top of page
Melissodes / long-horned Bee

Family: Apidae

Genus: Melissodes

Common Name: Long-Horned Bee

APPEARANCE

Physical Appearance

Both males and females are golden-brown, often with some banding on the abdomen. They have a fuzzy thorax and noticeably hairy legs.

The female carries pollen in a brush of specialized hairs, called a scopa, on each hind leg. When loaded with pollen, the female scopae can resemble leg-warmers, which is sometimes a quick way to spot a female long-horned bee.

 

Males are slightly smaller than females and have particularly long antennae.

 

Characteristics

By evening male long-horned bees can often be found sleeping in clusters inside a flower or hanging onto a flower stem with their jaws.

 

Melissodes are important pollinators of North American wild sunflowers and also of hybrid sunflower crops.

 

Size: Small to medium sized robust bees, approximately 1/3 to 3/4 inch in length.

HABITS

Distribution

Melissodes species are restricted to the Americas. They are widespread and abundant across North America.

 

Number of species in North America

More than 120

 

Emergence Time
Mid to late summer

 

Nesting Habit
Ground nesting

 

Pollinated Garden Crops Include

Sunflower
Cucumber
Watermelon

 

Additional Flowers Visited in Natural Areas
Parkinsonia (paloverde, Jerusalem thorn)
Prosopis (mesquite)
Psorothamnus (dalea, smoketree)

Visited Plants

Agastache / Giant Hyssop

Asclepias / Milkweed

Bidens / Beggarticks

Chrysothamnus / Rabbitbrush

Coreopsis / Tickseed

Cosmos / Cosmos

Cucurbita / Gourd

Dalea / Prairie Clover

Erigeron / Fleabane

Eriogonum / Buckwheat

Gaillardia / Blanketflower

Geranium / Wild Geranium

Grindelia / Gumweed

Helenium / Sneezeweed

Helianthus / Sunflower

Holodiscus / Oceanspray

Larrea / Creosote Bush

Liatris / Blazing Star

Nepeta / Catmint

Ratibida / Prairie Coneflower

Rudbeckia / Coneflower

Silphium / Rosinweed

Soldiago / Goldenrod

Sphraeralcea / Globemallow

Symphyotrichum / Aster

Verbesina / Wingstem

Please reload

bottom of page