small black bee

greenbtree · June 14, 2010, 01:08:29 PM

My son and I were running errands the other day, an we found a bee wandering on the dashboard. She was exhausted and fell out the window when I put her there to try to get a picture so I don't have one. She was only about two-thirds the normal size of a bee and totally black ( not just dark). Definitely a honey bee though, her little pollen baskets were chock full. I told my son we should feed her sugar water and follow her back to her hive. "Mom, it could be miles!" "I was JOKING!"

Just curiosity, was this the native black bee? Didn't think there were many of those left.

JC

Robo · June 14, 2010, 02:20:59 PM

My guess would be some type of Halictidae (sweat bee) and not a honeybee.

greenbtree · June 14, 2010, 02:26:51 PM

Do sweat bees collect pollen?

JC

FRAMEshift · June 14, 2010, 02:32:45 PM

Quote from: greenbtree on June 14, 2010, 01:08:29 PMher little pollen baskets were chock full.

Was the pollen in baskets or could it have been in hairs on the ventral side of the abdomen? My daughter found a Blue Orchard Mason bee in our yard last week.. It looked like your description except the pollen was not in baskets.

Robo · June 14, 2010, 02:39:02 PM

Quote from: greenbtree on June 14, 2010, 02:26:51 PM
Do sweat bees collect pollen?

JC

Yes they do.

BjornBee · June 14, 2010, 03:27:02 PM

Old field bees can be very dark as they near the end of their lives. Robbers bees, which are the oldest bees taking the biggest risks in getting killed, are many times seen to be very black and somewhat shiny. You don't send out young bees for foraging as the mortality rate can be high. Bees also send out robbers at the end of their lifespan, due to this same fact. Nature is amazing to figure such things out.

I would venture to say that the chances of this bee being a carni or another dark bee line being seen is a million times more likely than some long lost German black bee or some supposed native black bee.

greenbtree · June 14, 2010, 05:24:45 PM

Interesting. I could see how she would be an older bee, she looked quite worn out. I keep learning...

JC

AllenF · June 14, 2010, 06:09:38 PM

If you still got the bee, take a pic. Worth a thousand word.

fermentedhiker · June 14, 2010, 08:07:24 PM

If it's that much smaller than a normal honeybee it's likely a native bee of some sort(not an A. mellifera subspecies). If you check out www.bugguide.net or www.whatsthatbug.com I'd be willing to bet you find a match to your mystery bee.