Black bee

AllenF · July 28, 2010, 10:05:46 PM

Check out this black bee I caught. I had the bees cleaning up cappings and supers this weekend and was watching the hornets and yellow jackets work in with the bees and then I saw a fly, but it was no fly. Its a all black bee. I stuck it in a jar and froze it. Maybe I can get a camera with a better zoom one day. What kind of bee do you think it is. It's not from my hives unless it is a freak.

Livefreeordie · July 28, 2010, 10:36:23 PM

Maybe?

Ground bees
These dig tunnels in the ground and hence are also called "mining bees". These tunnels are made with the aim of providing shelter for their progeny. Well-shaded areas having loose soil and scarce vegetation are chosen. Chambers are made at the end of the tunnels by female bees. Here, they store food for the baby bees. The ground bee is black in color, small in size and can sting. Normally, they are not aggressive. However, when they feel threatened they can attack. Pollen is carried on the body and leg hairs. These bees are either solitary or communal and live in separate but closeby nests.

From
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/types-of-bees.html

hardwood · July 29, 2010, 12:59:49 AM

Looks like one of the sweat bees to me.

Scott

gundalf · July 29, 2010, 08:24:48 AM

Looks like the little varmints that are constantly in my garage, filling screw holes in my power tools with mud... One of them messed with my nailer, when I forgot to put the rubber cap on the air input...

caticind · July 29, 2010, 05:05:33 PM

Don't know if you can see now it's been frozen, but does it have "fuzz" on the bottom of the abdomen?

I regularly see several species of solitary bee sharing the garden with my girls, and most of them have the "scopa", that "fuzz", which is where they store pollen instead of in baskets.

AllenF · July 29, 2010, 08:23:30 PM

It has a little hair on the body, not as much as yellow honey bees. It is just about the same size as honey bees.

slacker361 · July 29, 2010, 11:00:34 PM

It's the anti-Christ in the form of a bee. Good thing you killed it

AllenF · July 29, 2010, 11:04:43 PM

So if he comes back to life??????????????

keithbeekeeper · July 30, 2010, 03:51:49 AM

It must be a European black bee. i found this info at beekeepingsuccess.com "The European dark bee can be distinguished from other subspecies by their stocky body, abundant thoracal and sparse abdominal hair which is brown, and overall dark coloration." is it some kind of a spy in one of your bee hives?

Scadsobees · July 30, 2010, 11:16:47 AM

Japanese hornfaced bee.

Sometime cultivated pollinator, good in orchards, good alternative pollinator for honeybees where necessary. I find them hanging on to my fountain grasses at night.

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=japanese%20hornfaced%20bee&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1180&bih=662

slacker361 · July 30, 2010, 11:36:11 AM

Quote from: AllenF on July 29, 2010, 11:04:43 PM
So if he comes back to life??????????????

you have to drive a tiny little stake through its tiny little heart, and chant while you do it

AllenF · July 30, 2010, 03:02:47 PM

So you can kill the anti christ?

slacker361 · July 31, 2010, 09:54:20 AM

with a special set of daggers ,,,,,,,geez didn't anyone watch dameon when they were little

AllenF · July 31, 2010, 03:47:39 PM

You mean The Omen?

slacker361 · July 31, 2010, 06:10:53 PM

yeah that too , wasnt the last one in the trilogy called dameon?

AllenF · August 16, 2010, 04:07:32 PM

Update, I was checking boxes this morning and I found out where the black bees are coming from. I have a nuc that has a few jet black bees in it. I saw 4 or 5 while pulling frames. They are completely black. Genetic freaks in the hive I guess. I have seen dark bees all the time, but these are really cool looking, all black.