# Hairy black bee in Tucson desert



## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

There is a black bee, that somewhat resembles a small bumble bee, it usually focuses on the bloom of the Ironwood trees, but the unusual cold weather has prevented the bloom of the Ironwood. I noticed that Mesquite has begun to bloom and that instead of working the Ironwood (which doesn't appear to be blooming this year), these bees are working the Mesquite blooms. I've not seen these bees work Mesquite before - interesting, I wonder if they are feeding on Mesquite in desperation and as an alternative to their usual source.


----------



## Paul McCarty (Mar 30, 2011)

Sounds like the big, black, carpenter bees we have here in New Mexico. Do they have a sort of metallic green sheen to them?


----------



## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

These are actually about 1/3 the size of those carpenter bees, we have those too - they like to nest in some dead cut stalks of _Arundo donax_. The entire bodies of these smaller black bees are completely covered with long dark black hairs, their abdomens are short, almost round and I haven't located any of their nests, yet.


----------



## LauraJS (Mar 3, 2011)

We were in Albuquerque last week and one of my brother in laws trees had shiny glossy black bees all over it. They looked like honeybees but were just as black as can bee....


----------



## Paul McCarty (Mar 30, 2011)

I have also seen some here in New Mexico that are really small, like a honeybee, but bright yellow and a sort of pea green color. Really brightly colored little critter - Probably some sort of Mason type bee.

We also have the market cornered on odd looking wasps here in the desert.


----------

