California Native Bee Basics - Biology, Behavior and Identification
Identifying native bees is a complicated task. 20,000 native bee species in the United States have already been scientifically described and named, and thousands more are waiting to be discovered. However, recognizing bees down to subgenus is an achievable goal for the melittology enthusiast as a jumping off point to further research. In this workshop, attendees will learn about native bee evolution, biology and behavior, all toward the goal of having a good grounding in basic identification of California's native bees. It would of course be impossible to describe each of California's 1600+ species in a single Zoom presentation and discussion. But hopefully after attending this one, next time you spot a California native bee you'll know which subgenus you're looking at and what that means in relation to your local environment.
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Emil Petrinic is ISMC's resident melittology enthusiast. Before taking tens of thousands of photos of the Bay Area's native bees, he worked as a professional photographer for events, theater and on movie sets, which was definitely good training for taking photos of moving targets with no do-overs. You can find Emil at his bee-centered Twitter account at @sfbaybees, and on Facebook in the Insect Sciences Museum group, and a number of other Native Bee photography and discussion groups.