confusing furrow bee

not listed

NNR - Unranked

SNR - Unranked

not listed

Confusing furrow bee is a common, small, ground-nesting bee. It occurs in Europe, Asia, and North America. It occurs throughout the United States and southern Canada but is mostly absent from the southernmost tier of states and from the Great Plains. It is a generalist feeder and visits a very wide variety of flowers.

The female is ¼″ (7 mm) in length. The head is slightly wider than long. It is dull greenish with metallic reflections, and it is deeply and distinctly pitted (punctate). The antennae have 12 segments, a long scape at the base, a short pedicel, and a whip-like section (flagellum) with 10 segments (flagellomeres). On the face there is just a single line-like groove extending downward from the base of each antenna (subantennal suture). The plate on the face (clypeus) is more blackish and is distinctly bulging. There are two large compound eyes on the sides of the head and three simple eyes (ocelli) in a triangle on top of the head. The compound eyes slightly converge toward the bottom. The cheeks (genae) are slightly wider than the compound eyes. The tongue is short.

The thorax is colored like the head, dull greenish with metallic reflections. The punctures on the upperside are fine and close but not crowded. The small plates (tegulae) covering the wing bases are yellowish in front, becoming more reddish-brown in back.

The abdomen is blackish with metallic greenish reflections, and it is finely and closely punctate. Each abdominal segment has a band of whitish hairs at the end. This feature distinguishes the genus Halictus from the closely related genus Lasioglossum, which has bands at the front.

The legs are mostly blackish, becoming reddish-brown near the end.

The wings are mostly translucent with yellowish veins and a yellowish cell (stigma) on the leading edge (costal margin) just before the marginal cell. The marginal cell is pointed but not sharply pointed. There are three submarginal cells. The first cell is as long as the second and third cells combined. 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 about the same size as the female. The head is slightly longer than wide. The antennae have 13 segments. The first flagellomere is yellow on the underside and is short, only half as long as the second flagellomere. The lower third of the clypeus is yellow. The wing veins are brick red. The third segment (femur) of each leg is brick red. The fourth segment (tibia) is brick red but has a yellow longitudinal stripe on the upper (outer) side. The last part of the leg (tarsus), corresponding to the foot, is yellowish.

Female: ¼″ (7 mm)

Male: ¼″ (7 mm)

Several overlapping generations per year: early spring to autumn

Sometimes large numbers build their nests close together.

Flower pollen

Flower nectar and pollen

Sources

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

Common

Halictus confusus confusing furrow bee

Halictus confusus, confusing furrow bee, on a goldenrod leaf. Picture was taken on Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., Wisconsin on July 8, 2021.

Location: Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI

Halictus confusus, confusing furrow bee, on a goldenrod leaf. Picture was taken on Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., Wisconsin on July 8, 2021.