Longhorn Bees

Longhorn bee, male

After nearly another week of smoke and rain, Lucy and I finally got out for a bug hunt and ran into two male longhorn bees. What the bonanza! It was still cool enough so they were quiet. I know they were males because they had the long antennae. Girls have short antennae. I don't even want to guess as to what genus they belonged to, but they are in the Tribe Eucerini, with about 212 species in North America. Bees in this tribe have, besides long antennae, a lot of hair. They also have the most beautiful eyes. I have seen them in green, as above, and in blue. They are native. They are solitary ground nesters. Their nests go down vertically with chambers for larvae branching off the main tunnel.

And that is about all I know and about all I can figure out from my reading about them. I don't even know what food they prefer. One genus, squash bees, only pollinates Cucurbita, "a genus of annual, warm-season, vining plants in the cucumber family (Cucurbitaceae) native to North and South America. It includes commonly cultivated vegetables (although botanical terms, they are fruit) such as summer and winter squashes, pumpkins, zucchini, and ornamental gourds." (North Carolina State University Extension Gardener)  Honey bees do not pollinate those plants.

I do know that I often find them on cool mornings and after a rain. After getting wet in a rain, it takes them quite awhile to dry off. I also see them nectaring later in the afternoon than most other bees. Hope you spot some!

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