Below you will find links to websites that will help you identify many of the 800-900 species of native bees in Texas. If you have a microscope and the tools to catch a bee, or if you are handy at taking close-up photos of native bees, these sites should help you with identification.
A. Learn the basics first.
1. Eight hundred bees are a lot to get a net on. Dr. Gordon Frankie at UC Berkeley provides a concise description of the five main native bee families on his Urban Bee Gardens website. Take some time to look over the rest of his site, too. More than anyone else, Dr. Frankie is the leader in increasing native bee awareness and native bee-friendly garden practices.
http://nature.berkeley.edu/urbanbeegardens/research_regional.html
2. Thank goodness, Dr. Jack Neff stalks native bees. Not only is he our resident Texas expert, but, in 1990, he compiled a list of about 56 genera and 185 species of native bees that he found in central Austin. A list of these bees is now on the University of Texas website. I used this list to get started on my own bee studies.
Apoidea (Bees) of Brackenridge Tract in Travis County by Dr. Jack Neff
B. Learn to recognize native bee genera.
1. I met Dr. Gretchen LeBuhn at The Bee Course in Arizona in 2008. Dr. LeBuhn, a fan of sunflowers and their native bee visitors, includes a set of photos and descriptions of common genera of native bees on her website for The Great Sunflower Project.
2. Sam Droege at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, works tirelessly processing information about native bees. He oversaw the preparation of these native bee guides. These links display photos and a bit of biology about Eastern US native bee genera. Most of our Texas native bee genera are covered here.
Guide to the Bee Genera within Apidae of Eastern North America, Part 1
Guide to the Bee Genera within Apidae of Eastern North America, Part 2
Guide to the Bee Genera within Adrenidae, Collitidae, and Mellitidae of Eastern North America
Guide to the Bee Genera within Megachilidae of Eastern North America
Guide to the Bee Genera within Halictidae of Eastern North America
C. More help with identification
1. The Discover Life site (another project of Sam’s) steps you through photos of physical characteristics of native bees to lead you to an identification. It takes a bit of time, a bit of previous knowledge, and, possibly, a microscope to really use these guides, but if you have an idea of which bee you have, these guides may help you confirm your identification.
2. The Bug Guide site is just about insects. Bee Watchers from all over the US upload their photos here and get them identified by other Bee Watchers. If you can't find a matching photo, or have a photo of a native bee you think is unusual, you can upload your photo. Several native bee experts regularly check these photos and will often be able to identify your native bee.
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