Non-honey bees

Halictus scabiosae and H. sexcinctus are two related species, and quite similar in appearance. There are two particular differences, among others, between them*. First, H. sexcinctus (but not scabiosae) females have acarinarium on their first tergite, which is a cozy place for mites of a specific species, Anoetus halicticola. Second, H. scabiosae increases its range quite fast in recent decades. In Poland this species was first observed in 2020, and a few days ago we published a short note about its further dispersal. It travels fast!

*I don’t know about causal relationship between presence of acarinarium and dispersal, don’t treat the cartoon scenario too seriously 🙂