Megachilidae
Leaf-cutter bee on a borage flower note the belly brush
- Bastard bees ( Trachusa )
- Leafcutter bees ( Megachile )
- Dark bees ( Stelis )
- Resin bees ( Anthidiellum )
- Cone bees ( Coelioxys )
- Holes bees ( Heriades )
- Mason bees ( Hoplitis, Hoplosmia, Osmia )
- Scissors bees ( Chelostoma )
- Stone bees ( Lithurgus )
- Wool bees ( Anthidium, Pseudoanthidium )
- Two tooth bees ( Aglaoapis )
The Megachilidae family belongs to the bees in the order of the Hymenoptera ( Hymenoptera).
Features
The members of this family form a rather uniform, compared to other bees well-defined group. The females of the species have an abdominal nichtparasitischen brush, that is, the underside of the abdomen is densely covered with long, stiff, projecting obliquely backwards hair. These are used for collecting pollen as food for the larvae. These types are therefore among the belly collectors. The conformation is usually compact, especially in the larger species, many have a very broad abdomen (wool bees, such as the Great Wollbiene ), with some of the abdomen is almost spherical. The smaller species are mostly built cylindrical.
Way of life
The way of life of different types is very diverse: Most brood cells are created in different cavities, the inner walls sometimes with scraped from leaves plant fibers lined (wool bees) or with cut pieces of leaf ( leaf-cutter bees). Some species nest in plant stems, in which a longitudinal passage was gnawed. In particular, some species of the genera of mason bees and leafcutter bees are often found around human dwellings ( Synanthropie ) and are thus of Natural Knowledgeable to familiar phenomena.
The cone bees ( Coelioxys ), named after the peculiar, stocky - wide but backwards evenly tapered body shape, live as parasites in breeding leaf-cutter bees, each type has it their specific host species.
The Dark bees ( Stelis ) are also brood parasites, but at several Wall bee species ( Osmia ).
The Steinbienenart Lithurgus dentipes puts her pantries in the Carolines from also in dead hibiscus strains.