Lady in Red - _TNY_8177
Sphecodes is a family of cleptoparasitic bees colloquially known as blood bees (due to the red abdomen).
They are parasites of furrow-bees and other small bees and use their efforts in pollen-collecting to feed their own young instead.
This one was circling just in front of our hose where there are quite a lot of common green furrow-bees which I assume is what this one is attempting to parasitize. Since there are several, very similar, Specodes species which target these furrow-bees I do not know which exact species this is though.
Lady in Red - _TNY_8177
Sphecodes is a family of cleptoparasitic bees colloquially known as blood bees (due to the red abdomen).
They are parasites of furrow-bees and other small bees and use their efforts in pollen-collecting to feed their own young instead.
This one was circling just in front of our hose where there are quite a lot of common green furrow-bees which I assume is what this one is attempting to parasitize. Since there are several, very similar, Specodes species which target these furrow-bees I do not know which exact species this is though.