Скачать или смотреть Hibiscus Turret Bees and Rose-mallow Hibiscus: Perfect Together

Rose-mallow Hibiscus have burst open on the refuge. These plants provide both a spectacular show of color for humans whether they are white or pink. Plus, they are beneficial for many species of wildlife. Look for them along the Dike Trail, at Fleetwood Pond, and especially at Foord’s Landing.
When you see Swamp Hibiscus, you’re sure to also see the Hibiscus Turret Bee. They are sometimes mistaken for a bumblebee. But they don’t have the pollen baskets like bumblebees have. Instead, they collect pollen on very hairy legs!
They emerge from the ground at about the same time as the Swamp Hibiscus flowers start opening. Some bees are considered specialist bees and are picky eaters, typically collecting pollen from a single host plants several related plants. The Hibiscus Turret Bee is a Hibiscus specialist. They will occasionally be seen on Morning Glory flowers.
They nest in hard-packed roadways and levees near water sources.
Females can “walk” on water! They alight on the water’s surface to collect water to moisten the hard-packed soil while excavating burrows. A turret, which looks like a mud chimney, surrounds the nest. Females construct and provision several nests during one season. Her hind legs are covered with very dense hairs which she uses to carry pollen to her nest. Nests are vertical and usually one or two-celled and each cell contains an egg and a pollen provision.
The female lays her egg on the pollen provision and the larvae eats its way around the pollen mass as it grows and develops. Mating behavior involves male bees resting in Hibiscus flowers, waiting for foraging females, and males will fly from blossom to blossom in search of a female. Males will chase-away or fight with other males that try to land on their flower. These bees DO NOT sting!
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