yellow-faced bee

(Hylaeus sp.)

Overview
yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus sp.)
Photo by Alfredo Colon
 

Hylaeus is a species of small bees known as yellow-faced bees or masked bees. There are 739 Hylaeus species worldwide, 51 species in North America north of Mexico, and at least 12 species in Minnesota.

Adults feed on flower pollen and nectar. Many species are probably host species specialists.

     
           
 
Description
 
 

These are small, slender bees. Adults are 3 16 to ¼ (5 to 7 mm) in length. They are mostly black with white or yellow markings on their faces and legs. They have very little hair and no pollen-collecting hairs (scopa). In these respects they look more like wasps than bees.

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

24, 27, 29, 30, 82.

 
  2/20/2021      
         
 
Taxonomy
 
 

Order

Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies)  
 

Suborder

Apocrita (narrow-waisted wasps, ants, and bees)  
 

Infraorder

Aculeata (ants, bees, and stinging wasps)  
 

Superfamily

Apoidea (bees and apoid wasps)  
 

Family

Colletidae (cellophane or plasterer, masked, and fork-tongued bees)  
 

Subfamily

Hylaeinae (yellow-faced bees)  
       
 

This genus was previously classified as Prosopis. The genus was revised and split into six subgenera, including a new subgenus Prosopis.

 
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

cinquefoil yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus basalis)

eastern yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus affinis)

Mesilla yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus mesillae)

modest yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus modestus)

rudbeckia yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus rudbeckiae)

sanicle yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus saniculae)

slender-faced yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus leptocephalus)

vertical yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus verticalis)

yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus bisinuatus)

yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus elliptica)

yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus fedorica)

yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus floridanus)

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Calloprosopis

Pharohylaeus

Prosopis

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

masked bees

yellow-faced bees

 
 

The common name “yellow-faced bees” is a misnomer. All species have markings on the face, but on many species the markings are white.

 
       

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Scopa

A brush-like tuft of hairs on the legs or underside of the abdomen of a bee used to collect pollen.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
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Alfredo Colon

 
    yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus sp.)      
           
 
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Visitor Videos
 
       
 

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Other Videos
 
  Mating behavior of Masked Bee Hylaeus
Karl Foord
 
   
 
About

Published on Oct 21, 2016

 
  Yellow-faced bees (Hylaeus) on naupaka kahakai
Kimberley Greeson
 
   
 
About

Published on Mar 7, 2017

 
  Native bee species now protected under Endangered Species Act
KHON2 News
 
   
 
About

Published on Sep 30, 2016

Seven yellow-faced bee species are now under protection, a first for any bees in the nation.

 
       

 

Camcorder

 
 
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Alfredo Colon

 
    wrinkled soldier beetle      
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

 

 
           
           

 

 

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