Epeolus novomexicanus
I just found this in my photos from 2018. I took
this one and only photo at Burraston Ponds, Juab
County Utah. I had only seen these bees previously on
Antelope Island, as shown below .© Carol Davis 8-23-2018
Bees were few and bar between on this late day in September
on Antelope Island but as I came to a place I had seen
these same bees before, low and behold there were a couple
of them digging little mines. © Carol Davis 9-29-2020
This is a hot spot for Sand Wasp nests but I saw
none on this day. It makes me wonder if this
cuckoo also uses Sand Wasp nests to lay their
eggs in. © Carol Davis 9-29-2020
These were digging when I first came up to them and then
they started hovering and then perching, just waiting for me to
leave. I love their pink eyes and legs and the "W" on their thorax:
"Warning! Cellophane-cuckoo Bee at work." © Carol Davis 9-29-2020
I found these little hovering bees near some Sand Wasp nests
on Antelope Island in 2016. I first thought they were Sand Wasps but
realized they must be something else. They would hover and then
check out some of the holes in the sand. I suspected they might
be cuckoo bees. © Carol Davis 9-27-2016
I was able to get some air shots of them because they would hover in
place for quite a while. I couldn't get close to them or they would
scatter, so I used my telephoto lens. © Carol Davis 9-27-2016
I found out from Dr. John Ascher on Bugguide this week (5-2018) that
these are Epeolus novomexicanus. I have another picture of a female of
this species that I took in 2008 that was also identified this year (2018)
by Dr. John Ascher on Bugguide. © Carol Davis 9-27-2016
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