Wild Bees (Anthophila, Hymenoptera) gathering pollen on White Sage (Salvia apiana, Lamiaceae)
Here are a pair of the small Wild Bees (Anthophila, Hymenoptera) that are working the flower stamens of native White Sage (Salvia apiana) in the Lamiaceae plant family. There are more different kinds.
I believe the one on the left is genus Megachile (possibly subgenus Chelostomoides) in the family Megachilidae of Leaf-cutter Bees. These bees collect pollen on the underside of the abdomen, and you can see this one rubbing the stamen with its butt. This particular bee has quite large mandibles. It's hard to make out in this photo, but I believe it's actually biting the filament of the stamen, no doubt to get some stability.
And I believe the one on the right is a Yellow-faced Bee aka Masked Bee in the genus Hylaeus of the family Colletidae. These bees lack specialized pollen-carrying hairs, and carry pollen in their gut to regurgitate upon returning to their nests. This bee is smaller than the bee on the left, compare stamen size.
The large bees get your attention, but these small bees are really interesting. The longer you stand before a plant, the more different kinds you see! (San Marcos Pass, 15 June 2015)
Wild Bees (Anthophila, Hymenoptera) gathering pollen on White Sage (Salvia apiana, Lamiaceae)
Here are a pair of the small Wild Bees (Anthophila, Hymenoptera) that are working the flower stamens of native White Sage (Salvia apiana) in the Lamiaceae plant family. There are more different kinds.
I believe the one on the left is genus Megachile (possibly subgenus Chelostomoides) in the family Megachilidae of Leaf-cutter Bees. These bees collect pollen on the underside of the abdomen, and you can see this one rubbing the stamen with its butt. This particular bee has quite large mandibles. It's hard to make out in this photo, but I believe it's actually biting the filament of the stamen, no doubt to get some stability.
And I believe the one on the right is a Yellow-faced Bee aka Masked Bee in the genus Hylaeus of the family Colletidae. These bees lack specialized pollen-carrying hairs, and carry pollen in their gut to regurgitate upon returning to their nests. This bee is smaller than the bee on the left, compare stamen size.
The large bees get your attention, but these small bees are really interesting. The longer you stand before a plant, the more different kinds you see! (San Marcos Pass, 15 June 2015)