It is not often that I see Protandrena from #britishcolumbiacanada and this one appears to be an #undescribed #species (though I believe there is a name forthcoming) #beesofcanada #beesofbritishcolumbia

While identifying #bumblebees I came across an interesting male of #Bombus rufocinctus. The second image shows the normal head/face of a male, while the head in the second is quite deformed; the right eye/antennae are absent but the exoskeleton is present and is covered with hair. #beesofcanada

A male Colletes on Sphaeralcea coccinea at roadside #beesofcanada #scarletglobemallow #saskachewan

The abundance of male Bombus bimaculatus is providing a lot of opportunities for crab spiders in our garden. It is only in the last decade we have found this #bumblebee species in SK and it is spreading quickly, now as far north as Nipawin, and now maybe our most common in the south. #beesofcanada

What a beautiful bee the female of Megachile pugnata Say is. #bees #leafcutterbees #Hymenoptera #beesofcanada

A sleeping male Coelioxys bitting on a milkweed leave #beesofcanada #cuckoobees #sleepingbees

This male Megachile inermis Provancher is staying put for the night, so it allowed me to get a few more photos #beesofcanada #bees #leafcutterbee #macrophotography

This male Megachile inermis Provancher has been busy patrolling our raspberry flowers, and knocking other bees out of the way. #beesofcanada #leafcutterbee #macrophotograpy

The Hylaeus are flying in Saskatchewan, and Hylaeus annulatus (Linnaeus) are all over (and inside of) our raspberry flowers. #beesofcanada #maskedbees #rubus #raspberry #macrophotography

Our resin bees continue to emerge from nesting tubes; this beauty is a female Heriades carinata #beesofcanada #resinbees #macrophotography

In the Great Sandhills of SK we observed many cool bees, including Lasioglossum pictum, on wild rose. The type series was also caught from rose, though it visits other plants. This colourful little bee also tends to nest in sandy areas. #beesofcanada #sweatbees #macrophotography #sanddunes

Look at the ocelli on this female Andrena ceanothi Viereck - the anterior ocellus and one of the laterals have fused into one large, irregular lens. There are three females in this series, though only one has this condition, and it is also the only one that is stylopized. #beesofcanada #mutant #bees

This colourful bee is Andrena erythrogaster, a rather common spring species in Canada. It is a common visitor of willows (Salix), but also uses pollen from cherry (Prunus), Saskatoons (Amelanchier), and hawthorn (Crataegus). #beesofcanada #bees #macrophotography

Look closely at the oil-glands at the base of this Lysimachia flower. The oil is used for larval food by Macropis nuda, and helps line and water-proof the natal cells in the soil. The female bee has specialized hairs on the hind legs for carrying the oil to the nest. #oilbee #beesofcanada #bees

The female of Nomada depressa is a I have been watching and photographing for a number of years in my flower garden, and have watched it go in and out of nests of Andrena milwaukeensis in the same garden #cuckoobees #Nomada #hosts #beesofcanada #macrophotography

Megachile discorhina Cockerell, 1924 is a beautiful #resinbee of the southwestern USA and Mexico. This single specimen is from #Alberta, Canada. Mislabelled? An introduction that did not establish? Will look into it more. It is a cool bee! #beesofcanada

Looks like another #bumblebee species can be added to the list of species occurring in the #NorthwestTerritories #beesOfCanada #bees

I have a small series of Bombus sandersoni from Newfoundland that have a lot of pale hairs on tergum 5 (which is not that uncommon), but have not seen many with so many pale hairs on terga 3 & 4. #bumblebees #beesofcanada

Another #bumblebee that seems to be making its way into northern Canada, these Bombus ternarius were collected in the Northwest Territories. There are also a few recent records on @inaturalist.bsky.social #beesofcanada

Northern #Canada may be the spot if you are interested in observing good numbers of the #cuckoo #bumblebee Bombus bohemicus in North America, these from a few locations in the Northwest Territories #beesofcanada #speciesAtrRisk

A female mason bee, Osmia tersula nesting in our bee condo. In the first image you can see her carrying chewed leaf pieces, which she will use to make her nest cells. #macrophotography #masonbees #beesofcanada

Bombus huntii

Bombus perplexus

Bombus bimaculatus

Our #haskap is in full bloom, and it is loaded with #bumblebee queens: Bombus huntii, B. perplexus, and B. bimaculatus #pollination #beesofcanada

Nomada crawfordi Cockerell, a beautiful #cuckoo #bee that in Canada is known from #saskatchewan and #manitoba. Though two subspecies are recognized, only the typical form seems to occur in Canada #beesofcanada

Though they are not unexpected, it is nice to confirm the presence of Megachile casadae and Megachile anograe from Saskatchewan - both known from Alberta. #beesofcanada #leafcutterbees #prairiebees

This #melanistic form of Habropoda miserabilis, known from only a few locations from #coastal #BritishColumbia #Canada is a really stunning #bee #beesofcanada

Lasioglossum occidentale (Crawford, 1902) is one of the few species of subgenus #Dialictus in North America with only two-submarginal cells in the forewing. #beesofCanada #bees #macrophotography

Look who has pupated! A #resinbee, Megachile campanulae, reared from a #nest in Saskatchewan. The mother that laid the egg is in the first photo #beecondo #beesofcanada

Two #bees from two different families sharing the same #raspberry #flower; the black bee is a female Hylaeus (Colletidae), the other is the tail end of a female Lasioglossum (Dialictus) (Halictidae) #beesofcanada #macrophotography

This male #bumblebee from Fort Qu’Appelle, #Saskatchewan, is the darkest Bombus bohemicus I have ever seen - other than the anterior part of the dorsum of the thorax and the small pale yellow patches on terga 4 and 5, it would be entirely black! #beesofcanada

Anthophora bomboides is highly colour-variable, but recognition of most subspecies is not warranted. Here are two of the “subspecies” nesting together in the same bank - its nest parasites, Triepeolus dacotensis was also present. #beesofcanada #cuckoobees #diggerbees #macrophotography #beenests