Wondering if anyone might be able to identify this bee?
(http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo352/cv_wildlife/bb2.jpg)
(http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo352/cv_wildlife/bb1.jpg)
(http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo352/cv_wildlife/bb3.jpg)
can you get a head shot? Maybe a good view of the mouth parts?
I don't know much about the west coast, but if I saw that around here, I would think what is that crazy drone honey bee doing.
mouth parts and a drone? ... gotcha
No way is that a drone honeybee. Drones have fuzzy rounded butts with wings that extend to the butt.
Looks more like a virgin queen to me. Looks rather dead at that.
I bet if you spent about 30 minutes on www.bugguide.net (http://www.bugguide.net) you'd find it!
Not a drone, not a queen. There are flies that mimic bees closely, but this one has double wings and the legs are angular like a bee to hold pollen. Could be a black type honeybee that is older and lost some hair, but I'd say it is more likely to be some type of solitary bee.
Thanks to all for the comments. I guess in a way, the question is kind of like looking for a needle in a hay stack. didn't look like a drone to me .. I thought perhaps a Caucasian bee but I'm not sure. a queen crossed my mind but why does it appear to be collecting pollen? .. a solitary bee never registered. Thank you for the link, I'll take a look
I'll will try to get some better shots of this black bee, in the mean time, this is what I have
(http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo352/cv_wildlife/th_bb6.jpg) (http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo352/cv_wildlife/bb6.jpg) (http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo352/cv_wildlife/th_bb4.jpg) (http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo352/cv_wildlife/bb4.jpg) (http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo352/cv_wildlife/th_bb5.jpg) (http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo352/cv_wildlife/bb5.jpg)
some other visitors
(http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo352/cv_wildlife/th_gb1.jpg) (http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo352/cv_wildlife/gb1.jpg) (http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo352/cv_wildlife/th_ital1.jpg) (http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo352/cv_wildlife/ital1.jpg) (http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo352/cv_wildlife/th_Pittosporumtobira1.jpg) (http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo352/cv_wildlife/Pittosporumtobira1.jpg)
as described above, drones as I know them
(http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo352/cv_wildlife/th_drones1.jpg) (http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo352/cv_wildlife/drones1.jpg) (http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo352/cv_wildlife/th_dronecheck.jpg) (http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo352/cv_wildlife/dronecheck.jpg)
Grab it and see if will sting you that mite help narrow down your hunt. :-D
On second thought, I think I ought let this question go. I'll try and find out another way.
Yes, it could be a Carniolan or perhaps Russian, there are several black type bees.
Quote from: Scadsobees on May 04, 2010, 11:53:19 PM
Yes, it could be a Carniolan or perhaps Russian, there are several black type bees.
... yessirooni ...
adding a few more pictures, nothing more.
(http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo352/cv_wildlife/dark%20bees/drkbeesm1.jpg) (http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo352/cv_wildlife/dark%20bees/drkbeesm4.jpg)
(http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo352/cv_wildlife/dark%20bees/drkbeesm6.jpg) (http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo352/cv_wildlife/dark%20bees/drkbeesm5.jpg)
another good site for insect identification
http://www.whatsthatbug.com/ (http://www.whatsthatbug.com/)
Yeah, those new pics show it is definitely a honey bee of some sort.
Aside from pictures, I think the only way to figure out what type of black bee, carniolan, russian, german, is through hive behavior and characteristics. Temperament, swarming, propolis gathering, buildup, etc.
(http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo352/cv_wildlife/post-it-note-md.png)