The Summer Long-Horned Bees are Back!
Look who was in a cosmos cupcake blossom this weekend.
I was so happy to see this Summer Long-Horned female bee Melissodes robustior.
Look at her distinctive hairy scopa (basket), the fuzzy bright yellow elongated oval shape to the left of her abdomen.
This is where she stores pollen.
The peak flight season for these bees is from late June to early August.
The preferred flowers for the females are asters, coreopsis, cosmos, helianthus and rudbeckia for pollen. For nectar they visit scabiosa and lavandula blossoms.
