Posts Tagged: Melissodes
Just Being Totally Territorial

What was that! If you grow Mexican sunflowers (Tithonia) in your pollinator garden, you've...
A male longhorned bee, Melissodes agilis, targets the back of a painted lady, Vanessa cardui, on a Mexican sunflower in a Vacaville pollinator garden. This is typical territorial behavior. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Heads up! A male longhorned bee, Melissodes agilis, heads straight for the painted lady butterfly, Vanessa cardui. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A monarch butterfly is interrupted by a male longhorned bee engaging in territorial behavior. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Male Longhorned Bees: Boys' Night Out!

Boys' Night Out! Have you ever seen a cluster of longhorned male bees sleeping overnight on a...
Male longhorned bees, Melissodes, spending the night on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia)in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Male longhorned bees, probably Melissodes agilis, begin to wake up after spending the night clustered on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia) in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Most Incredible Image of a Leafcutter Bee

It's one of the most beautiful, incredible images of a leafcutter bee we've ever seen. Talented...
An amazing image of a leafcutter bee carrying a leaf segment back to her nest. This image, used with permission, is by Donna Sanders of Emerald, Queensland, Australia.
A male leafcutter bee, Megachile spp., on rock purslane, Calandrinia grandiflora, in Vacaville, Calif. The seventh annual International Pollinator Conference is set Wednesday, July 17 through Saturday, July 20 in the UC Davis Conference Center. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A male leafcutter bee, Megachile spp., peers over a rock purslane petal. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
What's Not to Love About 'Boys' Night Out'?

We look forward to "The Boys' Night Out." Ah, pillow fights, popcorn, and marathon movies on TV,...
Longhorned bees--Melissodes (possibly M. robustior) slumbering on a Mexican sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Is it time to wake up? Two male longhorned bees eye the photographer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A male longhorned bee, Melissodes, prepares to leave his "bedroom," a Mexican sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
This male longhorned bee is sleeping alone on a Mexican sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Tiger by the Tail

One of Buck Owens' signature songs that never failed to please his fan base was "I Got a Tiger by...
A longhorn bee, probably Melissodes agilis, has this "tiger" (Western tiger swallowtail) by the tail. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Territorial male longhorn bees are targeting a Western tiger swallowtail as it's trying to sip some nectar from a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
This Western tiger swallowtail, targeted by male longhorn bees, takes flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)