Colletes Thoracicus - Blog Posts

Rufous-backed Cellophane Bees (Colletes thoracicus), males, taken April 21, 2025, in Georgia, US

More bees!! Hundreds of young bachelors are scouring the ground for ladies. The females of this species are differentiable from males by their dark orange fuzz, lack of white stripes on their abdomens, and noticeably larger size. Males are slightly variable in size, but females are always larger. Most of these pictures were taken in the same spot. I watched for 5 or so minutes as dozens of males attempted to wedge their way underneath a leaf, buzzing at each other all the while. I'm not sure if a female was hiding under there, or if it just smelled like her, but they were extremely adamant on getting under that leaf!

Rufous-backed Cellophane Bee (Colletes thoracicus), female, taken April 19, 2025, in Georgia, US

The best photo I've gotten so far of one of the most frustrating subjects. There are currently hundreds of cellophane bees swarming in an area of my woods. New adults are emerging and in the process of recreating all of their parents' nest holes. Many would disagree, but there's something calming about sitting in the center of hundreds of buzzing bees, especially when you know they won't hurt you! The only bad thing about these guys is that they hate to sit still. Any time they land to inspect a prospective nest site, they do so fleetingly. There are so many bees that many are willing to fight for good spots, and males are simultaneously trying to mate with females that land for too long. It's chaos, but the welcome kind!