COLLETIDAE

COLLETINAE

Colletes thoracicus Smith, 1853

This spring bee, approximately the size of a honey bee, is recognizable by the reddish hairs on the thorax. Colletes are sometimes called cellophane bees, because they line their brood cells with glandular secretions which harden into a translucent, cellophane-like material. This specimen was photographed on a blueberry bush in Muskegon County, Michigan.

HYLAEINAE

Hylaeus mesillae (Cockerell, 1896)

A common bee, which carries pollen back to its nest in a specialized crop. It is much balder than most other kinds of bee. Hylaeus are much smaller than its cousins in the genus Colletes. Although they look quite different the mouth parts and the use of cellophane-like materials in the nest support their familial relationship. This specimen was photographed in Clinton County, Michigan.

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