Colletidae: Polyester and Yellow-Faced Bees

Biology

Bees in the family Colletidae are varied in appearance and have few common features except a two-lobed tip of their tongue. Polyester or Plasterer bees are named for their method of smoothing and protecting the walls of their nest cells with secretions applied from their mouthparts that dry to a cellophane-like substance. This allows them to nest in areas with moist soils and locations subject to seasonal flooding like stream banks. They are solitary nesters but some species nest in large aggregations. These slender, hairy bees vary greatly in size (0.3-0.6 inches) and are often seen with great amounts of pollen on their rear legs. Polyester bees usually have white or pale stripes on their abdomen and a heart-shaped face. The head and thorax is moderately hairy. Yellow-faced bees are slender, hairless, small (0.2-0.3 inches) bees that resemble wasps. They are black with small bright yellow markings on the face, thorax and legs. They are solitary nesters usually in existing tunnels in wood, stems or twigs. Nests are lined with a silk-like substance that provides water proofing. These bees have no pollen collecting structures, instead they store nectar and pollen in their crop and regurgitate to provide for developing larvae.

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