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Bees of Zihuatanejo

EPIFAMILY ANTHOPHILA

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

-Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

-Insects (Class Insecta)

-Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

-Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies (Order Hymenoptera)

-Narrow-waisted Wasps, Ants, and Bees (Suborder Apocrita)

-Ants, Bees, and Stinging Wasps (Infraorder Aculeata)

-Bees and Apoid Wasps (Superfamily Apoidea)

-Bees (Epifamily Anthophila)

-Mining Bees (Family Andrenidae)

-Subfamily Panurginae

-Tribe Calliopsini

-Genus Calliopsis

-Subgenus Calliopsis


Calliopsis bees are generalists, meaning they visit a wide range of flowers, collecting both nectar and pollen. True to their common name, Calliopsis bees are mining bees and nest in the ground, preferring loose, sandy soils. Females dig vertical tunnels up to 10-20 cm deep, leading to multiple brood chambers where they lay their eggs.



Calliopsis Mining Bees

Calliopsis (Genus)

Range

  • The genus Calliopsis is distributed from southern Canada through the United States, Mexico, Central America, and into northern South America.

  • Numerous species occur throughout Mexico, including the Pacific coast of Guerrero and the Zihuatanejo region.

  • Most species are found in warm, open habitats.

Habitat

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, grasslands, woodland edges, scrublands, desert margins, secondary forests, gardens, and agricultural fields.

  • Most species nest in well-drained, sandy or loose soils, often in sunny areas with sparse vegetation.

  • Frequently visits flowering plants in open habitats and forest clearings.

Behaviour

  • Solitary, with each female excavating her own underground nest and provisioning brood cells independently.

  • Active during the day, collecting pollen and nectar from a wide variety of flowering plants.

  • Some species are oligolectic, specializing on pollen from only one or a few closely related plant groups.

  • Generally docile and rarely sting unless directly handled.

Size

  • Body length: 4–10 mm (0.16–0.39 in)

  • Females are usually slightly larger and more robust than males.

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