Family Apidae > Genus Anthophora
Anthophora
Digger Bees
In Minnesota, there are three described species within the genus Anthophora. Two of these species, Anthophora bomboides and Anthophora walshii, nest in the ground; the third species, Anthophora terminalis, nests in wood. All three species have solitary nests. Anthophora are medium-sized, robustly shaped with broad abdomens, and are fast zippy flyers. Prior to landing on the flower, both males and females often hover in front of flowers with their tongues extended outward.
Anthophora males have a brightly colored (light yellow or yellow) clypeus, and females have a black head and clypeus. Bees in this genus have three forewing submarginal cells and a short jugal lobe. Females have simple (not feathery) scopal (pollen-collecting) hairs on their hind leg tibia and basitarsus. The scopal hairs are longer on the tibiae than the basitarsus. Anthophora range in length from 10 to 16 mm (0.4 to 0.6 inches).
Anthophora terminalis female visiting Penstemon digitalis.
Wing
position
on flowers
3
no. species
in MN
size range
Phenology
Genus Characteristics
female
Scopal hairs simple (not feather-like) and longer on hind tibia than basitarsus. Female face dark.
male
Long glossa (tongue). Male clypeus light yellow to yellow. Ariolum present between the tarsal claws.
3
1
2
Three forewing submarginal cells of similar size.
female
Short antennae, robust shape with broad abdomen.
Anthophora Species in Minnesota
Scientific Name | Nest Location | Sociality |
|---|---|---|
Anthophora bomboides | ground | solitary |
Anthophora terminalis | wood, rarely in other types of cavities (Satyshur et al. 2020) | solitary |
Anthophora walshii | ground | solitary |
Anthorphora terminalis female visiting Penstemon digitalis
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Citations and Further Reading
Droege, S., Shumar, S., & Maffei, C. (2024). The Very Handy Bee Manual (2.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12812755
Mitchell, T. B. (1960). Bees of the eastern United States. Technical Bulletin No. 141. North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station.
Portman, Z. M., Gardner, J., Lane, I. G., Gerjets, N., Petersen, J. D., Ascher, J. S., ... & Cariveau, D. P. (2023). A checklist of the bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) of Minnesota. Zootaxa, 5304(1), 1-95.
Satyshur, C. D., & Orr, M. C. (2020). Record of Anthophora (Clisodon) terminalis in a wooden trap-nesting block and comparison to available nesting information (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Journal of Melittology, (99), 1-6.
Wilson, J. S., & Messinger Carril, O. J. (2016). The bees in your backyard: a guide to North America's bees. Princeton University Press.
Page Photography Credits
Heather Holm
Joel Gardner CC BY-ND-NC 1.0 (Melittidae)
Steve Mlodinow CC BY-NC 4.0 (Brachymelecta)
Michelle Orcutt CC-BY-NC 4.0 (Epimelissodes female)