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black bee


black bee
Photo Information
Copyright: paolo ardiani (pione) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 94 W: 0 N: 113] (542)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-08-20
Categories: Insects
Exposure: f/3.2, 1/200 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Bee and flies [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2006-08-21 3:37
Viewed: 811
Points: 4
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
The Spring (Hairy-footed) Flower Bee (Anthophora plumipes) is a widespread insect that is likely to be seen in many gardens in spring and early summer. It is probably well distributed in the county; especially in gardens, but is very under-recorded. It starts to appear with warm weather in March and is rarely seen after early June. It prefers sunny warm days, when its hovering and darting flight is very distinctive. It may nest in gardens, especially where there are undisturbed banks in sunny situations.

Identification is relatively straightforward as long as one does not mistake the females for a small black bumblebee. The Dark-edged bee fly also has a similar darting hovering flight, but is rather smaller and, like other flies, has only one pair of wings rather than the two pairs of bees and other Hymenoptera. The brighter male Anthophora plumipes flower bee has long hairs on the front joint of the tarsi (see picture above right) and has a yellow face, but of course both these features may be difficult or impossible to see when the bee is in active flight.

Another bee to look out for is another bee called Melecta albifrons, especially if you have a nesting aggregation of Anthophora plumipes. Melecta is a distinctive spring bee, about the same size as Anthophora, with the head and body entirely black except for a pair of lateral patches of white appressed hairs on most of the gastral tergites (top surface of the abdomen). However, in some individuals, these patches are darker, so that these are not so obvious. Unfortunately I don't have a photo of the bee. It is a cleptoparasite of Anthophora - this means that the bee (female) goes into an Anthophora burrow and lays its egg with the pollen food supply gathered by Anthophora. When the Melecta egg hatches the larva feeds up on the food supply intended for the Anthophora larva, pupates and emerges next year instead of the host. It is found throughout much of southern England, with an apparent bias towards the south-east. There is at least one old record for south Wales. Any records of the host Anthophora bee or the cleptoparasite Melecta bee would be very welcome.
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Paolo,
So many insects on this flower! Greatly captured. Nice shot.

Ben Lakitan

Hi Paolo,

Very interesting shot. I like the details of the bee. However i do wish the cockroach wasn't there. It is a bit disturb to the whole shot.
TFS
Best regards,
Kean

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