The rare rabbitbrush fairy cuckoo bee was discovered in Oregon in 2019. Learn about this tiny bee, whose unique lifestyle is based on stealing nest space and food resources from other bees.
Lincoln Best, Andony Melathopoulos |
Dec 2021 |
Article
The small stonecrop mason bee (Hoplitis emarginata) had never been found in Oregon until 2019 when it was discovered by Master Melittologist Judi Maxwell in the Siskiyou Mountains in southern Oregon. Only one person had seen it...
Lincoln Best, Andony Melathopoulos |
Nov 2021 |
Article
Oregon's lava hole bee hadn't been seen in Oregon for almost 50 years when OSU Extension Master Melittologist Ellen Watrous rediscovered the bee in 2018 for the Oregon Bee Atlas. This bee had only been seen in Oregon four ...
Lincoln Best, Andony Melathopoulos |
Nov 2021 |
Article
Few insects can digest the pollen of squash plants. But where squash plants go, squash bees have followed. Now, they've made it from Mexico and the Intermountain West all the way to Oregon. Learn about the journey of these special bees and their kinship to this family of plants.
A fascinating new bee is in the process of spreading its range to Oregon — the squash bee. Unlike honey bees, squash bees hone in on one type of plant. Learn more about this bee and help track its arrival in Oregon.
Many of Oregon’s 800 species of native bees live in forests. Scientists, however, are just beginning to learn about their populations, their roles in forest ecosystems and how forests support them.