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Ceratina Latreille
Small Carpenter Bees

Life   Insecta   Hymenoptera   Apoidea   Apidae
Subgenera: Calloceratina, Catoceratina, Ceratina, Ceratinidia, Ceratinula, Chloroceratina, Copoceratina, Crewella, Ctenoceratina, Dalyatina, Euceratina, Hirashima, Lioceratina, Malgatina, Megaceratina, Neoceratina, Neoclavicera, Pithitis, Pithitis_sensu_lato, Protopithitis, Rhysoceratina, Simioceratina, Uncertain, Xanthoceratina, Zadontomerus

Links
    Extracted from 2017 “Bees of Maryland: A Field Guide” http://bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

    Despite being in the Carpenter Bee Group, these are very small bees, only half the size of a Honey Bee. However, they are far more abundant than Xylocopa carpenter bees; but unlike the huge Xylocopa, they cannot chew into wood and do not inhabit wooden structures, although they do inhabit pithy stems. Consequently, they are much less visible to the average person, but if you look closely, you will find them on many flowers.

    Field Marks: ♀♂Dull metallic blue or greenish-blue with pale marks on the clypeus (rarely absent in female C. calcarata). No hairs on body obvious to the naked eye. Abdomen with no pale markings or hair bands. Abdomen, sides, somewhat parallel and ridged like bottled water bottle; back end bluntly comes to and end with a tiny projecting point or flange. ♀Clypeus with longitudinal white stripe or dot (rarely absent). Hind legs, sparse pollen hairs. Abdomen end comes to a blunt end and contains a short obtuse spike/projection. ♂Clypeus with inverted white T-shaped mark covering rim with stem of “T” running up the center. Abdomen comes to a blunt end with a wide to narrow projecting flange/plate at the very end.

    Flight Season: Throughout.

    Size Relative to Honey Bee: 0.5X.

    Position of Wings Feeding on Flowers: Held over the back.

    Location of Pollen Carrying Hairs: Hind tibia primarily.

    Similar Genera: Nothing is similar.

    Nest: Pith of cut/browsed stems of shrubs, brambles, and forbs.

    Flowers: Nectars on a variety of flowers.

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Ceratina
Ted Kropiewnicki · 10
Ceratina
Ceratina
Ted Kropiewnicki · 10
Ceratina

Ceratina nigroaenea, female
© Copyright Gideon Pisanty 2011 · 9
Ceratina nigroaenea, female
Ceratina dentiventris, female
© Copyright Gideon Pisanty 2011 · 9
Ceratina dentiventris, female

Ceratina bifida, female
© Copyright Gideon Pisanty 2011 · 9
Ceratina bifida, female
Ceratina bifida, female
© Copyright Gideon Pisanty 2011 · 9
Ceratina bifida, female

Ceratina dentiventris, female
© Copyright Gideon Pisanty 2011 · 9
Ceratina dentiventris, female
Ceratina nigroaenea, female
© Copyright Gideon Pisanty 2011 · 9
Ceratina nigroaenea, female

Ceratina mikmaqi, female
© David Biddinger, 2024 · 9
Ceratina mikmaqi, female
Ceratina mikmaqi, female
© David Biddinger, 2024 · 9
Ceratina mikmaqi, female

Ceratina acantha, female, lateral, DC
© Copyright source/photographer · 9
Ceratina acantha, female, lateral, DC
Ceratina acantha, male, face
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Ceratina acantha, male, face

Ceratina acantha, male, side
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Ceratina acantha, male, side
Ceratina acantha, male, top
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Ceratina acantha, male, top
Kinds
Overview

The following material taken with permission from: Mitchell, T.B. 1962. Bees of the Eastern United States, Volume II. North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station. Tech. Bul. No.152, 557 p.

Our species of Ceratina are black, bluish-green or blue, often with yellowish or ivory maculations on the clypeus, pronotal tubercles and legs. In the front wing the stigma is well developed. Although the clypeus is quite flat, the labrum is quite fully exposed by the closed mandibles. These have a broad base, but the upper margin is deeply concave, with the apex slender. The labrum fits into the resulting space. The thorax is gradually declivous posteriorly, the menanotum and dorsal area of the propodeum forming a part of the dorsal surface. The abdomen in the female is obtusely angulate at the apex, while in the male the sixth tergum may bear a low median tuft of hairs that superficially resembles the angle in the females. Tergum 7 in the males is well developed, occupying a more ventral position, and is either conspicuously carinate or tuberculate.

These bees commonly nest in the pithy stems of plans. Several papers on their biology have been published by Ashmead, Packard, Rau, Graenicher, Hicks and Krombein.


Names
Scientific source:

Supported by

Hosts · map
FamilyScientific name @ source (records)
A. newhart  623 @ JRYB__SHEN (1)
Apiaceae  Foeniculum vulgare @ I_GID (1)
Asteraceae  Bidens pilosa @ I_JSA (1)
C. smith  672 @ JRYB__SHEN (1)
J. rykken  1029 @ JRYB__SHEN (1)

832 @ JRYB__SHEN (1)
K. kingsley  1059 @ JRYB__SHEN (1)
M.l. epps  808 @ JRYB__SHEN (1)
Melastomataceae  Melastoma malabathricum @ I_JSA (1)
Ml. epps  808 @ JRYB__SHEN (4)
R. minor  808 @ JRYB__SHEN (1)
_  Asteraceae @ I_JSA (1)

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Updated: 2024-04-19 19:32:43 gmt
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