orange-legged furrow bee

Orange-legged furrow bee is an exotic, medium-sized, common, and very widespread bee. It is a stretch to call this species exotic. It is native to Europe and Asia. It was probably introduced into North America between 26,000 and 19,000 years ago when there was a land bridge between what are now Russia and Alaska. It now occurs throughout the temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere. In North America it has been recorded in every state and province except Nunavut.

The female is ⅜″ to 7⁄16″ (10 to 11 mm) in length. The head and body are entirely black with whitish hairs and without a metallic greenish cast.

The head is somewhat wider than long. The top of the head is deeply and distinctly pitted (punctured). There are two large compound eyes and between them on top of the head there are three small simple eyes (ocelli). The compound eyes converge slightly toward the bottom. The ocelli are arranged in a triangle. The lateral two ocelli are much closer to the hind margin of the head than to the compound eyes. On the face there is just a single line-like groove extending downward from the base of each antenna (subantennal suture). The cheeks (genae) are slightly wider than the eyes. The tongue is short.

The thorax is deeply and distinctly punctured. The pronotum is short and collar-like. It has a rounded lobe on each side that does not reach the plates covering the wing bases (tegulae). The tegulae are brownish-black and have a narrow translucent rim on the front margin.

The abdomen is minutely and very closely punctured. The punctures on the first abdominal segment are deep and distinct, and they gradually become obscure toward the end of the abdomen. There is a well-defined band of dense white hairs at the rear margin of each segment. On segments one and two the bands are narrowed in the middle.

The legs are mostly black and are covered with yellowish hairs. The fourth leg segment (tibia) has long pollen-collecting hairs (scopa). The last part of each leg (tarsus), corresponding to the foot, has five segments. The last tarsal segments are rusty orange. This is the feature that gives the bee both its common name and its species epithet.

The wings are mostly translucent with pale reddish-brown veins. The cell (stigma) on the leading edge (costal margin) just before the marginal cell is also pale reddish-brown. The marginal cell is pointed but not sharply pointed. There are three submarginal cells. The first cell is longer than the third. The veins dividing the submarginal cells are dark and prominent. The basal vein is strongly arced at the base, like the letter J.

The male is similar in size and appearance, but the upper lip (labrum), most of the facial plate (clypeus), and the tibia and tarsus of each leg are yellow, and it has no pollen-collecting hairs. The wings are clear but slightly tinged with brown toward the tip.

Female: ⅜″ to 7⁄16″ (10 to 11 mm)

Male: ⅜″ to 7⁄16″ (10 to 11 mm)

March to September

Northern bees tend to be more solitary and southern bees tend to be more social. Minnesota is in the intermediate zone, where both solitary and social behavior can be seen in different nests.

Flower pollen

Flower nectar and pollen

Sources

4, 24, 27, 29, 30, 82, 83.

Common and very widespread

Halictus rubicundus
Iyptala's Garden

solitary bee Halictus rubicundus investigating nest sites
Martin Harvey

Halictus rubicundus
Gilberto Squizzato

Halictus rubicundus in Lady Dixon Park 20/04/2019 video 1
Hrubicundus

Location: Albany, NY

Location: Albany, NY

Location: Albany, NY

Location: Woodbury, MN