The Mysterious Triepeolus subnitens. I am not sure why I use the term "mysterious" here as almost all bee species (yes even honey bees) are mysterious. But parasitic bees are considered particularly mysterious. First we should point out that they make up about 20% of the entire bee fauna. Second, as nest parasites, they are de facto less common than their hosts and therefore generally rare. Third, people have a super hard time finding the nests of most bee species and consequently, we have fewer specimens to look at for groups like Triepeolus and a devil of a time really determining who they parasitize with 100% confidence. For example, our friend, T. subnitens is said to parasitize Svastra obliqua, but only based on someone seeing a T.s. go into a S.o. nest hole (side note: Most Triepeolus parasitize Melissodes). That's it, sample size 1 + circumstantial evidence (maybe it was just checking the nest out, for example). This lack of understanding of something so fundamental irritates me, particularly when so many people play Tennis. Just think of how much more we would know if everyone now play Tennis instead looked for bee nests and their parasites. Head spinning. Photo by beelab tech Erick Hernandez. "This bee was collected in the California Central Valley in Yolo County for research on small-scale restoration in agricultural areas. Claire Kremen's 10-year study of hedgerows shows the benefits of planting native shrubs and forbs in agricultural areas for native bees. To learn more about the Kremen Lab and hedgerows"
