Apidae: Long-Horned Bees (Melissodes and Eucera)

Biology

Long-horned bees are common with more than 120 species in North America. Males have much longer antennae than females. Robust and hairy, they are moderate-sized bees (0.3-0.8 inches long) with conspicuously hairy rear legs. Faces are often yellow while abdomens are usually dark-colored and may have bands of pale hair. The female carries dry pollen in large, conspicuous scopae on the lower half of her rear legs. Long-horned bees are solitary nesters in the ground where they construct individual nests containing brood cells lined with a wax-like material, each holding one egg and a pollen ball. The nests may be isolated or constructed in groups. Melissodes are important pollinators of sunflowers, daisies and asters.