Poey'S Furrow Bee

halictus poeyi

Poey's Furrow Bee (Halictus poeyi) is a fascinating species of sweat bee closely related to the widespread Ligated Furrow Bee. Found primarily in the southeastern United States, this hardworking insect plays a vital role in local ecosystems by pollinating a vast array of wildflowers and agricultural crops. What makes H. poeyi particularly interesting is its complex social structure; these bees are primitively eusocial, meaning they form small underground colonies governed by a reproductive queen and supported by her non-reproductive worker daughters. Often overlooked due to their small stature, these bees are incredibly industrious. They earn their "furrow bee" moniker from the extensive, branching tunnels they excavate in bare, well-drained soil. Furthermore, they are famously known as "sweat bees" because of their curious habit of landing on humans to lap up perspiration, a behavior driven by their need to supplement their diet with essential salts and moisture that are often lacking in floral nectar.

生息地: Found in open, sunny environments such as meadows, prairies, agricultural fields, and urban gardens where patches of bare soil are available for nesting.

外見

Poey's Furrow Bee is a small to medium-sized insect, typically measuring between 7 and 11 millimeters in length. It features a dark brownish-black to slightly metallic head and thorax, with a robust, heavily punctate (pitted) exoskeleton. A key identifying feature is the presence of distinct pale, whitish or yellowish hair bands located on the apical (trailing) edges of its abdominal segments. Females possess dense brushes of specialized hairs (scopae) on their hind legs, which are often packed with bright yellow or orange pollen. Males are generally more slender, have much longer antennae, and display conspicuous yellow markings on their legs and lower faces.

界Animalia門Arthropoda綱Insecta目Hymenoptera科Halictidae属Halictus

Poey'S Furrow Bee

カテゴリ

昆虫

レア度

Common

危険度

1/5 · 非常に低い

スナップ

最初にスナップしよう！

おもしろい事実

As a 'sweat bee', it has a mild sting that is virtually painless to humans, usually only stinging if it becomes accidentally trapped or squished against the skin.

For a long time, Poey's Furrow Bee was thought to be exactly the same species as the Ligated Furrow Bee (Halictus ligatus) until scientists noticed subtle differences in their genetics and wing shapes.

To survive the winter, only the newly mated queens hibernate underground, emerging in the spring to start entirely new colonies from scratch.

特殊能力

Forms underground colonies with a reproductive queen and female workers, representing a key evolutionary stepping stone between solitary and fully social bees.

Actively seeks out and laps up human or animal sweat to obtain essential minerals and moisture that are scarce in a strict nectar diet.

Digs deep, branching architectural tunnels in hard-packed dirt to create highly protected nursery chambers for their developing brood.

サイズと詳細

長さ: 0-1 cm
翼開長: 1 cm
体重: 0.00002-0.00005 kg
寿命: 0-1 年
Top Speed: 15 km/h
一度の産卵数: 5-30
抱卵期間: 3-6 日

食性と食事

Adults consume nectar for energy and gather pollen to provision their underground brood cells for the developing larvae.

年齢による違い: Larvae feed exclusively on pollen and nectar provisions left in their cell by the mother or workers; adult bees primarily consume nectar for energy.

主な食物

Nectar
Pollen

採餌方法

Foraging

生態系とのつながり

host plant

Spanish Needles

Bidens alba

Poey's Furrow Bee is a major pollinator for this common, prolific southeastern wildflower.

eaten by

Goldenrod Crab Spider

Misumena vatia

Crab spiders camouflage themselves on flower heads to ambush and consume foraging sweat bees.

parasite

Cuckoo Bee

Sphecodes spp.

Cleptoparasitic cuckoo bees sneak into the furrow bee's nest to lay their own eggs on the hard-earned pollen provisions.

特徴

このオブジェクトにはまだ特徴バッジが割り当てられていません。

別名

まだ別名はありません。

コレクション

テーマが追加されると、このオブジェクトのコレクションがここに表示されます。

安全性

危険度

1/5 · 非常に低い

まだ特別な安全上の注意はありません。

よくある質問

Poey'S Furrow Beeを見分けるには？

Poey'S Furrow Beeを識別する最も簡単な方法は、Snappit自然識別アプリを使用することです。

Poey'S Furrow Beeの長さは何ですか？

0-1 cm

Poey'S Furrow Beeの翼開長は何ですか？

1 cm

Poey'S Furrow Beeの体重は何ですか？

0.00002-0.00005 kg

Poey'S Furrow Beeの寿命は何ですか？

0-1 年

Poey'S Furrow Beeのtop Speedは何ですか？

15 km/h

Poey'S Furrow Beeは何を食べますか？

Adults consume nectar for energy and gather pollen to provision their underground brood cells for the developing larvae.

Poey'S Furrow Beeは通常どこに生息していますか？

Found in open, sunny environments such as meadows, prairies, agricultural fields, and urban gardens where patches of bare soil are available for nesting.