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- Latin Name: Anthophoridae & Andrenidae
- Latin Family Name: Apidae
- Common Name: Digger or Mining Bee
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
These are important native bees in North America.
Biology:
This is a very large family of bees, with over 1,200 species in North America. Most are small to medium sized and most nest in burrows in the soil, the female digging a vertical tunnel with small chambers off to the side of it. There often will be many females actively digging in one area, and the sight of hundreds of little bees swirling around over the surface may frighten homeowners. However, while the females may be “capable” of inflicting a very minor sting, these are solitary bees and the threat of stinging is extremely low. It often will be the stingless males that are seen flying around so rapidly over the soil. The females
- Latin Name: Xylocopa virginica
- Latin Family Name: Apidae
- Common Name: Eastern Carpenter Bee
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
These are native insects in North America.
Biology:
Carpenter bees are solitary bees that get their common name from their habit of boring chambers in solid wood in order to create living quarters for their larvae. Softer woods such as redwood may be preferred, and the wood is not eaten, but instead is reduced to sawdust (“frass”) which is ejected from the tunnels. The female bee does the excavating, and several females may be working in the same section of wood and using the same entrance hole, but creating separate galleries. Males and females over-winter in old galleries and emerge in the spring to mate. They will both die before the end of the summer and it is their offspring which begin the next
- Latin Name: Apis mellifera
- Latin Family Name: Apidae
- Common Name: European Honey Bee
- Other Names: Western honey bee, subspecies include Italian, German, and Africanized honey bees
Origin:
A native of Europe and Asia, the honeybee was introduced to the United States for honey production and pollination of crops. The Africanized honeybee (a.k.a. “killer bee”) evolved in Africa, was introduced to South America, and found its way north into the U.S.
Biology:
Honeybees are social bees, with colonies composed of a single Queen and many hundreds of workers. New colonies are begun when additional Queens are produced in a colony and all but one leave, each newly fertilized Queen taking a consort of workers with her. Males (drones) are produced only for mating with these new queens, and the males then die. Only the females
- Latin Name: Megachilidae
- Latin Family Name: Megachilidae
- Common Name: Leafcutting Bee
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
A number of native species of these beneficial bees occur throughout North America.
Biology:
Leaf-cutting bees are solitary bees that create small tubes, made from circular sections of leaves, for their larvae to live in. Evidence of the bees will be leaves on plants with numerous circular sections cut from their margins, as well as the small tubes tucked into many holes or crevices. They are excellent pollinators, their activity on plants does not harm the plant, and they are unlikely to sting without serious provocation. Holes in wood siding or stucco that contain the leaf tubes were not created by the bee, but already were present and discovered by the bee in its search for suitable places for its larvae. Occasionally
- Latin Name: Colletidae
- Latin Family Name: Colletidae
- Common Name: Plasterer Bee
- Other Names: Yellow-faced Bees
Origin:
These are important native bees in North America.
Biology:
This is a fairly small family of bees that are similar in appearance and habits to the Halictidae, or sweat bees. There are about 160 species in North America. The females dig a vertical tunnel downward in the soil with small chambers off to the side of this main tunnel. In this chamber she places a food supply of pollen and nectar and then a single egg, and the larva develops within its chamber. A small mound of soil is often present at the surface where the main tunnel begins. While the females may be “capable” of inflicting a very minor sting, these are solitary bees and the threat of stinging is extremely low. They are native bees and
- Latin Name: Halictidae
- Latin Family Name: Halictidae
- Common Name: Sweat Bee
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
These are important native bees in North America.
Biology:
This family of highly beneficial bees consists of only solitary bees. They do not form colonies of workers and a queen, but instead the female works alone following mating to create a nest area for her offspring, usually in small chambers in the soil. She then provisions each chamber with pollen and nectar for the single egg in that chamber. A few species in the family are referred to as “cleptoparasites” in that the female deposits her eggs in chambers already provisioned with food and eggs by other species and the larva consumes that egg and then the food meant for the other species of bee. These bees are important pollinators, and while they are “capable”
- Latin Name: Xylocopa varipuncta
- Latin Family Name: Apidae
- Common Name: Valley Carpenter Bee
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
These are native insects in North America and this species is found from Texas to California and south into Mexico.
Biology:
Carpenter bees are solitary bees that get their common name from their habit of boring chambers in solid wood in order to create living quarters for their larvae. Softer woods such as redwood may be preferred, and the wood is not eaten, but instead is reduced to sawdust (“frass”) which is ejected from the tunnels. The female bee does the excavating, and several females may be working in the same section of wood and using the same entrance hole, but creating separate galleries. Males and females over-winter in old galleries and emerge in the spring to mate. They will both die before
- Latin Name: Cimex pilosellus
- Latin Family Name: Cimicidae
- Common Name: Bat Bug
- Other Names: Western bat bug
Origin:
Native to North America, and found from British Columbia south into California, and east into the Rocky Mountains.
Biology:
As the name implies this bug is associated with bats in structures or other roosting areas. They appear not to be particularly inclined to feed on humans, but they can be a concern if their numbers are high and they invade human activity areas.
Identification:
Bed bugs in general are wingless insects with an extremely flattened body from top to bottom, except when they are engorged with blood. They have a large, round abdomen, long 4-segmented antennae, and a small prothorax that flares to the sides. Their mouth is a short, 3-segmented proboscis that is held below
- Latin Name: Cimex lectularius
- Latin Family Name: Cimicidae
- Common Name: Common Bed Bug
- Other Names: Chintzes, chinches, mahogany flats, red coats, crimson ramblers
Origin:
It is believed that this bug originally evolved with bats living in caves in the Middle East, but in the United States it appears now to be wholly a human pest. It has been associated with humans for thousands of years.
Biology:
While this species is not associated with the spread of any diseases, its bite can have a serious effect on people who are sensitive to its saliva, and swelling and severe itching or other immune system reactions may be common. The bite itself is generally painless. The Human bed bug is nocturnal, feeding only at night when people are asleep. During the daylight hours it hides in any available crack or hole in the immediate area. The
- Latin Name: Oeciacus vicarius
- Latin Family Name: Cimicidae
- Common Name: Swallow Bug
- Other Names: American barn swallow bug
Origin:
Possibly native to North America, and an extremely common pest in association with swallows and their nests.
Biology:
Swallow bugs are found commonly in barn and cliff swallow nests, but readily invade the structures and bite humans as well. This may be particularly common following the departure of the birds, leaving the insects no other food source nearby. The bugs breed throughout the summer, building up large populations by the end of summer and early fall when the birds depart. They are not incriminated as vectors of any diseases to humans, but their bite is known to cause minor to serious reactions on humans. These bugs may survive up to 3 years in swallow nests without feeding, and their feeding