Search Results - Field Guide

Showing 11 - 20 of 53 results
photo of bumblebee on a wild rose flower
Bumblebees
Bombus spp.
Bumblebees are like huge honeybees: They are yellow and black, collect pollen and nectar, live in colonies, and make honey. They are capable of stinging, if molested or if their nest is endangered, but you need not fear them; they are not aggressive.
Female Georgia mason bee, covered with yellow pollen, on a yellow flowerhead
Georgia Mason
Osmia georgica
The Georgia mason is one of several species of mason bees in Missouri. Like other megachilid bees, it is a native solitary bee that carries pollen in a special clump of hairs on the underside of the abdomen.
Photo of a tiger bee fly resting on the wood of a privacy fence
Tiger Bee Fly
Xenox tigrinus
The tiger bee fly is one of about 800 species of bee flies in North America. It parasitizes the larvae of carpenter bees.
Black-and-gold bumble bee visiting wild bergamot flowerhead
Black-and-Gold Bumblebee
Bombus auricomus
The black-and-gold bumblebee is associated with prairies and other grasslands. It is one of several species of bumblebees that occur in Missouri.
Male common eastern bumble bee on a New World aster
Common Eastern Bumblebee
Bombus impatiens
The common eastern bumblebee is widespread in the eastern United States. It is one of several species of bumblebees that occur in Missouri.
Honeybee worker on flower
Honeybee
Apis mellifera
The honeybee is a major pollinator of many field crops and tree fruits. Native to the Old World, it is not native to North America. In 1985 it was named the official state insect of Missouri.
Photo of an eastern yellowjacket
Yellowjackets (Vespula Wasps)
Vespula spp.
Yellowjackets are bee-sized social wasps that build paper nests, usually underground. Their defensive stinging can make them a major pest when they nest near people.
image of a Flower Fly on a flower
Flower Flies (Syrphids)
Nearly 900 species in North America
Harmless flies and valuable pollinators, flower flies are incredibly convincing mimics of bees, wasps, and yellowjackets. Recognize them as true flies by their single pair of wings, short antennae, and flylike compound eyes.
Photo of a green-eyed robber fly depositing eggs into Missouri ironweed flowers.
Green-Eyed Robber Fly
Promachus vertebratus
The green robber fly is one of several species of robber flies called giant robber flies or bee killers. They are indeed large, with distinctive yellow and dark stripes on the abdomen and iridescent green eyes.
Photo of backswimmer, side view
Backswimmers
About 32 North American species in the family Notonectidae
Sometimes called “water bees” or “water wasps,” backswimmers are predaceous and can deliver a painful bite if mishandled. True to their name, they swim belly-up, and their backs are keeled like a boat, which makes back-swimming easier.