Nomad Bee - Nomada ruficornis

I found this bee in this position. It was holding on to a highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) bud with its mouthparts. It was alive, but stayed in this same position for at least an hour. Apparently, they sleep like this!

Habitat: Mixed, swampy forest

comments (9)

Ferdy Christant

Lion

That's odd! Doesn't look like a comfortable resting position, was it still this way when you left it? Posted 6 years ago
1. Christine Young
  
  Lion
  
  It definitely looked uncomfortable in that position, at least from a human perspective. It was still like this when I left. I checked on it several times over the course of about two hours. When I poked it, its legs would slowly move at my touch, and it's body would adjust slightly, but it didn't crawl or fly away from me at all. It was really weird. Posted 6 years ago
2. 1. Ferdy Christant
    
    Lion
    
    Well, I can only guess, but cordyceps seem quite possible to me. If so, you found it in an extraordinary position, hope you remember the position. Posted 6 years ago
  2. 1. Christine Young
      
      Lion
      
      I'll definitely be going back next week to check. Posted 6 years ago
    2. 1. Ferdy Christant
        
        Lion
        
        Hope it's a cordyceps, could be a unique opportunity to document the last phase! Maybe you could just take the entire branch home :) Posted 6 years ago
      2. Christine Young
        
        Lion
        
        The consensus on Facebook is that this bee is sleeping. I guess they sleep in this position. I'm still going to look for it when I go back next week though. I feel bad, but I'm still hoping it's cordyceps ;P Posted 6 years ago
        
        Ferdy Christant
        
        Lion
        
        Huh, really? It seems a sleeping position requiring lots of energy. But it's probably incorrect to think that as we tend to apply our own sense of scale to this. Similar to a beetle dropping to the ground from a distance 2,000 times its own length. We would require to be mopped up, the beetle is fine. Posted 6 years ago
        
        Christine Young
        
        Lion
        
        The bee is gone! So, I guess it was just sleeping...good news for the bee. I also got a species ID - N. ruficornis. Posted 6 years ago
        
        Ferdy Christant
        
        Lion
        
        That is good news, twice! Nice! Posted 6 years ago

The Common Wasp Bee

Just like Bumble Bees suffer from the presence of Cuckoo Bumble Bees, many other bees know such parasites as well. Mining Bees suffer from Wasp Bees. These bees resemble wasps very much, have the striking yellow yellow and black stripes, but they are actually bees. They deposit their eggs in the nest of a mining bee and when their larvae grow up they kill the mining bee's larvae in the process. The species below is parasitic on the Early Mining Bee. On flowers the males are often seen, the females.. more

Info 4 0

Similar species: Wasps, Bees, Sawflies And Ants

Species identified by Christine Young