top of page

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)

-​Honey Bees, Bumble Bees, and Allies (Family Apidae)

-Apine Bees (Subfamily Apinae)​

-Longhorn Bees (Tribe Eucerini)

-Squash Bees (Genus Peponapis)


Peponapis is a genus of bees commonly known as squash bees, primarily found in North America. These solitary bees are important pollinators, especially for plants in the Cucurbitaceae family, which includes squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, and melons. Peponapis bees are solitary and usually nest in the ground. They prefer sandy or well-drained soils that allow for easier excavation. Females dig vertical burrows where they create individual brood cells.



Peponapis Squash Bees

Peponapis (Genus)

Range

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

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

  • They are found wherever wild or cultivated squash, pumpkins, gourds, and other Cucurbita species grow.

Habitat

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, woodland edges, agricultural fields, orchards, gardens, secondary forests, and disturbed habitats.

  • Females nest in well-drained soil, often close to patches of squash or other Cucurbita plants.

  • Adults are most abundant in areas where their host plants flower.

Behaviour

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

  • Active very early in the morning, often beginning to forage before sunrise, when squash flowers first open.

  • Highly specialized pollinators that collect pollen almost exclusively from pumpkins, squashes, gourds, and other Cucurbita species.

  • Males commonly spend the night sleeping inside closed squash flowers, emerging at dawn when the blossoms reopen.

  • Generally docile and rarely sting unless handled.

Size

  • Body length: 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in)

  • Females are generally larger and more robust than males.

bottom of page