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The Colletidae are a family of bees, and are often referred to collectively as plasterer bees or polyester bees, due to the method of smoothing the walls of their nest cells with secretions applied with their mouthparts; these secretions dry into a cellophane-like lining. [1] The five subfamilies, 54 genera, and over 2000 species are all (with ...
Mar 29, 2024 · plasterer bee, (family Colletidae), large family of bees with more than 2,500 species found worldwide. Their common name, which is often used to refer to the bees of the genus Colletes, is derived from the protective, cellophane-like material that females secrete and plaster to the walls of their brood cells—a behavior unique to the family.
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- Description
- Distribution
- Phenology
- Nesting Habitat
- Host Plant and Foraging
- Nesting Biology
- Natural Enemies
- Pheromones
- Relationship to Humans
- Crop Pollination
C. validus is a medium-sized cellophane bee: females are 13–14 mm (0.51–0.55 in) long and males are 10–12 mm (0.39–0.47 in) long. As is the case with members of the genus Colletes, all individuals have an S-shaped 2nd recurrent vein on the forewing. Most notably, C. validus males and females have an exaggerated malar space, giving the impression of...
Its range extends from the Mid-Atlantic states north through New Hampshire and west through Michigan, with sparse records west to Wisconsin and north to Ontario. C. validus is found throughout this range in sandy areas in proximity to ericaceous plants. Records from Georgia and Florida likely belong to a newly described species, C. ultravalidus.
C. validus is a univoltine bee that flies in early spring, coinciding with the flowering of Vaccinium and other ericaceous plants. Near the southern extent of its range, adults fly in late-March, whereas further north flight occurs three to four weeks later. Males emerge precociously, i.e. a few days before females, and patrol nesting aggregations ...
C. validus is a gregarious nester, meaning that nests often occur in aggregations (≈5 nests/m2 ). Nesting sites are located in open sandy soils with sparse vegetation, often located close to their ericaceous hosts. Nests can be found on flat ground or south-facing slopes, but rarely under a closed canopy since C. validusprefers warm soils. Dense gr...
The common name of C. validus—blueberry cellophane bee—suggests a tighter relationship with its host plant than may actually exist. Evidence suggests it is not limited to blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) and it will forage for pollen broadly on a diversity of ericaceous plants with urceolate flowers, e.g. bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) and black huc...
Nests descend from 17 to 60 cm (6.7 to 23.6 in) and measure ≈8 mm (0.31 in) in diameter. Tunnel walls are not compacted since C. validus lacks a pygidial plate normally used for tamping down soil (a trait shared by all Colletes). Cells are constructed at the end of short lateral tunnels arranged radially around the main tunnel. Laterals are constru...
A variety of arthropods prey on C. validus nests. Adults of the blister beetle Tricrania sanguinipennis (Coleoptera) have been found in completed C. validus cells. Bee flies (Bombylius mexicanus, B. pygmaeus in Beltsville, MD) have been observed ovipositing in the nest entrances of Colletes validus, but no larvae have been recovered from cells. Rob...
Entomologists have long-noted the citrus-like odor emitted by Colletes when handled. Female C. validus will swarm around netted females emitting this odor. Past research has found that C. validus will aggregate around 1-terpinen-4-ol and a 3:1:1: mixture of linalool-neral-geranial. The exact aromatic profile of the Colletes attractant pheromone is ...
C. validus can nest on footpaths through sand plain preserves or in open backyards built on sandy oak-pine forests (e.g. Barnstable County, Massachusetts), resulting in possible conflict with humans and pets. However, concern is unwarranted as C. validusis docile and will not sting unprovoked. Like many other bees, they will forage for salts from h...
The potential of C. validus as a commercial blueberry pollinator has been acknowledged, but never fully explored. C. validus has many of the characteristics of a bee that could be commercially managed for pollination including a preference for blueberry flowers, a phenology that almost exclusively overlaps with the bloom time of blueberry, and an a...
4 days ago · Phylogeny of colletid bees (Hymenoptera: Colletidae) inferred from four nuclear genes. Almeida, E. A. B. and B. N. Danforth. 2009. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 50 (2009) 290–309. Pollen hosts of western palaearctic bees of the genus Colletes (Hymenoptera: Colletidae): the Asteraceae paradox. Müller, A. and M. Kuhlmann. 2008.
Colletinae is a subfamily of bees belonging to the family Colletidae. Wing venation in Colletinae Genera. Genera within this subfamily include: Brachyglossula Hedicke, 1922; Callomelitta Smith, 1853; Chrysocolletes Michener, 1965; Colletes Latreille, 1802; Eulonchopria Brèthes, 1909; Glossurocolletes Michener, 1965; Hesperocolletes Michener, 1965
Mar 14, 2024 · No Taxon (Apoidea (clade Anthophila) - Bees) Family Colletidae (Cellophane, Plasterer, Masked, and Allied Bees) Other Common Names. Masked Bees. Numbers. ca. 160 spp. in 6 genera of 4 subfamilies in our area, >2,500 spp. in ~90 genera of 8 subfamilies worldwide ( 1) Subfamilies: Colletinae: ca. 100 spp. in a single genus in our area, almost 500 ...
