitats may be the most suitable in their range. Many unrelated females often dig burrows in the same area, each female depositing an egg, and a bolus of pollen for the hatchling to feed on. I'm fairly certain this was the type of bee I picked off a flower to show a class last year, earning a tiny sting on my finger.

* according to Bugguide, "From Greek anthrene (ανθρηνη) 'hornet/wasp'; related Greek words originally referred to any buzzing insect."

I'm starting to get desperate to see living things. This little bee, possibly a sweat bee, is being very cooperative. That white snakeroot nectar must be delicious.

I got a radio call early Monday morning that there was a "yellow jacket issue at the Organic Garden Shed." I grabbed my can of Wasp Freeze and hopped on the bike to go check it out. When I got there, there were no yellow jackets anywhere, but there were several large bees flying around. I caught one with an insect net and tossed it in the fridge, to slow it down so that I could identify it.

I'm reasonably certain that this is a male Megachile sculpturalis, or giant resin bee. This species is a relatively recent introduction from Asia. The males engage in aggressive posturing at potential nest sites--mainly empty carpenter bee nests. What my coworker mistook for a dangerous situation involving scary wasps turned out to be a big show being put on by male bees who are completely stingless.


As it turned out, later in the day I found the same kind of bee near the concessions area, staking out a hole in a fencepost. I knew this was completely harmless, but that it would result in a lot of frayed nerves from people trying to pass by to get chicken fingers. I jammed a couple sticks in the hole to make it a less attractive nest site.

Alexis and Albee taking an afternoon nap together. We've been so tired since last weekend in New York. I blame the puppy a little, but other things have come up to prevent us from sleeping as much as we should. I was happy to see her grab some sleep out in the yard.

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One of our zookeepers has taken on the task of maintaining the honeybee hives. She invited staff to come see inside the hives. (This was taken afterward.)

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This spray of Canada goldenrod Solidago canadensis is part of a big stand of it way in the back part of the yard, and was alive with honeybees Apis mellifera when I took this shot.

Canada goldenrod is the most common and most weedy of the many kinds of goldenrod that occur in our area. It's a classic weed, appearing after a place has been disturbed--by fire, flood, bulldozer etc.--and enjoying the full sun and bare soil. It survives out in the open until the open space becomes enclosed by the shade of shrubs and trees. It may help to delay this succession by putting chemicals in the soil that impede the growth of maples and other plants. Each goldenrod plant has hundreds of flowers attracting insect pollinators as varied as flies, beetles, bees, wasps, butterflies, and moths. The seeds are fed upon by goldfinches and other birds. Goldenrod suffers from the misconception that it is a major cause of allergies--probably a confusion resulting from other, less conspicuous plants that bloom at the same time, such as ragweed.

Honeybees are semi-domestic animals, probably native to India or the Mediterranean, brought to virtually everywhere on Earth by humans. Our species provides artificial nesting places and locates them near crops that need pollinating. These bees are generalists, able to feed on and pollinate thousands of species of plants, most of which are completely alien to them. There are mobile honeybee colonies, dozens of hives put on trucks which drive through the night to service various agricultural fields. In recent years these hives have suffered mysterious losses, likely a combination of various stresses and the effects of pesticides.

I've found that one common perception that has developed from the science journalism about this issue is that "the bees" are disappearing. Why, then, are we being stung by yellowjackets, etc.? It's an educational opportunity.


This is a bee-mimicking fly (anyone know what kind?) on another goldenrod blossom nearby.

Canada goldenrod appeared earlier as 365 urban species #223. In the same entry I wrote about ragweed.

The honeybee was 365 Urban species #194.

Thanks to reader SB of Chestnut Hill Massachusetts for providing this photo of a crocus participating in an ecosystem in North America. This hairy little bee is just covered with crocus pollen. It's a lovely picture as well as a clear answer to my earlier query.

Photo by cottonmanifesto. Location: Olmsted Park, Boston.
Urban species #258: Bumblebee Bombus pennsylvanicus

Until this year, I assumed I was seeing bumblebees almost every warm day of every year, and then I discovered I was actually seeing carpenter bees. One easy way to tell the difference is that the bumblebees have furry abdomens while carpenter bees have shiny black hairless abdomen. Bumblebees are familiar, almost friendly-seeming, with their thick fur and clumsy way about them. Their yellow and black markings, like those of many other stinging insects, are meant to warn predators. Stinging hymenopterans (that is, members of the order of insects that includes bees, wasps, ants, and others) are armed with venom-injecting weapon derived from their ovipositor. This means that only females can sting. Bumblebees are considered unaggressive and unlikely to sting. Like their close relatives, the honeybees, bumblebees are social, a hive of up to 300 individuals and their mother, the queen, working cooperatively to raise the next generation. Unlike honeybees, bumblebee colonies do not overwinter; only the queen (or her successor) survives. Bumblebees are highly valued as pollinators, with some plant nurseries and farms purchasing hives for this purpose; their small untidy combs not producing enough honey to make collecting it very rewarding.


Photo by cottonmanifesto. Location: our front step.

Urban species #259: White-faced hornet Dolichovespula maculata

Even this entomophile shudders a little bit at the sight of a swarm of white-faced hornets (also called "bald-faced hornets"). These wasps are very aggressive, and deliver a painful sting. Their large gray paper nests are often attached to buildings, although they also can be found in trees. Each nest, which can be a foot in diameter or more, is made of several layers of chewed wood, and contains between dozens and hundreds of individuals. The larva are fed flower nectar, and the bodies of other insects that the adults have killed and chewed into bits. White-faced hornets are ambitious predators, even attacking large and dangerous prey like their close relatives, the yellowjackets. Despite the danger of their sting, these insects are beneficial, preying on pests, and acting as pollinators. White-faced hornets are found across North America, except for the dry interior plains, and are common in urban parks and suburban neighborhoods.