Squash bees are important pollinators of genus Cucurbita plants, which include summer squash, winter squash, zucchini, pumpkins, as well as many gourds, excluding cucumbers and are common throughout the US and Mexico. Making their behavior more identifiable, squash bees of visit these flowers starting around sunrise before other bees are active. To further elaborate on squash bees we at A Five Star Termite & Pest Control would like to take this opportunity.
How to Identify Squash Bees VS Honey Bees
Frequently causing confusion between the two species, the general size and coloration of squash bees significantly resembles honeybees. Squash bees are larger and bulkier, as well as have rounder faces and longer antennae with a closer look. Where the honeybees have smooth, flat hind legs, another distinguishing feature in females, it that they have very fuzzy hind legs which may be covered all over in loose pollen. The males feature a yellow spot on the face as the female’s face is completely dark. Also, males are not usually covered in pollen as they do not carry it though they are both very fuzzy bee.
Squash Bee Nest
Unlike honeybees and bumble bees, squash bees do not live in a colony or in a hive. Collecting the nectar and pollen to feed the offspring in the soil, female’s dig a nest. Where the new generation of bees spend most of the year sealed in the cells, the nests are built 6 to 12 inches underground. Squash bee young develop in the individual cells the mother prepared, these bees are active in the summer and throughout the season. When these bees get hard to work until about mid-day, the flowers of the genus Cucurbita open at dawn. Squash bees are more than enough, though honeybees and bumblebees are adequate pollinators of squash plants.
Leaf Cutter Bee Nest
Leafcutter bees are a part of the Megachile, a valuable and efficient pollinator. They nest in cavities instead of hives as these bees are similar to mason bees. Within soft rotting wood that can be excavated, these bees look for ready-made cavities or will build nests. They will build cells using the pieces of leaf as lining after they find the perfect spot by overlapping segments of leaf to make a cylindrical cavity that looks a little like a cigar. A little segment of leaf seals up each seal and these nests are only about 4 to 8 inches long. A new generation of adult females emerge from their nests in spring. The female leafcutter bee will supply it with pollen so the hatched larvae can feed after she constructs her nest and lay a single egg. The larvae develop into adults throughout the winter and emerge as grown adults all over again inside these cells. They are also solitary bees like the squash bee. The leafcutter bee resembles honeybees. However, they collect pollen on hairs on the underside of their abdomens, these bees do not have pollen baskets on the hind legs.
Stinging Insect Inspections, Control, Exclusion & More in Canyon Lake, Spring Branch, Bulverde, Timberwood Park, Leon Valley, Alamo Heights, New Braunfels, Selma, Live Oak, Converse, Universal City, Cibolo, Seguin, New Berlin, St Hedwig, Adkins, La Vernia, Elmendorf, Losoya, Von Ormy, Macdona & San Antonio, Texas
A Five Star Termite & Pest Control can inspect the stinging insects on your property to determine the exact species. If bees are found, we can recommend a beekeeper for relocation if you are worried about the health risks keeping them on location (no matter which type of bee is invading your property). If we determine that you are actually dealing with aggressive wasps, we can offer treatment to get rid of them for you. Contact us for all your pest control needs!
