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• 1Calliopsis
  • 1.1Description
  • 1.2Species
  • 1.3Diet

Calliopsis

This is the image of a female Calliopsis bee

This is an image of a Calliopsis Andreniformis Female (also known as a mining bee). Calliopsis is a small genus of bees. Calliopsis has many families from the Zebrata, Andrenidae to the Pugionis. These bees are located in the southwest region of America specifically in the state of California although it can be found in other states like Arizona and Oklahoma.

Description

The Calliopsis bee has broad head rather than being long like other bees. Male Calliopsis have broad yellow stripes on their head. Females have narrow yellow stripes. The bee also have very distinct long narrow wings and uncharacteristically somewhat hairy rather than its peers in other families.

Species

• C. pugionis
• C. zebrata
• C. andreniformis
• C. nebraskensisis

Mating

Unlike the meiosis based sex determination mechanisms of most organisms, sex determination in Hymenoptera is clearly under control of the female through selective fertilization of eggs. Calliopsis also are uninvoltine which means they only have one brood of offspring a year.

Nesting

Calliopsis is a ground-nesting bee. Calliopsis usually nest densely with more than a thousand nests in a single area.

Behavior

Since Calliopsis has many different species, a lot of bees behave differently in different region. For example, Calliopsis hondurasicus become active at the start of the dry season in mid- to late-December, and activity ends in late January or early February. Males patrol areas where females emerge and later nest, and they defend territories to which they return repeatedly. Male-male contests involve a rapid spiraling-upward flight, often followed by physical aggression after the pair tumbles to the ground. Nearly all females are solitary nesters, but they dig nests within aggregations near other females.. Calliopsis pugionsis emerged from nests that had been underwater for at least 3 months.

Miscellaneous Fact

• 1) The activity of the Calliopsis bees is based on the weather. On rainy or cloudy days the bees do little to no moving, meaning no pollination for that day. While on the other hand when it is sunny outside the bee seems to do more activity.
• 2) These bees have special hairs on their tibia, which is the part of the leg between the foot and the femur of the bee.
• 3) Calliopsis usually nest at dense aggregations with up to 1,650 nest in area of soil.
• 4)Mating takes place on flowers and at nest sites.
• 5) Some species of Calliopsis come from nest that had been underwater for 3 months.
• 6)Each female of this genus digs a solitary underground nest, usually in compacted, dense soil and close to flowering plants that serve as food sources.
• 7)Calliopsis adreniformis bees are unusual and striking – they have green eyes, and males of the species have bright yellow faces and legs.
• 8)Female campus bees excavate long tunnels, and construct brood cells, containing egg chambers, at the ends of the tunnels or in compartments connected to the tunnels’ sides.