The Wild Ones

Leafcutter bees use large mandibles to remove pieces of leaves that they use to build nests in which to lay eggs and raise larvae.

Covered here in pollen from head to abdomen, the banded sweat bee can be found in cities across the Eastern Seaboard. Bees typically root about in flowers, gathering as much pollen as they can before flying back to the nest.

Not all bees are pollinators. Cuckoo bees invade the nests of other bees, duping them into raising their offspring.

The unknown greenling is found throughout Florida.

Introduced to Maryland during the 1980s to pollinate croplands, this nesting bee is now abundant in the Washington, D.C., area.

Found in the arid province of Oriente, Cuba, these bees thrive amid cactus and thorn scrub on the hottest and driest part of the island.

The body and abdomen of the mini bee is heavily pitted and armored. The heavy black bands are believed to deflect stings and bites from other bees and insects competing for pollen.

The brown-belted bumblebee has adapted to urban areas and appears to be thriving.

These wasps have two interlocking pairs of wings — fore and hind wings. Usually both sets of wings overlap, but in this instance the hind wings are upright and operating independently.

The iridescent hue of the wings is known as wing interference patterns, or WIPS. Light bounces off transparent wings, which are made of chitin, to create unusual colors similar to those seen in soap bubbles. Serrations on the wings are a sign of aging.

Found in Cuba, the downy leafcutter is perhaps one of the first bees to reach the New World via global trade routes, making the passage from West Africa in slave ships during the Colonial Era.

Bees are frequently named after defining characteristics, in this case a reddish brown abdomen. The “fuzzy britches” aid the bee in hauling pollen back to the nest.