Mystery Bees: Solved?
Today the Oregonian featured an entomologist from Oregon State University. It was humorous, and a bit scary to read about the various ways in which specimans arrive at Jim Young’s lab. I never heard back from the Xerces Society, so I decided to send this “insect detective” an email. Amazingly, he wrote back within an hour AND has a name for my mystery bee (which doesn’t actually seem to be a bee).
It looks like my bees are not actually bees, but rather a type of potter wasp. I remember some of them from when I lived in the South because their nests actually looked like pots, but the locals here in the Pacific Northwest seem to be using my mason bee home, which is fine with me.
I’d like to thank Jim Young for his expertise and generosity.
